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A Perfect Storm of Idiocy by Joe Conason, truthdig.com | September 10, 2009
The wild furor over President Barack Obama’s speech to the nation’s schoolchildren raises many questions, but there is only one that really matters. How did America surrender its political discourse — not to mention the news cycle — to the most unreasonable and unstable elements of the far right? read more »How To Think by Terrance Heath, OurFuture.org | September 8, 2009
"You people," Mr. Harrison — my high school English teacher — said to our class, with a hint of pride, "already have your own ideas. I can't mold you. But people coming after you," he said as a note dismay crept into his voice, "come to my class and they sit here and wait for me to tell them what to think." read more »Back to School, Students Turn to Loans for Help by Armand Biroonak, OurFuture.org | September 4, 2009
Students are borrowing more than ever to pay for college. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, for the 2008-09 academic year, students borrowed nearly 25 percent more than the previous year to pay for school, borrowing a total of over $75 billion. read more »If Not For Health Care, How About Single Payer For Education? by Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post | September 4, 2009
Health care is rightly dominating the national debate, but with children all across the country heading back to school, education — currently seated in the back row of the national classroom — is raising its hand and asking to be called on. read more »Dept. of Ed's 'Race to the Bottom?' by Armand Biroonak, OurFuture.org | August 27, 2009
The Obama administration realizes that our education system is lagging, but the recently announced ‘Race to the Top’ initiative may not be the solution. The Department of Education’s ‘Race to the Top’ puts up for grabs almost $5 billion of federal dollars to states that devise innovations and demonstrate improvements in K-12 education. read more »The New GI Bill: A Step in the Direction of College Affordability by Robert Brandon, OurFuture.org | August 8, 2009
Today a new Post-9/11 GI Bill goes into effect—an important milestone in the push for college affordability and access. read more »Republicans Get Desperate to Save Bank Subsidies by Armand Biroonak, OurFuture.org | July 30, 2009
They must be desperate. Unhappy with the Obama plan to end subsidies for student loan lenders, Republicans look to mar the benefits gained by the plan. Touting findings by an unofficial CBO estimate, Republicans look to use it as ammunition to kill the historic Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. But with a closer look, their arguments receive a failing grade. read more »HUGE Boost For Students On the Way? by Armand Biroonak, OurFuture.org | July 17, 2009
Debt saddled students may finally get the help they need to pay for college. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act – if passed by Congress – provides the largest post-secondary reinvestment in decades. Following the commitment outlined by Obama earlier this year, Congress is now taking the lead, showing that quality, affordable college education is critical to move the country forward. read more »The College Dream Deferred by Tanea Lunsford, news.newamericamedia.org | July 10, 2009
In the midst of the recession, some young people are finding that their dreams of going to college have to be put on hold. read more »Iraq Has Another One of Its Famous Turning Points by Marie Cocco, truthdig.com | June 30, 2009
As the media trumpets sound for the pullback of American troops from urban areas in Iraq, the essential lesson of our involvement must be recalled: Nothing about our entanglement in Iraq has ever been as it seemed. read more »
The Latest
Student Loan Industry Pushes Back, The Washington Post | April 14, 2009
With the Obama administration proposing to overhaul the programs a majority of American students use to finance their college education, the student loan industry is fighting back. read more »
White House Reaches Out to D.C. Schools, Associated Press | April 13, 2009
District of Columbia students are a familiar sight at the White House since Barack Obama became president on Jan. 20. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the White House is reaching out to support the efforts of Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and schools superintendent Michelle Rhee, who are taking aggressive steps to turn around Washington's struggling schools. read more »
Community Colleges Gain Importance, | April 12, 2009
In Pennsylvania, all 14 community colleges are offering or finalizing plans for tuition assistance to locals who've lost jobs. More than 1,000 people are already signed up, says Diane Bosak, executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges. read more »
School Aid Doesn't Always Match Needs, iht.com | March 22, 2009
In pouring rivers of cash into U.S. states and school districts, Washington is using a tangle of well-worn government formulas, some of which benefit states that spend more per pupil, while others help states with large concentrations of poor students or simply channel money based on population. read more »
More Career Switchers Become Educators, USA Today | March 22, 2009
Plenty of people dream of leaving their jobs to become teachers. Today, more people are actually doing it. These teachers, with real-life experience and often with deep knowledge of their subjects, are answering a call to service that is part of a strategy to dramatically boost the size and quality of the teaching workforce. read more »
Teacher 'Performance Pay' Considered., Christian Science Monitor | March 18, 2009
Performance pay is one of several areas getting attention right now as education reformers zero in on high-quality teaching as the key to helping students learn. The thinking goes like this: It takes good teachers to improve student achievement, and it will take better pay to lure and keep good teachers. Critics, including many unions, point to several issues. read more »
College Study Finds Two-Year 'Penalty', USA Today | March 17, 2009
Most workers who have a degree from a community college can earn more than a person who had no formal training after high school. And even if they never complete a two-year degree, students who attend some community college can get higher-paying jobs. But what if that student goes on to earn a bachelor's? read more »
School Wrestle With Spending Stimulus Funds, Christian Science Monitor | March 17, 2009
At the heart of President Obama's historic $787 billion economic stimulus program is a tough choice for educators: Do states and local school districts use the $100 billion spike in federal aid to do new things for kids or mainly to backfill the status quo? The Obama administration is calling on schools to do both. read more »
Schools Turn to Massive Layoffs, Reuters | March 13, 2009
Some U.S. public school districts are turning to mass layoffs of teachers and support staff to ease ballooning deficits in the latest sign of how the recession is hurting ordinary Americans. The Los Angeles Unified School District -- the nation's second largest -- will issue preliminary layoff notices to nearly 9,000 staff members, including teachers. read more »
Layoffs Come to Sesame Street, USA Today | March 12, 2009
The crisis on Wall Street is plaguing Sesame Street. Sesame Workshop, the non-profit producer of Sesame Street and other kids' programs, is cutting about one-fifth of its workforce because of the economic downturn. The company said that it's eliminating 67 of 355 staff positions. read more »
