By Meredith Kolodner of The Hechinger Report for EWA
Nick Anderson didn’t have to be asked twice to get on a train to
New York City.
A professor at Columbia University called the veteran Washington
Post reporter last summer. She told him she had spoken with
students who were making ends meet by engaging in the sex trade,
hooking up with older men on “sugar daddy” websites.
“She asked me, ‘Would you be interested in writing about
something like this?’” Anderson relayed to a room full of
journalists who had assembled for a session at the Education
Writers Association’s annual spring conference.
Free speech has once again become a highly charged issue on
college campuses, where protests frequently have interrupted, and
in some cases halted, appearances by polarizing speakers.
At a lively panel last week during the Education Writers
Association’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., free speech
advocates and a student leader from the University of California,
Berkeley, debated who was at fault and what could be done.
One nonprofit organization is determined to see more
conservatives on student election ballots at colleges and
universities across the country. Turning Point USA is getting conservative
students active in campus politics by providing them with
everything from campaign T-shirts to on-the-ground workers to
help sustain their runs for office.
As Coastal Carolina University continues an investigation into
its cheerleading team’s alleged work as strippers and escorts,
administrators there are grappling with how to
treat websites such as the one the students used.
A letter sent to Coastal Carolina officials in mid-March from a
concerned parent alleged that cheerleaders were engaging in
stripping, drinking and prostitution. Following the claim,
The Sun News obtained investigation documents through a
public records request.
Jane Hammond of the Daily Press in Newport News, Virginia,
discusses the
anniversary of the rampage, in which a student gunman
killed 32 people before taking his own life. In the decade that’s
followed, Virginia has put strict new protocols in place related
to emergency response, as well as new standards for mental health
services.
They could be considered the new minority student. Difficult to
find, harder to enroll, but offering a perspective that moved to
the forefront in the last presidential campaign. The small-town
American who grows up to work a blue-collar job, who often feels
ignored by a political climate that seems to cater more to the
coastal middle class, has drawn more attention over the past
year.
Dana Goldstein of The New York Times looks
at issues of equity when it comes to PTA fundraising,
and how those dollars are being distributed and spent.
Andrew Ujifusa of Education
Week and Scott Jaschik of Inside
Higher Ed discuss President Donald Trump’s proposed
budget for schools and colleges, and its prospects on Capitol
Hill. The president envisions deep cuts to some federal education
programs, while promising more money for school choice.
Ashley Smith of Inside Higher Ed discusses why the
Golden State is leading the nation in free community
college initiatives. Currently, a quarter of all such programs
nationally are located at California institutions. The growth is
a mix of grassroots efforts by individual campuses, cities, and
community organizations. At the same time, California’s
Democratic lawmakers are pushing for a statewide effort to add
even more free seats at two-year colleges.
Students, parents and taxpayers want to know now more than ever
if college is worth it. The answer overall is an unequivocal yes,
said Amy Laitinen, director of the higher education program at
New America.
But, Laitinen added, Americans don’t know how worthwhile most
individual colleges or programs are for particular students.
“The real question is which college, which program, for which
students, at which price, for how much debt is it worth it,”
Laitinen said.
The presidential election pushed grassroots proposals to make
public college free into the mainstream. But should these
plans stay there? And if so, in what form, now that the most
prominent supporters of those proposals lost the race
for the White House?
A new report finds that state funding for higher education
continues to show growth overall, but each state has its own tale
to tell, particularly those that aren’t keeping pace with the
trend. Support for higher education in state budgets rose by 3.4
percent across the country from the 2015-16 to 2016-17 fiscal
years, preliminary data from the latest Grapevine
survey shows.
From ‘Sugar Daddies’ to College Mailboxes: Reporters Share ‘How I Did the Story’
Nick Anderson didn’t have to be asked twice to get on a train to New York City.
A professor at Columbia University called the veteran Washington Post reporter last summer. She told him she had spoken with students who were making ends meet by engaging in the sex trade, hooking up with older men on “sugar daddy” websites.
“She asked me, ‘Would you be interested in writing about something like this?’” Anderson relayed to a room full of journalists who had assembled for a session at the Education Writers Association’s annual spring conference.
How Much Freedom of Speech Is Welcome on College Campuses?
Free speech has once again become a highly charged issue on college campuses, where protests frequently have interrupted, and in some cases halted, appearances by polarizing speakers.
At a lively panel last week during the Education Writers Association’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., free speech advocates and a student leader from the University of California, Berkeley, debated who was at fault and what could be done.
Conservative Candidates for Student Government Get Hidden Help
One nonprofit organization is determined to see more conservatives on student election ballots at colleges and universities across the country. Turning Point USA is getting conservative students active in campus politics by providing them with everything from campaign T-shirts to on-the-ground workers to help sustain their runs for office.
In ‘Seeking Arrangement,’ Are Students Working As Escorts?
As Coastal Carolina University continues an investigation into its cheerleading team’s alleged work as strippers and escorts, administrators there are grappling with how to treat websites such as the one the students used.
A letter sent to Coastal Carolina officials in mid-March from a concerned parent alleged that cheerleaders were engaging in stripping, drinking and prostitution. Following the claim, The Sun News obtained investigation documents through a public records request.
Virginia Tech Shooting: 10 Years Later
EWA Radio: Episode 119
Jane Hammond of the Daily Press in Newport News, Virginia, discusses the anniversary of the rampage, in which a student gunman killed 32 people before taking his own life. In the decade that’s followed, Virginia has put strict new protocols in place related to emergency response, as well as new standards for mental health services.
Higher Education Reaches Out to Rural Students
They could be considered the new minority student. Difficult to find, harder to enroll, but offering a perspective that moved to the forefront in the last presidential campaign. The small-town American who grows up to work a blue-collar job, who often feels ignored by a political climate that seems to cater more to the coastal middle class, has drawn more attention over the past year.
The Fight Over PTA Fundraisers
EWA Radio: Episode 117
Dana Goldstein of The New York Times looks at issues of equity when it comes to PTA fundraising, and how those dollars are being distributed and spent.
Trump’s Budget Holds Big Cuts for K-12, Higher Ed
EWA Radio: Episode 115
Andrew Ujifusa of Education Week and Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed discuss President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for schools and colleges, and its prospects on Capitol Hill. The president envisions deep cuts to some federal education programs, while promising more money for school choice.
Go West, Young Students: California’s Free Community College Boom
EWA Radio: Episode 114
Ashley Smith of Inside Higher Ed discusses why the Golden State is leading the nation in free community college initiatives. Currently, a quarter of all such programs nationally are located at California institutions. The growth is a mix of grassroots efforts by individual campuses, cities, and community organizations. At the same time, California’s Democratic lawmakers are pushing for a statewide effort to add even more free seats at two-year colleges.
The Push for More College Data, With the Challenge of Protecting Student Privacy
Students, parents and taxpayers want to know now more than ever if college is worth it. The answer overall is an unequivocal yes, said Amy Laitinen, director of the higher education program at New America.
But, Laitinen added, Americans don’t know how worthwhile most individual colleges or programs are for particular students.
“The real question is which college, which program, for which students, at which price, for how much debt is it worth it,” Laitinen said.
Would Free College Lead to Too Many Graduates?
The presidential election pushed grassroots proposals to make public college free into the mainstream. But should these plans stay there? And if so, in what form, now that the most prominent supporters of those proposals lost the race for the White House?
State Funding for Higher Education Up 3.4 Percent
A new report finds that state funding for higher education continues to show growth overall, but each state has its own tale to tell, particularly those that aren’t keeping pace with the trend. Support for higher education in state budgets rose by 3.4 percent across the country from the 2015-16 to 2016-17 fiscal years, preliminary data from the latest Grapevine survey shows.