Posts Categorized: Trends

This Won’t Hurt a Bit! Pediatric Academics Meet in Boston to Examine Issues from Mental Illness to Vitamin D

More than 6,500 leaders in academic pediatrics from around the world will converge on Boston for the 2012 annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies to be held Saturday, April 28 through Tuesday, May 1, at the Hynes Convention Center.Speakers will address topics such as: how a child’s genes, early environment, nutrition and other factors affect future disease risk; signs of mental...

Kanter to Lead Meeting at Northeastern U on Obama Higher Ed Proposals

U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary Martha Kanter and other senior officials will discuss the Obama administration’s college affordability and higher education policy reform proposals at a "town meeting"  scheduled for Tuesday, May 8, at 4 p.m. at Northeastern University's Cabral Student Center.The meeting will offer an opportunity for students, families, advocates, financial a...

DC Shuttle: Secy Duncan Urges Deal Before Sequestration Cuts; Former Secy Alexander Calls for Shifting K-12 Funds to Students

At a hearing of the House Education and Workforce Committee on Wednesday, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan defended the administration's budget proposal for FY2013. Committee Chair John Kline (R-MN) repeated the charges from a March 20 House Appropriations hearing: that the administration's decision to pour billions in new spending into competitive grant programs while maintaining current fund...

Among Comings and Goings: Former UConn Chief Resigns after Short Stay with Illini; UVM Lands New Prez from Minnesota

Former University of Connecticut President Michael Hogan resigned as president of the University of Illinois less than two years after he was hired to repair damage done by an admissions scandal. He will be succeeded by longtime university administrator Robert Easter, who reportedly agreed to do the job for two years.****University of Vermont trustees selected E. Thomas Sullivan, currently senio...

DC Shuttle: Tuition Rose in 2011 to Make Up for Cuts in State Support; New Tools for College Readiness, Aid

State and local spending on higher education fell to an average of $6,290 per full-time student in 2011—its lowest level in 25 years, according to a study released by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO). Total funding for higher education from state and local sources fell by $1.3 billion between FY2008 at the beginning of the recession and FY2011. During tha...

DC Shuttle: Fed Watchdog Now Accepting Complaints on Private Loans

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced March 5 that it will now accept complaints from borrowers about problems with their private student loans. These problems could include difficulty with taking out a loan, repaying an existing loan or handling a loan which has gone into default. Under the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, the CFPB has the authority to oversee private, non-ban...

Addressee Unknown: One in Three College Students Transfer Within Five Years

One-third of all students who began their postsecondary education in 2006 transferred (before earning a degree or certificate) to a different institution within a five-year period, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.The report reveals that the majority of transfers occurred in students' second year, regardless of the direction of transfer (vertical, ...

DC Shuttle: A Little RESPECT for Teachers?

A new $5 billion Education Department program aims to improve teacher training and career paths. The Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence and Collaborative Teaching (RESPECT) project encourages states and districts to work with teachers and education colleges to reform teacher training, compensation and professional development. Education Secretary Arne Duncan introduced the pr...

DC Shuttle: Ten States Including Mass. Get No Child Left Behind Waivers; Grad Record Exams Soar, Especially in India, China

On Thursday, the White House granted the waiver requests of 10 states, including Massachusetts, to opt out from the requirements of the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) law. As passed, NCLB requires school districts to demonstrate through testing proficiency in reading and math skills for all grades by 2014. Many have called the NCLB law too unrealistic to implement, and a number of states have indic...

Remember Access? Dissed Concept Gets a Boost Amid Focus on Degree Completion

The term "Access" has acquired a bit of a Rodney Dangerfield complex since back in the day when I suggested: "If one word captures the range of compelling issues that the New England Board of Higher Education should focus its energy on at the start of the new century, the word is access." The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) wants you to know that access still deserves respect,...