Author: Reporter

My mom used to say that mismatched ideas went together “like tuna fish and hot fudge”—each is fine on its own, but the combination is nasty. I was reminded of that in reading the Washington Post article about students completing four-year degrees in a couple of months. Students can combine competency-based education—that is, a structure that focuses on tasks rather than seat time—with AI. When a “class” doesn’t have any sort of interaction other than submitting papers, and we have what amounts to paper-o-matic technology, then blasting through a series of classes quickly becomes comically easy. The only thing missing…

Listen to the article 4 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear a Colorado case questioning whether private schools that get public funding from a state universal preschool program must admit children of same-sex couples.  A nondiscrimination provision in the state program requires each school receiving public money to provide eligible children an equal opportunity to enroll, regardless of race, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity and other factors.  Plaintiffs in the case St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy — parents of preschool-age children, along…

Listen to the article 4 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Dive Brief: K-12 schools and colleges will get another year to comply with looming deadlines for a new web accessibility rule, under an interim final rule issued Monday by the U.S. Department of Justice. For K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions in counties or cities with populations of 50,000 or more, the original compliance date of April 24, 2026, is now extended to April 26, 2027. For school districts or colleges in counties or cities with fewer residents, the April 26, 2027, deadline…

Impactful Scenario-Based Training Scripts L&D leaders face a complex training landscape shaped by skill shortages, rapid digitalisation, evolving compliance requirements, and a diverse, multilingual workforce. Corporate training investments are rising, with European organisations allocating on average 2.5% to 3% of payroll costs to employee development, demonstrating a growing commitment to nurturing talent in a competitive skills market. But investment alone isn’t driving the impact leaders expect. High workloads and reduced cognitive bandwidth are undermining the effectiveness of traditional training formats. According to a 2026 report, half of European employees report having little time for training, even when it is crucial…

Emma Jacobs & Andrew Jack, The Financial Times Absenteeism that rose dramatically during Covid-19 has failed to return to pre-pandemic levels. The costs are mounting

Several AI-powered platforms aimed at fostering civil dialogue have emerged in recent years. Photo illustration by Justin Morrison/Inside Higher Ed | benoitb, ibenk.88, Kateryna Onyshchuk and Lacheev/iStock/Getty Images | triloks/E+/Getty Images  Over the past few years, higher education institutions have adopted emerging artificial intelligence tools in an effort to enhance nearly every aspect of campus life—not just teaching and learning but also admissions, alumni networks, fundraising and advising. Now some are even experimenting with AI’s ability to advance one of the hottest trends on college campuses: fostering constructive dialogue among students, who are more divided over politics now than at…

Listen to the article 4 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Dive Brief: The University of Arizona will not be financially liable for the $72 million in federal loans discharged by the federal government in 2023 for former students of Ashford University, which the public flagship acquired in 2020 and rebranded as University of Arizona Global Campus.  In late March, university President Suresh Garimella said in an online update that the U.S. Department of Education “resolved all legacy financial matters stemming from conduct prior” to the acquisition of Ashford. The agency had accused…

Key takeaways The discussion highlighted growing concern that global development efforts are losing focus and momentum. Mottley underscored that longstanding priorities such as access to health, education, and water remain underfunded, even as official development assistance declines, and financing terms remain misaligned with long-term needs. Mohammed emphasized that the foundational principles of the sustainable development agenda—including multilateral cooperation and shared responsibility—are being challenged, with partnerships weakening and global governance structures under strain. Both speakers pointed to the increasing frequency of crises, including climate shocks and geopolitical conflicts, as compounding vulnerabilities and limiting countries’ ability to respond. Looking ahead, the conversation…

When the first week of accreditation rule making began last Monday, Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent made one thing clear—he and his staff were firmly committed to “implementing bold reform.”  “We are open to new ideas,” the under secretary said, but, “to those who say the changes we are pursuing would upend higher education, I say, ‘Yes, that is the point.’” Now that the first of two weeklong sessions is over, many higher education policy analysts and legal experts say Kent’s opening remarks set the course for the discussions that followed. Some observers say the department’s proposals are nebulous and…

Some school districts, including ones in Maine, New Mexico, Iowa and Oregon, are shifting to standards-based grading, where students are graded on the skills and concepts they learn instead of points accumulated from assignments and tests throughout the school year. Jerrid Kruse, a professor of education at Drake University, studies how people learn and teach science, and standards-based grading is one aspect of this work. Jerrid Kruse discusses the differences between standards-based grading and traditional grading in K-12 classrooms. The Conversation has collaborated with SciLine to bring you highlights from the discussion, edited for brevity and clarity. What is standards-based…