Jul 08 Why the Education Dept. dismissed a discrimination complaint against Harvard By Molly Boigon, WGBH The Education Department has dismissed a claim that Harvard shows bias against Asian-American applicants, because a similar lawsuit has already been filed in federal court. Continue reading
Jul 03 How Obama reversed course on federal college ratings By Josh Lederman, Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama dearly wanted to get the government in the business of rating colleges and universities based on value and affordability, promising a new system by 2015. Now that goal is shriveling under the weight of a… Continue reading
Jul 01 Why the government let many trade schools become diploma mills By Anne Flaherty, Associated Press WASHINGTON — How did trade schools go from being mom-and-pop shops that trained mechanics and hair stylists to making billions on Wall Street? And if the industry is as predatory as the Education Department and many lawmakers suggest, why didn't… Continue reading
Jun 29 How churches are trying to raise the college graduation rate By Kayleigh Skinner, The Hechinger Report “What we’re trying to do is move the needle to get as many people into education programs as possible,” said the organization’s associate director, Camy Sorge. “It’s really about, ‘How can we reach the most people?’”… Continue reading
Jun 22 As states cut student aid, dollars still flow to upper-income families By Meredith Kolodner Twelve states plus Washington, D.C., now spend more on merit-based aid than need-based aid, and many others have increased funding for scholarships based on academic achievement instead of need. Some states have cut financial aid for everybody, leaving hundreds of… Continue reading
Jun 16 Climbing walls aren't driving the rise in college tuition By Kellie Woodhouse, Inside Higher Ed There's not much Elizabeth Warren and Chris Christie agree on. But last week they struck a similar chord in speeches that knocked increasingly common and luxurious college amenities like climbing walls and lazy rivers. Such features, Warren said in a… Continue reading
Jun 15 Nonprofits step in to support college students who need it most By Laura M. Colarusso, The Hechinger Report Debbie Chen had always struggled with her schoolwork. So when she arrived at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Chen — whose parents never went to college — worried she might have trouble juggling her assignments and other campus activities. Continue reading
Jun 05 Corinthian campuses getting nonprofit makeover By Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed SAVANNAH, Ga. — As a guarantor of student loans that specialized in collecting from students on the precipice of bankruptcy, the Educational Credit Management Corporation saw up close the “impact of students taking on debt, dropping out of school and… Continue reading
May 21 These groups of Asian-Americans rarely attend college, but California is trying to change that By Matt Krupnick, The Hechinger Report As one group of Asians who don’t go to college in large numbers, the Hmong help illustrate the complex changing demographics of students arriving at American universities and colleges: increasingly nonwhite, low-income, and first-generation. Continue reading
May 20 Prisoners might get access to Pell grants for first time in two decades By Paul Fain, Inside Higher Ed The U.S. Department of Education is poised to announce a limited exemption to the federal ban on prisoners receiving Pell Grants to attend college while they are incarcerated. Continue reading