All Education
First LookLoan relief granted to students bamboozled by for-profit collegeThis week,聽the Biden administration approved聽18,000 loan forgiveness claims made by previous ITT Technical Institute students. The decision follows an earlier round of loan discharges that cleared $1 billion of federal student loan debt for 72,000 borrowers.
First LookAfter year away, kindergarteners raise hands for fall enrollmentAfter a drop in enrollment during the pandemic, kindergarten class sizes are expected to spike in the fall, posing new challenges for teachers. Some school districts are planning ahead, putting federal relief funding toward summer programs, testing, and new hires.
First LookStudents spearhead push for Asian American studiesAfter the tragic killing of six Asian women in Atlanta, students are asking for mandatory Asian heritage instruction in the classroom. Illinois is poised to become the first state to require public schools to teach Asian American studies.聽
First LookBrand building: The new recruitment tool for NCAA schoolsCollege athletes can now be paid endorsers without violating NCAA rules. Some schools are already investing in support programs for personal branding. Other schools are waiting, wary of changes in legislation that could set new parameters around monetizing athletes.
Good news for grads: Help (really) wantedWhile career launch may have been slow for 2020 and 2021 graduates, the strengthening job market is an 鈥渙pportunity,鈥� say analysts.
FocusCritical race theory: Who gets to decide what is history?Conservative politicians in 16 states have introduced bills aimed at prohibiting the teaching of concepts they cite as divisive.
Schools and trust: What works for communities of colorAs students return to classrooms, diverse communities in California offer ideas for moving forward from inequities amplified by the pandemic.
First LookFor Native Americans higher ed support still falls shortNative American tribes, students, and faculty are pushing colleges and universities to do more for their Indigenous students. Many higher education institutions are built on land that was unjustly taken from Native American tribes, a study last year shows.
First LookHow a teacher disarmed school shooter with motherly loveWhen Idaho middle school teacher Krista Gneiting encountered a girl with a loaded gun, her instinct was to embrace the child.聽鈥淚 just kept hugging her and loving her and trying to let her know that we鈥檙e going to get through this together,鈥� said Ms. Gneiting.
Parents eye another option for fall: Hybrid home schoolingWhat might interest in hybrid home schooling suggest about how flexible families want education to be moving forward?
First LookStudents across the US demand colleges atone for role in slaveryStudents and activists from New England to the Deep South are calling on higher education institutions to make reparations for colonial-era slavery as well as more recent campus expansion projects that have displaced communities of color.
Survival skills: A backpack design course helps more than just hikersCould a college class about designing and repairing outdoor gear help聽keep backpacks out of the landfill and make outdoor activities more accessible?
First LookAs graduation approaches, high schools fight to retain dropoutsThe pandemic might be chipping away at the gains the U.S. made in cutting the dropout rate from 9.3% in 2007 to 5.1% in 2019, say experts. In response, schools have eased graduation requirements and are chasing down students聽in-person and through social media.
Innovations in college aid: The FAFSA maze now includes drive-thruNew strategies to help students and their families complete the complex FAFSA include drive-thru and virtual guidance, and even free meals.
First LookHow far along is the US in reopening schools?A majority of U.S. elementary and middle schools are offering in-person learning to those who want it. But some students are remaining in online or in hybrid programs, and the number of students going in varies across geographic location and racial demographics.
The country is talking about race in schools. Minneapolis offers lessons.Since George Floyd鈥檚 death, Minneapolis has become a microcosm of the national debate on addressing race in schools. What lessons can the city offer?
First LookNew lesson plan: Discussing the Chauvin verdict at schoolTeachers have had to navigate addressing race in U.S classrooms in unprecedented ways since George Floyd鈥檚 death. For some, watching and discussing the trial of Derek Chauvin in class was the culmination of nearly a year鈥檚 work.
FocusIn a roiled Minneapolis, schools are testing new model for safetyIn public schools in Minneapolis, a new culture of safety 鈥� without a police presence 鈥� is being tested and, some students say, strengthened.
Pandemic learning gains: Resilience. Responsibility. Lunch.Along with noting learning loss during the pandemic, educators and parents are seeing gains in academics and life skills, like resilience and hope.聽
Vaccine mandates: Colleges juggle ethics and enrollment dilemmasEthics and politics are debated as COVID-19 vaccination is required by a growing number of U.S. colleges for the fall semester.