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FAFSA nightmare might not be over: Education Department won’t rule out another wave of financial aid delays for college students this fall
The botched rollout of a revamped process to apply for federal financial aid could have long-lasting effects, with students receiving less money for college this fall and others so fed up they’re delaying their educations. Now, with the traditional Oct. 1 start of the next financial aid season less than three months away, the U.S....
By Linda Jacobson | July 17, 2024
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An early education rebound: After COVID disruptions, report shows pre-K enrollment hitting record levels
Four-year-olds entering pre-K in Mississippi’s Lamar County Schools don’t spend their days on worksheets or bent over papers practicing their letters. But they do have plenty of books, Play-Doh and time for friends. And some leave for kindergarten knowing how to read. “But it’s not because we’re hounding them,” said Heather Lyons, the program’s coordinator....
By Linda Jacobson | June 6, 2024
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Critics call ‘consumer reports’ of school curriculum slow to adapt to science of reading
When Tami Morrison, a teacher and mom from outside Youngstown, Ohio, discovered Superkids, she thought she’d found the perfect way to help young children learn to read. Kids like her daughter Clara, a second grader, glommed on to its rich characters; she’s especially fond of Lily, who wears her black hair in a short bob...
By Linda Jacobson | May 20, 2024
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Financial aid reform was his legacy. Now, Lamar Alexander calls it ‘a big mess’
The turbulent rollout of a new federal financial aid application could mean thousands of low-income students miss out on college this fall. But one person feels especially perturbed by the botched implementation of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Lamar Alexander — former governor of Tennessee, U.S. education secretary and Republican...
By Linda Jacobson | April 24, 2024
Studies: Pandemic Aid Lifted Scores, But Not Enough To Make Up for Lost Learning
‘Astonishing’ Absenteeism, Trauma Rates Root of Academic Crisis
Reinventing Report Cards: Reading, Writing, Collaboration and Other Work Skills
Older Immigrant Students Say High School Admission Bettered Their Lives in U.S.
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Exclusive: Microschools fill niche for students with disabilities, survey shows
When Steve and Jenny Balbaugh’s daughter turned 5, they were hesitant to enroll her in the Fort Wayne, Indiana, schools. Ali was born with a rare brain defect that affects her learning and had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. “I didn’t want her to get lost,” Jenny said. But private options fell short. A...
By Linda Jacobson | April 17, 2024
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Exclusive: Over 80% of women leaders in education experience bias, survey shows
At 5 feet tall, Uyen Tieu doesn’t tower over anyone, including many students. So when a superior said she was too petite to be anything but an elementary school principal, she figured he was probably right. “I accepted it, because I didn’t know any better,” said Tieu, who didn’t find encouragement from her own Vietnamese...
By Linda Jacobson | April 8, 2024
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Final push to save expanded child tax credit as Senate hopes dim
The last time Congress increased the child tax credit — during the pandemic — Sarah Izabel used the extra cash to enroll her son in an afterschool program so she could apply to graduate school. “If my son was home, then I would be taking care of him,” said the Stanford University student, who’s...
By Linda Jacobson | March 28, 2024
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Gas, food, lodging for homeless students in jeopardy as funding deadline looms
For the past two months, home for Lori Menkedick and her family has been the Evergreen Inn, a Los-Angeles area motel just off Interstate-210. They’ve bounced between similar establishments east of downtown for almost three years. But room rates consume most of the $650 a week her husband earns from construction. The family depends on...
By Linda Jacobson | February 26, 2024
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As relief funds expire, Harvard’s Kane says ‘whole generation’ still needs help
Harvard University researcher Tom Kane stood before a captive audience at Washington’s Omni Shoreham hotel last Wednesday, just hours after dropping the report everyone was talking about. Offering the best look yet at students’ recovery from pandemic learning loss, the report showed that students actually made impressive academic gains last school year. But achievement gaps grew wider...
By Linda Jacobson | February 12, 2024
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Report: Schools won’t recover from COVID absenteeism crisis until at least 2030
The rate of students chronically missing school got so bad during the pandemic that it will likely be 2030 before classrooms return to pre-COVID norms, a new report says. But even that prediction rests on optimistic assumptions about continued improvement in the coming years. For some states, it could take longer. In Louisiana, Oregon and...
By Linda Jacobson | February 7, 2024