Is state-sponsored pre-k the solution for Mississippi?
What would help the children of Mississippi, which has test scores that are consistently among the nation’s worst? The Hechinger Report and Time magazine have partnered to take a long look at the state’s performance and try to find some answers and solutions. From Hechinger editor Liz Willen’s first piece in the ongoing series: Although […]
Are texting, multitasking teens losing empathy skills? Some differing views
Psychiatrist Dr. Gary Small recently expressed a sentiment that may have crossed the minds of parents and educators who see how much time teenagers spend chatting online and texting: He worries they may not be learning empathy skills. The digital world has rewired teen brains and made them less able to recognize and share feelings of […]
Recess round-up: August 3, 2010
A daily dose of education news around the nation – just in time for a little mid-day break! For-profit colleges: Listen to Liz Willen of The Hechinger Report explain why Congress and the White House are considering tighter regulation of for-profit colleges. It’s the second story on the lineup. (NPR) Charter schools and funding: A $5.5 […]
Reversing lagging U.S. college completion rates: What will it take?
There was a time when the U.S. could boast it had the highest percentage of its adult population aged 25-34 with college degrees, but it’s been a long time since anyone could make that claim. Lately, there’s been a great deal of attention focused on the need to ramp up the number of college graduates, and […]
After painful debate, Mass. agrees to adopt Common Core Standards
As 27 other states agreed to adopt the “Common Core Standards,” the state of Massachusetts held out, arguing that its own standards were of higher quality — and better. On Monday night, state Republicans urged education leaders to delay a vote on replacing the standards. The whole issue became entangled in state politics, the Boston Globe reported. […]
Do for-profit schools do a better job with low-income students?
For-profit colleges have had their share of negative attention lately, with a Democratic Senate committee calling for tougher oversight and regulation, and reports focusing on the excessive debt their students incur. That’s one reason why it was refreshing to read the comments of Gary Berg, the author of Low-Income Students and the Perpetuation of Inequality, in a […]
Are for-profit schools breathing sigh of relief? Or in holding pattern?
Fast-growing for-profit schools have some more time to worry about new rules that have the potential to drastically alter — and possibly curtail — their future. Enrollment in for-profit schools has soared in recent years. The consulting firm Eduventures predicted a 25 percent jump in the number of students expected to be educated at for-profit schools by 2019. […]
Earn an online degree at iCollege
Minnesota’s two-term governor Tim Pawlenty challenged the status quo of higher education when he appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Thursday night. He talked about the role of government and how we educate our students at the post-secondary level, but the overall message was about efficiency. “Do you really think in 20 years […]
Should private college counselors adhere to ethics code?
At a time when President Barack Obama is pushing more and more Americans to get college degrees, the students who are already planning on going are trying harder than ever to position themselves for the most selective colleges — and hiring pricey college consultants who may charge more than $40,000 a year to help shape […]
How about shopping for a college degree at Wal-Mart?
It seems one giant– and much maligned — retailer is taking President Barack Obama’s challenge to make sure more students get college degrees very seriously: That would be Wal-Mart, according to The New York Times . The story says Wal-Mart will work with a Web-based university to offer affordable college degrees to its employees, […]
