EWA’s 66th National Seminar was recently held at Stanford
University, and we asked some of the education reporters
attending to contribute blog posts from the sessions, including
one examining President Obama’s universal preschool
proposal.Today’s guest blogger is Nan Austin of the Sacramento Bee. Stream
sessions from National Seminar in your browser, or subscribe
via RSS or
There’s been no shortage of buzz of the past year or so
predicting the escalating impact of MOOCs — massive open online
courses — on the delivery of higher education. That’s why the
news out of San Jose State University this week is worth noting.
The Senate on Wednesday failed to pass a bill that would have
repealed a recent increase on some new student loans. Opposition
from Republicans and a few Democrats stalled the effort, raising
the likelihood subsidized Stafford loans taken out this year will
be double the interest rate that was on the books the previous
year.
Today’s guest post comes from Kenneth Terrell, the higher
education public editor for the Education Writers Association.
Email him at kterrell@ewa.org. Follow
him on Twitter: @KennethEWA.
“A large fraction of students are leaving the 12th grade with a
high-school diploma, and they’re about to begin a course of
studies at the 8th grade level,” said Marc Tucker, president of a
Washington, D.C. think-tank, of its recently released a report on
college readiness.
A report out
today from the National
Council on Teacher Quality rates more than 1,100 elementary
and secondary programs at just over 600 institutions of higher
education across the country and concludes that the bar is set
too low for entrance into professional training, future teachers are not being adequately
prepared for the classroom or new requirements such as the Common
Core State Standards, and the nation’s expectations are far below
those for teachers in countries
EWA’s 66th National Seminar, held at Stanford University,
took place in May. We asked some of the journalists attending to
contribute posts from the sessions. The majority of the content
will soon be available at EdMedia
Commons. Patrick O’Donnell of the Cleveland Plain Dealer
is today’s guest blogger.
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman doesn’t write about
education, as such. He writes about power and about changes on a
global level.
EWA’s 66th National Seminar, held at Stanford University, took
place earlier this month. We asked some of the journalists
attending to contribute posts from the sessions. The majority of
the content will soon be available at EdMedia Commons. Over the
next few weeks I’ll be sharing a few of the posts, including the
ones from our keynote sessions. Justin Pope, higher education
reporter for the Associated
Press, is today’s guest blogger.
The biggest obstacles that many undergraduates face en route to a
college degree are the remedial or developmental courses in which
they will be placed for their first year. These courses, which
students must pass before they can take classes that carry
college credit, add to the expense and time it takes to earn a
degree. Are such classes really needed? Or can schools replace
them with other forms of academic support?
In May of my senior year at Union College (See photo), the only
thing I was thinking about was passing finals and completing
papers with pretentious titles. Postgraduation plans, like
a job, were nothing more than vapors momentarily wafting in the
way of those footnotes buried in my textbooks. I had no
idea what kind of job I’d get, but I did know one thing for
certain: I’d wrap up my college education with roughly $17,000 in
federally subsidized debt.
An interesting
letter went out Tuesday from the U.S. Department of
Education, asking interested colleges to submit applications for
approval for federal financial aid for students in
programs that take into account alternative measures — and not
just credit hours — in awarding degrees.
To do their jobs, education reporters on the federal beat depend
on access to congressional staffers. But what happens when those
staffers want anonymity while discussing policy at a public
forum? I asked two reporters – Libby Nelson of Inside Higher Ed
and Eric Kelderman of The Chronicle of Higher Education – to
explain why they’re pushing back against what they contend
is an unreasonable expectation.
Success in College: Models that Improve the Odds
EWA’s 66th National Seminar was recently held at Stanford University, and we asked some of the education reporters attending to contribute blog posts from the sessions, including one examining President Obama’s universal preschool proposal.Today’s guest blogger is Nan Austin of the Sacramento Bee. Stream sessions from National Seminar in your browser, or subscribe via RSS or
White House Touts Student Loan Bill That Charges More Later
Update: The president signed the bill into law (8/9/13)
Follow-Up Friday: A Step Back for MOOCs in California
There’s been no shortage of buzz of the past year or so predicting the escalating impact of MOOCs — massive open online courses — on the delivery of higher education. That’s why the news out of San Jose State University this week is worth noting.
Senate Comes Short in Preventing Some Student Loan Rates from Doubling
The Senate on Wednesday failed to pass a bill that would have repealed a recent increase on some new student loans. Opposition from Republicans and a few Democrats stalled the effort, raising the likelihood subsidized Stafford loans taken out this year will be double the interest rate that was on the books the previous year.
For Many Students, College Means Back to Middle School
Today’s guest post comes from Kenneth Terrell, the higher education public editor for the Education Writers Association. Email him at kterrell@ewa.org. Follow him on Twitter: @KennethEWA.
“A large fraction of students are leaving the 12th grade with a high-school diploma, and they’re about to begin a course of studies at the 8th grade level,” said Marc Tucker, president of a Washington, D.C. think-tank, of its recently released a report on college readiness.
Teacher Prep Programs Don’t Pass the Test, Report Says
A report out today from the National Council on Teacher Quality rates more than 1,100 elementary and secondary programs at just over 600 institutions of higher education across the country and concludes that the bar is set too low for entrance into professional training, future teachers are not being adequately prepared for the classroom or new requirements such as the Common Core State Standards, and the nation’s expectations are far below those for teachers in countries
Thomas Friedman on Competition, Common Core, and the Surge of MOOCs
EWA’s 66th National Seminar, held at Stanford University, took place in May. We asked some of the journalists attending to contribute posts from the sessions. The majority of the content will soon be available at EdMedia Commons. Patrick O’Donnell of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is today’s guest blogger.
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman doesn’t write about education, as such. He writes about power and about changes on a global level.
Will Online Khan Academy ‘Educate the World’?
EWA’s 66th National Seminar, held at Stanford University, took place earlier this month. We asked some of the journalists attending to contribute posts from the sessions. The majority of the content will soon be available at EdMedia Commons. Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing a few of the posts, including the ones from our keynote sessions. Justin Pope, higher education reporter for the Associated Press, is today’s guest blogger.
New Prescriptions for Remedial Education
The biggest obstacles that many undergraduates face en route to a college degree are the remedial or developmental courses in which they will be placed for their first year. These courses, which students must pass before they can take classes that carry college credit, add to the expense and time it takes to earn a degree. Are such classes really needed? Or can schools replace them with other forms of academic support?
How I borrowed a lot and paid back a little: A writer’s take on Income Based Repayment
In May of my senior year at Union College (See photo), the only thing I was thinking about was passing finals and completing papers with pretentious titles. Postgraduation plans, like a job, were nothing more than vapors momentarily wafting in the way of those footnotes buried in my textbooks. I had no idea what kind of job I’d get, but I did know one thing for certain: I’d wrap up my college education with roughly $17,000 in federally subsidized debt.
Feds Weigh College Financial Aid for Competency Based Learning
An interesting letter went out Tuesday from the U.S. Department of Education, asking interested colleges to submit applications for approval for federal financial aid for students in programs that take into account alternative measures — and not just credit hours — in awarding degrees.
Who Decides What’s Off the Record?
To do their jobs, education reporters on the federal beat depend on access to congressional staffers. But what happens when those staffers want anonymity while discussing policy at a public forum? I asked two reporters – Libby Nelson of Inside Higher Ed and Eric Kelderman of The Chronicle of Higher Education – to explain why they’re pushing back against what they contend is an unreasonable expectation.