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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
One month after backing away from their plan to rate colleges, the Obama administration signaled it would take a harder line on issues of accountability in higher education over the homestretch of the president’s second term. (The Wall Street Journal)
This fall, Cesar Sanchez, 18, will do something he never thought possible. He’ll enroll at Southwest Tennessee Community College through a state program called Tennessee Promise, which lets students complete two years of community college at no cost. (The Atlantic)
Philanthropy groups and lawmakers are giving college education for prisoners a fresh look, as criminal-justice policies around the country place greater emphasis on preparing inmates for life beyond bars. (The Wall Street Journal)
It’s been a theory of mine that the assistant principal has the toughest job in education. I got that idea a long time ago, when I was a student teacher at a middle school. (NPR)
Recessions are unquestionably tough on schools and on teachers—I’m thinking of the ridiculous pink-slip situation in California, for starters—but they might have a (thin) silver lining. (Education Week)
When it comes to choosing an online degree, a program’s price tag tends to be the most important factor for prospective students. In a recent report about online learners, 45 percent of respondents said they ended up choosing the most inexpensive program among their options, up from 30 percent in 2014. (US News)
When Congress passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in April of 1965, it opened a major front in Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. (Minn Post)
Pennsylvania
Montgomery County Down Syndrome Interest Group board member Michele Hoenig, of Lansdale, like many moms, has dreams for her children, especially her 8-year-old son Nate. (The Reporter)
Rhode Island
Gov. Gina Raimondo picked the right man for Rhode Island’s top education job with her selection of Ken Wagner. Wagner brings with him years of school-based experience that gives him a unique perspective. He’s smart and forward-thinking but also mild-mannered and willing to hear all sides. He has experience with high-quality curriculum and leading a school system far larger than Rhode Island’s. (Providence Journal)