Education Archives

DOE extends application deadline for defaulted student loan borrowers

October 1, 2024

The Department of Education (DOE) extended its deadline for the Fresh Start program for defaulted student loan borrowers until the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 2. The deadline was supposed to be Monday, Sept. 30, but the department pushed it back because of an issue on one of its websites.

The Fresh Start program is open to only a limited number of student loan borrowers. It will put them back in good standing on their loans, avoiding the impacts of delinquency and default, like taking a hit on their credit report, wage garnishment and the potential for having their Social Security benefits withheld in the future.

The Education Department said as of 2022, there were about 7.5 million federal student loan borrowers in default.

⚠ Borrowers in default: The deadline to sign up for Fresh Start benefits has been extended. Borrowers should enroll by 2:59 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Apply online, on the phone, or by mail: https://t.co/jbS9cxGBHX
If you experience issues signing up online or by… pic.twitter.com/xlsQJv5Ngs
— Federal Student Aid (@FAFSA) September 30, 2024

People can apply for the Fresh Start program here.

Stanford requires student DEI statement, raising ‘compelled speech’ concerns

September 30, 2024

Students at Stanford University must submit a diversity and inclusion (DEI) statement to enroll in the Global Entrepreneurial Marketing course. This statement requires students to describe how they will contribute to a culture of diversity and inclusion in the class. An answer is mandatory for enrollment.

The requirement was first shared on social media by Jonathan Rauch, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Rauch expressed concerns that the DEI statement could unfairly exclude students with differing political views.

https://twitter.com/jon_rauch/status/1832223795165208831

“While Stanford as a whole should expect students to conduct themselves in a civil, respectful manner, conditioning participation in academic programs or activities on social or political commitments treads dangerously close to compelled speech, if it does not actually cross that line,” Rauch told the Center Square.

“Moreover, the term ‘diversity and inclusion,’ in today’s academic context, has acquired controversial political overtones which students may justifiably hesitate to endorse,” Rauch said. “A student could reasonably conclude that the teachers of this course intend to screen out students who disagree with them politically.”

The Global Entrepreneurial Marketing course is offered by the Department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford, and focuses on marketing technology-based products globally.

The course instructors, the dean of engineering and the public relations department at Stanford have not responded to media requests for comment regarding the DEI statement requirement.

However, Stanford’s Department of Management Science and Engineering has an online page dedicated to its DEI efforts, stating, “Diversity is a fundamental value of the MS&E department. We value the academic, social, and broader community benefits that come from engaging with different viewpoints. We want our community to include and be supportive of perspectives from varying backgrounds.”

How new Biden order could make active shooter drills less traumatic for kids

September 26, 2024

With the jury still out on the effectiveness of active shooter drills in American schools, President Joe Biden is taking action to at least make them less traumatic. He’s signing an executive order on Thursday, Sept. 26, to study how these drills may traumatize students and educators in an effort to “maximize effectiveness” and minimize any harm.

Active shooter or “lockdown drills” have been commonplace in schools throughout the United States ever since the Columbine massacre in 1999. Some tactics used in the drills include actors dressed as gunmen and fake blood. However, Everytown found in a 2020 report that active shooter drills often traumatize students with little evidence that they save lives.

Some school districts are already getting rid of graphic school shooting depictions. New York, home to the nation’s largest school district, banned the use of realistic active shooter drills in July. The new rules for this school year mean schools can no longer use actors, props, and violent depictions. Schools are now required to use “trauma informed” and “age appropriate” procedures.

New York’s move and President Biden’s order come as parents, doctors, and even lawmakers have said graphically detailed mock scenes do not actually prepare kids for actual shootings, instead they argue that they create a culture of fear and anxiety.

Biden’s directive also involves establishing a new task force to look into the dangers of so-called “machine-gun-conversion-devices,” which can turn a semiautomatic pistol into a fully automatic gun.

The task force will also examine the growing number of 3D-printed guns that are harder to track than conventional guns because barcodes are reportedly easier to remove from the firearms. The findings will have to be reported back to the president in 90 days.

The White House’s announcement comes on the heels of a mass shooting at a nightclub in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, Sept. 21, in which four people were killed and 17 others were injured.

US funding helped China’s military modernization: Congressional report

September 23, 2024

Hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. federal research funding has contributed to China’s technological advancements and military modernization, according to a new report. Republicans on the House Committee on the Chinese Communist Party found that partnerships between Chinese and American universities helped the CCP make advancements in hypersonic and nuclear weapons, artificial intelligence, advanced lasers, semiconductors and robotics.

The committee said that the funded technology is the same kind that the People’s Liberation Army would use against the U.S. military in the event of a conflict.

“The research funded by the [Department of Defense] and the [Intelligence Community] is providing back-door access to the very foreign adversary nation whose aggression these capabilities are necessary to protect against,” the report stated.

The committee said there is a lack of legal guardrails around the federal funds. It recommends stricter guidelines for federally funded research, including restricting researchers who receive U.S. grants from working with Chinese universities and companies that have military ties.

The committee pointed to multiple universities which have received grants including the University of California, Berkeley, UCLA and the Georgia Institute of Technology. It said Georgia Tech and UC Berkeley are both working to cut ties and relinquish ownership of their Chinese partners and programs.

The report also said that joint education institutions at UC Berkeley and the University of Pittsburgh “serve as conduits for transferring critical U.S. technologies and expertise to China, including to entities linked to China’s defense machine and the security apparatus it uses to facilitate their human rights abuses.”

The report blamed the Biden-Harris administration for not enforcing foreign gift and contract requirements through the Department of Education.

“These undisclosed foreign gifts—likely hundreds of millions, if not billions in total—gives PRC entities troubling influence without transparency and contribute to building the research relationships that pose risks to U.S. national security,” the committee said.

This report follows a yearlong investigation between the House Committee on the CCP and House Education and Workforce Committee.

Most US teens using AI without parents’ knowledge: Survey

September 19, 2024

Teens have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to learning new technology, and artificial intelligence is no exception. Now, new research shows just how proficient teens are with AI, and how little parents and other adults really know about it.

In a recent survey of more than a thousand U.S. parents and their teens, the nonprofit Common Sense Media found 70% of the teens they surveyed had used some form of AI, but only a little more than a third (37%) of their parents knew about it. Nearly a quarter (23%) of parents believed their kids had not used AI at all.

While teens mess around with AI chatbots to stave off boredom or use search engines with AI-generated results, the survey found teens are most commonly using the technology for help with their homework. Over half (53%) of teens were using AI for help with assignments.

Teens-and-AI Download

Common Sense Media found a pretty even split between teens whose teachers gave them permission to use AI for help with assignments and those who didn’t get permission.

While AI can definitely come in handy, experts with Common Sense Media say parents should talk to their kids about the pitfalls associated with it — like its tendency to be more biased than humans or to share misleading or flat-out wrong information. They say it might also be difficult for teens to realize when using AI crosses the boundary into cheating.

Common Sense Media said parents should test out the AI tools their kids are using with them and talk about how to decipher if the AI is right or wrong.

Ohio gives taxpayer money to private religious schools for construction

September 17, 2024

Ohio lawmakers have started giving taxpayer money to private, religious schools. The state Legislature passed a bill this summer to provide grants directly to religious schools for building renovation, adding classrooms and improving playgrounds.

$4 million out of the state’s $600 million school budget will go towards the private school funding.

Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said the goal of providing the grants is to increase the capacity of private schools so they can take on voucher students sooner.

A Christian school in Lima welcomed its largest kindergarten class this year due to the funding.

Other states implemented school voucher programs that give parents taxpayer money to spend on private school tuition for their kids.

Advocates for Ohio’s plan to fund private schools directly said it cuts out the middleman.

Those against using taxpayer money for private schools said Ohio’s plan undermines the funding needed for public schools.

Americans lose confidence college is worth it, skilled trades on the rise

September 17, 2024

As more Americans lose confidence that a college degree is actually worth it, a new study points to some potentially good news for the post-secondary schools. The number of high school graduates who chose to enroll in college held steady from 2022 to 2023, and both years were a big improvement over enrollment numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

Still, four years after the pandemic began, there are 900,000 fewer undergraduate students enrolling in college. College costs continue to rise and not wanting to accrue student loan debt has many high schoolers looking at other plans for after they graduate.

A separate recent study found nearly half (49%) of high schoolers believe a high school diploma, trade program, two-year degree or other type of enrichment program is the highest level of education needed for their anticipated career path. And even those planning on going to college believe on-the-job training and experience is more beneficial than getting a higher education degree, with 56% of them saying so.

A third study found a majority of those with student loan debt said their degree wasn’t worth it. While more than half (53%) said knowing they’d have to take on debt has stopped them from pursuing more education.

The Department of Labor says in the decade from 2012 to 2121, the number of registered apprentices jumped 64%. Just between 2022 and 2023 enrollment in vocational programs spiked 16%.

The Department of Education also found those who go to trade schools are more likely to find a job after going to school than those who take the traditional college route and are more likely to actually work in their field of study.

It’s also worth noting more and more Americans think two-year post-secondary schools are a better bang for your buck. In a recent Gallup survey, more than half (55%) said a degree from a two-year school is worth it while 18% believed the same thing about four-year colleges.

School lunch processing fees financially straining parents: Report

September 11, 2024

As schools transition to cashless payment methods, a new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) revealed school lunch payment systems placed an unexpected financial strain on parents. Families are grappling with processing fees that can amount to a significant portion of their student’s lunch payments.

These payment processing systems add fees in order for parents or caregivers to add money onto their student’s lunch account which, according to the report, is collectively costing families up to $100 million each year.

Nearly 87% of the 300 largest U.S. public school districts use payment processors with fees averaging 4.4% per transaction.

Three companies, MySchoolBucks, SchoolCafe and LINQ Connect, dominate the school payment market, raising concerns about market competition and its impact on service quality and pricing.

The CFPB found that complex corporate structures may insulate payment companies from competition, discouraging school districts from negotiating better terms.

Despite a 2017 federal mandate requiring schools to inform families about fee-free lunch payment options, many parents remain unaware or find cash and check payments inconvenient.

Parents nationwide are mobilizing against these fee systems. A single mother in Massachusetts named Rebecca Wood spearheaded a campaign that successfully pushed for universal free school lunches in her state. Other parents have opted to pack their kids’ school lunches to avoid the extra fees.

Parents argue the need for comprehensive changes to ensure affordable, quality school lunches without undue financial stress on families has become increasingly apparent.

Feds give $251 million for disability inclusion at work

September 11, 2024

In its largest-ever vocational rehabilitation-focused competitive grant, the U.S. Department of Education is giving $251 million to more than two dozen higher education institutions and other agencies to ensure disability inclusion in the workforce. The Disability Innovation Fund program awarded the five-year grants to 27 recipients.

The grants will prepare individuals for competitive and integrated employment, as well as allow youth and adults with disabilities to be paid good wages while getting a job in some of today’s most in-demand fields.

In a news release, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said, “In our 21st century economy, we must provide more opportunities for these individuals to achieve their goals for competitive integrated employment, independence, and economic self-sufficiency.”

The recipients of the grant come from 16 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, and they represent 13 institutions of higher education, nine nonprofits, four state agencies, and one institution of higher education/special institution.

The locations receiving grants include Bismark State College, Florida Atlantic University, Minot State University, Mississippi State University, Northern Marianas College, University of Idaho, University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Oregon, University of South Florida, University of Texas at San Antonio, University of Wisconsin System, University of Wisconsin-Stout, and Wor-Wic Community College.

The full list of individual projects can be found here.

1 in 3 college students say violent protesting can be acceptable: Survey

September 9, 2024

Nearly a third of college students think it is acceptable to use violence or other methods to stop a campus speech, according to a new survey from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). The group polled more than 50,000 college students from over 250 universities.

FIRE found 32% of students believe it is at least sometimes okay to use violence to stop a campus speech. Meanwhile, more than half (51%) said blocking other students from attending would be acceptable, and 69% said shouting down someone to prevent them from speaking on campus is OK.

Prospective students and parents should read these rankings and make college decisions accordingly. Colleges are not an undifferentiated blob. There are many schools (including elite schools) that respect free speech and maintain institutional neutrality. Choose those schools. https://t.co/PObvrju3lv
— David French (@DavidAFrench) September 5, 2024

When it comes to having open and honest dialogue on campus, students say there are some topics that are more difficult to talk about than others. More than half (55%) said having an open and honest conversation about the war in Gaza is difficult, while nearly half (45%) said abortion was a tough topic and 42% said talking about transgender rights wasn’t easy.

About 1 in 4 college students surveyed also said it was “not very” or “not at all” clear if their administration protects free speech on campus.