Author: Reporter

Food insecurity remains a persistent barrier to college completion for many students—particularly those balancing jobs and family responsibilities. A new analysis from the Institute for Higher Education Policy found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, older, working and caregiving students were more likely than their peers to face food insecurity—and less likely to receive institutional emergency aid. The analysis, using newly released 2020–22 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study data from the National Center for Education Statistics, revealed how the pandemic disrupted students’ food security and educational progress. Roughly 19 percent of older students, 15 percent of primarily working students and 21 percent of caregiving…

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Here in the twen­ty-twen­ties, a young read­er first hear­ing of George Orwell’s Nine­teen Eighty-Four would hard­ly imag­ine it to be a work of sci­ence fic­tion. That would­n’t have been the case in 1949, when the nov­el was first pub­lished, and when the epony­mous year would have sound­ed like the dis­tant future. Even as the actu­al nine­teen-eight­ies came around, it still evoked visions of a tech­no-total­i­tar­i­an dystopia ahead. “So thor­ough­ly has 1984-opho­bia pen­e­trat­ed the con­scious­ness of many who have not read the book and have no notion of what it con­tains, that one won­ders what will hap­pen to us after 31 Decem­ber…

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Last year marked a turning point for higher education. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) ushered in a new chapter in higher education, introducing sweeping changes to the federal student aid program and a renewed scrutiny on program outcomes. Among these changes, the law eliminated the Grad PLUS loan program and imposed new federal loan limits for graduate and professional students. Further, the Department of Education reasserted its focus on student loan repayment, sending many borrowers into panic. Among the most consequential shifts permeating these myriad changes is an increased and forceful emphasis on workforce alignment. New initiatives like…

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Education models are changing rapidly, reshaping long-held assumptions about how learning is designed, delivered and experienced. Traditional, one-size-fits-all structures are giving way to a more diverse ecosystem that includes microschools, hybrid and digital programs, competency-based learning, experiential education and emerging applications of artificial intelligence. This evolution reflects a broader understanding across the education community: high-quality learning can take many forms. As institutions adapt to these shifts, leaders face a dual responsibility. They must continue to innovate in response to learner and community needs while also demonstrating educational quality, integrity and accountability. In this context, accreditation remains a critical mechanism for…

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Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Teachers from certain other states could start working in South Carolina classrooms more quickly under a bill a House committee advanced Thursday. The bill, which passed out of the Education and Public Works Committee 14-4, would make South Carolina the 14th state to join a compact agreeing not to make teachers reapply for the certification they need before starting instruction. “We’re doing our best to fill vacancies in our classrooms with safe, sound, well-educated people, not very, very kind but untrained substitutes who are filling…

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Key points: In recent years, public educational institutions have moved at a rapid clip into the digital era. As learning, services, and engagement are increasingly delivered online, these institutions have often expanded their digital footprint while neglecting overall digital accessibility. Recent updates to the Americans with Disabilities Act means digital accessibility for public educational institutions can not be ignored. It will become a legal mandate. A fast-approaching deadline In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a landmark update to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), establishing clear and enforceable requirements for digital accessibility. Public educational…

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Most-clicked story of the week:   President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2027 federal budget proposal calls for cutting $354 million in grants for minority-serving institutions and eliminating key college access programs. Overall, the plan would slash the U.S. Department of Education’s discretionary funding to $76.5 billion, a 2.9% reduction.  Number of the week: $12,082 That is the amount of state and local funding per college student in the 2025 fiscal year, representing a 1% decline from the year before, according to the most recent State Higher Education Finance report. Although state and local support for higher education rose overall — topping…

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It”s the fourth marking period and your calendar is wide open. Not because you planned it that way — because every teacher in the building has quietly stopped booking time with you. You’re spending more time in your office refreshing email than you are in classrooms. You’re hovering in hallways hoping for a casual conversation that leads somewhere. You’re starting to wonder if you should just give up and start planning for next year. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. The end of the school year is the loneliest season for instructional coaches — and nobody prepares you for it. Here’s…

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Families have long been part of the college experience. Students rely on them for guidance, support and decision-making, from where to visit and enroll to how to navigate their college journey. What has evolved is how clearly institutions understand the role families play in student success. Research shows that nearly half of college students communicate with their families daily and more than 90 percent connect at least weekly. Students regularly turn to families for academic advice, social decisions and overall well-being. This ongoing connection creates a consistent support structure. A 2026 multi-institution study of more than 20,000 students found that…

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