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Remote/Online/Homeschool News
- Most Educators Want Schools to Stay Closed to Slow Spread of COVID-19 (edweek.org)
July 6, 2020, EdWeek—The EdWeek Research Center’s sixth coronavirus-focused survey reveals that 65 percent of teachers, principals, and district leaders surveyed by the EdWeek Research Center expressed a sentiment that school buildings should remain closed to slow the spread of the disease. The remaining 35 percent say the U.S. should open up schools and get the country going again, even if that means more people would get the coronavirus.
- Publishers Sue Internet Archive Over Free E-Books (nytimes.com)
June 1, 2020, NYTimes—"Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette and Wiley accused the nonprofit of piracy for making over 1 million books free online."
- Remember the MOOCs? After Near-Death, They’re Booming (nytimes.com)
May 26, 2020, NYTimes—"The pioneering online learning networks offer hard-earned lessons for what works and what doesn’t with online education."
- Saturday classes? Schools mull ways to make up lost time (apnews.com)
May 13, 2020, AP—"When students return to school after a lengthy pandemic-induced absence, the consensus is they will have lost significant academic ground. Still unresolved for governments and educators are the questions of how — or even whether — teachers should try to make up for lost learning."
- Just in Time: a Resource Hub on Remote Learning for Special Education Students (blogs.edweek.org)
Nearly 30 disability rights and education advocacy organizations have launched EducatingAllLearners.org, a resource hub and online network designed to answer questions and provide insight about remote learning for special education students during the coronavirus crisis."
- Bringing the Benefits of Your Morning Meetings Online (edutopia.org)
April 17, Edutopia— To give his students a sense of stability, an elementary teacher has shifted his morning meetings to asynchronous home learning.
- College amid coronavirus: high school seniors wary of paying for ‘Zoom U’ (csmonitor.com)
May 4, 2020, Christian Science Monitor—"The first week of May has long been among the most busy for admissions officers, as the traditional deadline for high school seniors and others to choose which college to attend. But with uncertainty surrounding the ongoing impact of COVID-19 across the country, many students like Ms. Beeson can't bring themselves to put down the deposit. The decisions they make could have huge ramifications for institutions of higher learning, some of which were already cash-strapped before the pandemic meant a financial hit worth hundreds of millions of dollars."
- What We Lose When We Go From the Classroom to Zoom (nytimes.com)
May 4, 2020, NYTimes—"Like other utopian dreams, the fiction of equality has its value."
- As traditional college campuses shut down, online schools get their chance to shine (cnbc.com)
May 3, 2020, CNBC—"Suddenly, these schools are attracting the attention of a wider audience, including recent high-school graduates who would otherwise go to a traditional four-year institution."
- Rule No. 1 for Parents Doing ‘Crisis Schooling’: Take a Deep Breath (nytimes.com)
April 23, 2020, NYTimes—"It’s not like you have to worry about teaching calculus or advanced biology. Not yet, at least."
College Admissions News
- Yale Announces Test-Optional Admissions For Its Next Class (forbes.com)
June 12, 2020, Forbes—"Yale joins Cornell, Columbia, Dartmouth and the University of Pennsylvania who have also announced they would not require either the SAT or ACT for their Class of 2025."
- Opinion | How the Coronavirus Crisis Makes the Best Case Yet for Free College Tuition (nytimes.com)
June 6, 2020, NY Times (Opinion)—"The crisis highlights the unjust, unsustainable fact that higher education is surviving on ever higher tuition payments — and, going forward, will most likely lean even harder on students and their families to make ends meet."
- Opinion | How the Coronavirus Crisis Makes the Best Case Yet for Free College Tuition (nytimes.com)
June 5, 2020, NY Times (Opinion)—"College was already a financial house of cards. Then coronavirus hit."
- How Colleges Can Help Educate the 40-Million-Plus Newly Unemployed (edsurge.com)
May 28, 2020, EdSurge—"Roughly one out of every four American workers are now unemployed, after jobless claims rose to more than 40 million this week. Typically, that results in a rush of people looking to higher education for new skills and credentials. But with such a sudden shift in the employment landscape, how can colleges best respond?"
- How to Assess the Financial Health of a College or University (edmit.me)
Edmit.me
- While focus is on fall, students’ choices about college will have a far longer impact (hechingerreport.org)
May 29, 2020, Hechinger—"Delaying enrollment, slowing to part time lower the odds of ever getting a degree."
"An entire forest of potential future graduates is now imperiled by the cataclysmic pandemic that has large numbers of students saying they will delay their higher educations, take time off, opt for community college or shift to studying part time.
While attention has been focused on the impact of these choices on enrollment in the fall, each has also been shown to slow down or derail students on their way to degrees. For them, and for employers who need educated graduates, that means the effects of this crisis will be felt not just for one semester, but for six or more years."
- Moving Forward (nytimes.com)
May 28, 2020, NYTimes—"At a time of year long associated with graduation and with students moving on to new adventures, members of the first class of New York Times fellows also prepare for their next steps. Here they reflect on the journeys that brought them together and on some of the lessons they've learned."
- Risky Strategy by Many Private Colleges Leaves Them Exposed (nytimes.com)
May 26, 2020, NYTimes—"Chasing after a shrinking pool of wealthy students by increasing spending, and now vulnerable to closure because of the pandemic."
- Why California needs to invest in independent colleges and universities (whittierdailynews.com)
May 25, 2020, Whittier Daily News (Opinion)—"The idea that college is only for the rich is not only false – it is dangerous to the future of a state that already has one of the highest poverty rates in the country. Access to higher education and specialized training is crucial."
- College and University Presidents Respond to COVID-19: May 2020 Survey (acenet.edu)
May 21, 2020, American Council on Education—"As in the April survey, “summer or fall enrollment" (79 percent) was the most pressing issue facing presidents in May.
The next most pressing issue facing presidents was “deciding on fall term plans" (63 percent), followed by “long-term financial viability of the institution" (49 percent), “furloughing or reducing salaries for faculty and/or staff" (44 percent), and “short-term financial viability of the institution" (35 percent).
The top three most pressing issues were the same for presidents at public four-year institutions, private four-year institutions, and public two-year institutions."
- The College Board Is Sued Over AP Test Glitches (forbes.com)
May 20, 2020, Forbes—"A class action lawsuit has been filed against the College Board on behalf of high school students who took a new online version of the AP exam last week and had trouble submitting their answers due to technical problems. The new test had been developed due to the closure of schools in March."
- Community colleges could see influx of athletes as coronavirus disrupts sports recruiting (calmatters.org)
May 13, 2020, CalMatters—"With athletic recruiting disrupted, community college teams could see a glut of players vying for spots next year..."
- How Coronavirus Will Disrupt Future Colleges & Universities (nymag.com)
May 11, 2020, NYMag—Scott Galloway predicts a handful of elite cyborg universities will soon monopolize higher education.
- Gap Year Association (gapyearassociation.org)
- Multiple Surveys of Seniors predicting 20% Enrollment Drop (insidehighered.com)Weekly Strada's Ongoing Longitudinal Study (stradaeducation.org)SimpsonScarborough Survey of Students (cdn2.hubspot.net)Art&Science Group Survey (artsci.com)
May4, 2020, InsideHigherEd—"The findings are based on surveys of more than 2,000 college-bound high school seniors and current college students in March, just after the coronavirus began spreading in the United States, and in April, after three weeks of record unemployment claims."
- “We Get It!”: College Admission Deans Speak Out (forbes.com)
May 7, 2020, Forbes—"The common theme in their responses was, “WE GET IT!” They know that there has been major disruption and that everyone is learning virtually. They know that sports competitions, musical productions, and internships have been canceled. They are aware that many students will not take standardized tests and that grading policies in high schools are in flux. This is the first piece in a three-part series where admission leaders share their advice on a range of aspects of applying to college. Here is what they want applicants to know about grades and testing."
- Here are the 700+ colleges still accepting new applications for Fall 2020 (nacacnet.org)
May 7, NACAC.com—"NACAC’s annual College Openings Update: Options for Qualified Students (formerly the Space Availability Survey) is a voluntary listing of NACAC member postsecondary institutions that are still accepting applications from prospective freshman and/or transfer students for the upcoming fall term."
- Steep Decline in FAFSA Renewals, especially among students from low-income backgrounds (insidehighered.com)NCAN Report (ncan.org)
May 7, 2020, InsideHigherEd—"Almost 250,000 fewer returning students from the lowest-income backgrounds have renewed their FAFSA for the 2020-21 cycle, NCAN said, and FAFSA renewals were down nearly 5 percent over all (4.7 percent) compared to last year -- a decline of more than 350,000 students."
- Colleges consider a tuition freeze amid pandemic (cnbc.com)
May 7, 2020, CNBC—"A growing number of colleges, including William & Mary, Delaware Valley and Central Michigan University, all announced that tuition will not increase in the year ahead. Tuition typically rises about 3% a year but skyrocketed during the last recession."
- 6 Ways College Might Look Different In The Fall (npr.org)
May 5, 2020, NPR—
"I don't think there's any scenario under which it's business as usual on American college campuses in the fall," says Nicholas Christakis, a sociologist and physician at Yale University."
- Opinion | Expecting Students to Play It Safe if Colleges Reopen Is a Fantasy (nytimes.com)
June 15, 2020, NYTimes—Safety plans border on delusional and could lead to outbreaks of Covid-19 among students, faculty and staff.
- What college will look like in the fall amid coronavirus (washingtonpost.com)
June 11, 2020, The Washington Post—"As more colleges and universities announce how and when they will resume operations — following the abrupt shutdowns of March — most are making clear that students will share in the duty of protecting classmates, faculty and staff from a contagious disease that has killed more than 100,000 Americans."
- Republicans encourage campuses to reopen; Democrats want safeguards (insidehighered.com)
June 5, 2020, Inside Higher Ed—"Colleges are trying to decide whether to reopen while the nation continues to wrestle to control COVID-19 and as streets in every state of the country see protests over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and racism in society. With that backdrop, lawmakers as well as the presidents of Purdue and Brown Universities and Lane College raised concerns at the hearing about the pandemic exacerbating racial disparities in higher education, as the recession makes it harder for lower-income students to continue going to college."
- Most Educators Want Schools to Stay Closed to Slow Spread of COVID-19 (edweek.org)
July 6, 2020, EdWeek—The EdWeek Research Center’s sixth coronavirus-focused survey reveals that 65 percent of teachers, principals, and district leaders surveyed by the EdWeek Research Center expressed a sentiment that school buildings should remain closed to slow the spread of the disease. The remaining 35 percent say the U.S. should open up schools and get the country going again, even if that means more people would get the coronavirus.
- What we owe to the Class of 2020 (washingtonpost.com)
May 31, 2020, Washington Post (Opinion)—"Let’s turn our thoughts to the high school and college classes of 2020, young Americans who, in large numbers, lost their graduation ceremonies to Zoom. They were often deprived of the chance to say proper goodbyes, to hug and to party in ways they had a right to expect."
- Does Anthony Fauci Think Colleges Should Reopen? We Asked Him. (chronicle.com)
May 26, 2020, Chronicle of Higher Ed—"I don’t think it’s going to be one size fits all. I think it’s going to depend on the location of where the particular university or place of higher education is, what the demography of the students is, where they’re coming from. All of these things have to be taken into account."
- Risky Strategy by Many Private Colleges Leaves Them Exposed (nytimes.com)
May 26, 2020, NYTimes—"Chasing after a shrinking pool of wealthy students by increasing spending, and now vulnerable to closure because of the pandemic."
- Students want a fall semester as close as possible to last fall’s, surveys show (insidehighered.com)
May 26, 2020, Inside Higher Ed—"Niche, a website that reviews colleges for prospective students, decided to survey those who come to its website about the scenarios. Some of what it found from a survey of 10,000 students -- in high school and college -- is similar to other surveys. But its findings reinforce the view of many college leaders that getting students to campus is the best way to function … if it can be done safely."
- Mitch Daniels: We have a responsibility to open Purdue University this fall (washingtonpost.com)
May 25, 2020, Washington Post—" What would have been a reckless and scientifically unjustified decision in late March is now plainly the best option from both a scientific and a stewardship standpoint, at least for our particular institution. The Post asked me to explain here what has gone into our thinking. (We’re not alone: Two-thirds of the more than 700 colleges surveyed by the Chronicle of Higher Education have now come to the same conclusion and will reopen with in-person instruction in the fall.)"
- Michigan president says no on-campus classes, no football (si.com)
May 24, 2020, Sports Illustrated—"The Wolverines football team won't partake in the 2020 season unless students are back on campus, the school president said."
Budget Cuts
- Clark County School District approves budget $37.8M less than previous year (fox5vegas.com)
May 18, 2020, KVVU Las Vegas—"Initial revenue projections were provided by the Nevada Department of Taxation prior to the COVID-19 state of emergency. Given updated projections from the department, the district expects a 11% ($130 million) reduction in Local School Support Tax revenue and a 10% ($8.6 million) reduction in Governmental Services Tax revenue."
- California Universities to Endure 10% State Budget Cut After COVID-19 (timesofsandiego.com)
May 17, 2020, Times of San Diego—"California’s budget heartache means its public colleges and universities are expected to receive nearly $2 billion less than planned for the coming year, but the financial aid that keeps tuition free for hundreds of thousands of students remains largely unscathed."
- Citing technical, budget issues, NSHE chancellor recommends against approving new contract for CSN faculty (thenevadaindependent.com)
May 15, 2020, NV Independent—"Reilly raised two concerns in his memo, chief among them a worry that the new agreement would raise costs for CSN by $1.9 million dollars at a time when the governor has declared a “period of unprecedented fiscal emergency.”'
- A Small Religious University In West Texas Foreshadows What May Become Of Higher Education (forbes.com)
May 14, 2020, Forbes—"...as the school began to experience the financial hardships that are affecting all too many campuses as of late, university leadership responded in a manner that is emblematic of a troubling and perilous trend in American higher education. "
- Back-To-School Could Be Delayed By California Budget Cuts (sacramento.cbslocal.com)
May 14, 2020, CBS Saramento—"The deep financial hole brought on by the coronavirus is striking home for California schools after Gov. Gavin Newsom released a dramatically revised state budget plan."
- Clark County School District faces estimated $37.8M budget shortfall for 2020-2021 school year (ktnv.com)
May 13, 2020, KTN Las Vegas—"The district says the final LSST budget is based on Nevada's tax department revenue projection, which has been cut by 11.5% because the 2021 LSST budget was issued before the COVID-19 state of emergency."
- COVID-19 Forces Florida Tech Staff and Program Reductions – Florida Tech Panthers (floridatechsports.com)
May 11, 2020, Melbourne, Florida—MELBOURNE, Fla. — "Florida Institute of Technology President Dwayne McCay today announced a series of steps necessary to respond to the unprecedented economic uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff reductions and furloughs, the closure of the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts and the elimination of the football program are meant to reduce costs and ensure the university can achieve its core mission of STEM higher education."
- PUSD Superintendent Tells Community Schools Budget Cuts Could Be “Unimaginable” Unless Steps Are Taken Quickly (pasadenanow.com)
May8, 2020, Pasadena Now—"“Public schools are projected to lose more than $18 billion in Proposition 98 state funding. That means that PUSD could lose more than $35 million in state funding for the 2020-21 fiscal year alone, which is equivalent to a -22% cost of living adjustment (COLA). This will require the district to enact unimaginable cuts unless mitigation steps are implemented or changes are made quickly to the way that California public schools are funded."
- Regents approve, rank proposals for higher ed construction projects, though state funding remains uncertain amid budget cuts (thenevadaindependent.com)
May 8, 2020, NV Independent—"The Board of Regents approved and prioritized proposals for a number of capital construction projects across the eight institutions of the Nevada System of Higher Education on Friday, though the ultimate fate of the projects will rest with the state’s Department of Public Works."
Standardized Testing News
- Yale Announces Test-Optional Admissions For Its Next Class (forbes.com)
June 12, 2020, Forbes—"Yale joins Cornell, Columbia, Dartmouth and the University of Pennsylvania who have also announced they would not require either the SAT or ACT for their Class of 2025."
- College Board Scraps At-Home/Online, Citing Challenges in Providing Universal Access to the SAT (collegeboard.org)
June 2, 2020, The College Board—"College Board will delay at-home SAT New York, N.Y.—Millions of students who were unable to take the SAT this spring are seeking registrations to take the test in the fall as part of the 2021 admissions season. Today the College Board released information on availability for fall administrations, and asked colleges to extend deadlines for receiving test scores and to equally consider students for admission who are unable to take the test due to covid-19."
- ACT replaces leader; College Board accused of irregular registrations for SAT (insidehighered.com)
June 1, 2020, Inside Higher Ed—"ACT replaces leader and moves to cut costs; College Board accused of difficulties in SAT registration."
- The College Board Is Sued Over AP Test Glitches (forbes.com)
May 20, 2020, Forbes—"A class action lawsuit has been filed against the College Board on behalf of high school students who took a new online version of the AP exam last week and had trouble submitting their answers due to technical problems. The new test had been developed due to the closure of schools in March."
- AP Test Takers Get a ‘Backup’ Submission Process. It Won’t Help Those Who Encountered Glitches Last Week. (chronicle.com)
May 18, 2020, Chronicle of Higher Ed—"The first week of the College Board’s vast online-testing experiment was riddled with technical glitches that kept many students from uploading their answers to Advanced Placement exams. Heading into Week 2, the organization created a workaround for those encountering technical problems with the tests, which will continue through Friday."
- Students complain that they cannot submit AP tests (insidehighered.com)
May 14, 2020, Inside Higher Ed—"We have a makeup window in June, so students have another opportunity to test. Thus far, less than 1 percent of the more than 1 million students who tested encountered technical difficulties."
- AP tests begin, amid controversies (insidehighered.com)
May 11, 2020, Inside Higher Ed—"Today, at noon Eastern time, Advanced Placement testing begins for the 2020 year, with the Physics C: Mechanics exam. At 4 p.m. the test will be given in government and politics, and so forth through two weeks of AP exams."
- “We Get It!”: College Admission Deans Speak Out (forbes.com)
May 7, 2020, Forbes—"The common theme in their responses was, “WE GET IT!” They know that there has been major disruption and that everyone is learning virtually. They know that sports competitions, musical productions, and internships have been canceled. They are aware that many students will not take standardized tests and that grading policies in high schools are in flux. This is the first piece in a three-part series where admission leaders share their advice on a range of aspects of applying to college. Here is what they want applicants to know about grades and testing."
COVID-19 News and Data
- Republicans encourage campuses to reopen; Democrats want safeguards (insidehighered.com)
June 5, 2020, Inside Higher Ed—"Colleges are trying to decide whether to reopen while the nation continues to wrestle to control COVID-19 and as streets in every state of the country see protests over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and racism in society. With that backdrop, lawmakers as well as the presidents of Purdue and Brown Universities and Lane College raised concerns at the hearing about the pandemic exacerbating racial disparities in higher education, as the recession makes it harder for lower-income students to continue going to college."
- Does Anthony Fauci Think Colleges Should Reopen? We Asked Him. (chronicle.com)
May 26, 2020, Chronicle of Higher Ed—"I don’t think it’s going to be one size fits all. I think it’s going to depend on the location of where the particular university or place of higher education is, what the demography of the students is, where they’re coming from. All of these things have to be taken into account."
- Resources for State Colleges and Universities on the Coronavirus (AASCU) (aascu.org)
- COVID-19 Resources and Alerts (ACHA) (acha.org)
- The Small World Network of College Classes: Implications for Epidemic Spread on a University Campus (osf.io)
Update May 13, 2020, Open Science—Early findings of a working research study that "implies that a hybrid model of instruction, wherein large courses are taught online and smaller courses are taught face-to-face cannot resolve the challenge of course co-enrollment as a potential means of transmission."
Breaking News (Recent Posts_
- Private colleges report vastly different circumstances in admissions this year June 23, 2020
- ACT Explains Safe Testing Procedures for Testing Sites, Promises July site-based decisions will be announced by June 30, and more June 19, 2020
- Yale Announces Test-Optional Admissions For Its Next Class June 16, 2020
- Opinion | Expecting Students to Play It Safe if Colleges Reopen Is a Fantasy June 16, 2020
- Survey documents what high school students didn’t do in the spring June 15, 2020
- Public research universities and some regional state colleges had decent admissions years June 15, 2020
- What college will look like in the fall amid coronavirus June 11, 2020
- Republicans encourage campuses to reopen; Democrats want safeguards June 7, 2020
- Opinion | How the Coronavirus Crisis Makes the Best Case Yet for Free College Tuition June 7, 2020
- Most Educators Want Schools to Stay Closed to Slow Spread of COVID-19 June 7, 2020
Higher Ed Enrollment Crisis
- Yale Announces Test-Optional Admissions For Its Next Class (forbes.com)
June 12, 2020, Forbes—"Yale joins Cornell, Columbia, Dartmouth and the University of Pennsylvania who have also announced they would not require either the SAT or ACT for their Class of 2025."
- Opinion | Expecting Students to Play It Safe if Colleges Reopen Is a Fantasy (nytimes.com)
June 15, 2020, NYTimes—Safety plans border on delusional and could lead to outbreaks of Covid-19 among students, faculty and staff.
- Opinion | How the Coronavirus Crisis Makes the Best Case Yet for Free College Tuition (nytimes.com)
June 6, 2020, NY Times (Opinion)—"The crisis highlights the unjust, unsustainable fact that higher education is surviving on ever higher tuition payments — and, going forward, will most likely lean even harder on students and their families to make ends meet."
- Opinion | How the Coronavirus Crisis Makes the Best Case Yet for Free College Tuition (nytimes.com)
June 5, 2020, NY Times (Opinion)—"College was already a financial house of cards. Then coronavirus hit."
- How to Assess the Financial Health of a College or University (edmit.me)
Edmit.me
- How Can We Talk About the Fall Right Now? | Learning Innovation (insidehighered.com)
May 31, 2020, Inside Higher Ed (Opinion)—"All of higher education saw with brutal clarity how many of our students were underserved when schools and colleges moved to remote instruction in spring 2020. Many of our most vulnerable students at schools all across the country had trouble accessing reliable and high-speed internet. Many of our students across the country could not find a quiet place to study, just as many more were needed to take on greater responsibilities to help support their families at home."
- Falling Into the Gap Year (nytimes.com)
May 28, 2020, NYTimes—"With next semester a question mark, more graduating high school seniors are considering deferring college. But what will they do instead?"
- Risky Strategy by Many Private Colleges Leaves Them Exposed (nytimes.com)
May 26, 2020, NYTimes—"Chasing after a shrinking pool of wealthy students by increasing spending, and now vulnerable to closure because of the pandemic."
- Students want a fall semester as close as possible to last fall’s, surveys show (insidehighered.com)
May 26, 2020, Inside Higher Ed—"Niche, a website that reviews colleges for prospective students, decided to survey those who come to its website about the scenarios. Some of what it found from a survey of 10,000 students -- in high school and college -- is similar to other surveys. But its findings reinforce the view of many college leaders that getting students to campus is the best way to function … if it can be done safely."
- Why California needs to invest in independent colleges and universities (whittierdailynews.com)
May 25, 2020, Whittier Daily News (Opinion)—"The idea that college is only for the rich is not only false – it is dangerous to the future of a state that already has one of the highest poverty rates in the country. Access to higher education and specialized training is crucial."
- With Cal State and other colleges moving online, higher ed has to prove its value (sfchronicle.com)
May 17, 2020, SFChron—"As colleges and universities grapple with how to conduct business this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic, they also face larger, long-term challenges in balancing traditional instruction and digital innovation."
- Nine Ways To Reimagine Higher Education (forbes.com)
May 14, 2020, Forbes—"The road to recovery for U.S. colleges lies through change and innovation."
- Colleges That Reopen Are Making a Big Mistake (theatlantic.com)
May 15, 2020, The Atlantic (Opinion)—"Colleges Are Deluding Themselves: Institutions are letting their financial and reputational worries cloud their judgment about when they can safely reopen."
- Citing technical, budget issues, NSHE chancellor recommends against approving new contract for CSN faculty (thenevadaindependent.com)
May 15, 2020, NV Independent—"Reilly raised two concerns in his memo, chief among them a worry that the new agreement would raise costs for CSN by $1.9 million dollars at a time when the governor has declared a “period of unprecedented fiscal emergency.”'
- Colleges seek protection from lawsuits if they reopen (insidehighered.com)
May 15, 2020, Inside Higher Ed—"College presidents tell Vice President Pence that being shielded from lawsuits if students get sick would make them likelier to physically reopen their campuses."
- Coronavirus Could Create a Hodgepodge of Campus Life in the Fall (nytimes.com)
May 14, 2020, NYTimes—"Shut down in a stricken wave this March as the coronavirus pandemic spread across America, colleges and universities are now studying whether and how to move forward, with plans ranging wildly between hope and grim epidemiology."
- A Small Religious University In West Texas Foreshadows What May Become Of Higher Education (forbes.com)
May 14, 2020, Forbes—"...as the school began to experience the financial hardships that are affecting all too many campuses as of late, university leadership responded in a manner that is emblematic of a troubling and perilous trend in American higher education. "
- Classrooms Shut Down at Cal State Colleges, but Football May Take the Field (nytimes.com)
May 13, 2020, NYTimes—"College officials have long maintained that athletes won’t play if students are kept off campus this fall because of the coronavirus. Now some sports leaders are hedging about the status of football."
- How Coronavirus Will Disrupt Future Colleges & Universities (nymag.com)
May 11, 2020, NYMag—Scott Galloway predicts a handful of elite cyborg universities will soon monopolize higher education.
- Multiple Surveys of Seniors predicting 20% Enrollment Drop (insidehighered.com)Weekly Strada's Ongoing Longitudinal Study (stradaeducation.org)SimpsonScarborough Survey of Students (cdn2.hubspot.net)Art&Science Group Survey (artsci.com)
May4, 2020, InsideHigherEd—"The findings are based on surveys of more than 2,000 college-bound high school seniors and current college students in March, just after the coronavirus began spreading in the United States, and in April, after three weeks of record unemployment claims."
K-12 News about Grading, Closures, and More
- Most Educators Want Schools to Stay Closed to Slow Spread of COVID-19 (edweek.org)
July 6, 2020, EdWeek—The EdWeek Research Center’s sixth coronavirus-focused survey reveals that 65 percent of teachers, principals, and district leaders surveyed by the EdWeek Research Center expressed a sentiment that school buildings should remain closed to slow the spread of the disease. The remaining 35 percent say the U.S. should open up schools and get the country going again, even if that means more people would get the coronavirus.
- What we owe to the Class of 2020 (washingtonpost.com)
May 31, 2020, Washington Post (Opinion)—"Let’s turn our thoughts to the high school and college classes of 2020, young Americans who, in large numbers, lost their graduation ceremonies to Zoom. They were often deprived of the chance to say proper goodbyes, to hug and to party in ways they had a right to expect."
- Clark County School District approves budget $37.8M less than previous year (fox5vegas.com)
May 18, 2020, KVVU Las Vegas—"Initial revenue projections were provided by the Nevada Department of Taxation prior to the COVID-19 state of emergency. Given updated projections from the department, the district expects a 11% ($130 million) reduction in Local School Support Tax revenue and a 10% ($8.6 million) reduction in Governmental Services Tax revenue."
- Students complain that they cannot submit AP tests (insidehighered.com)
May 14, 2020, Inside Higher Ed—"We have a makeup window in June, so students have another opportunity to test. Thus far, less than 1 percent of the more than 1 million students who tested encountered technical difficulties."
- DeVos Funnels Coronavirus Relief Funds to Favored Private and Religious Schools (nytimes.com)
May 15, 2020, NYTimes—"Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, using discretion written into the coronavirus stabilization law, is using millions of dollars to pursue long-sought policy goals that Congress has blocked."
- Return to play or not? A thorny question for youth sports (apnews.com)
May 15, 2020, AP—'These scenarios playing out across the nation illustrate how a return to youth sports amid the coronavirus pandemic is fraught with questions, from the health of everyone who attends to the ethics of potentially putting children in harm’s way in the name of getting back to business."
- Back-To-School Could Be Delayed By California Budget Cuts (sacramento.cbslocal.com)
May 14, 2020, CBS Saramento—"The deep financial hole brought on by the coronavirus is striking home for California schools after Gov. Gavin Newsom released a dramatically revised state budget plan."
- Some US schools are pulling the plug on distance learning (apnews.com)
May 14, 2020, AP—"The small district in rural Georgia is among many around the U.S. that have pulled the plug on distance learning, all citing familiar reasons. It’s too stressful, the lack of devices and internet access is too much to overcome, and what students get from it just isn’t worth the struggle."
- Clark County School District faces estimated $37.8M budget shortfall for 2020-2021 school year (ktnv.com)
May 13, 2020, KTN Las Vegas—"The district says the final LSST budget is based on Nevada's tax department revenue projection, which has been cut by 11.5% because the 2021 LSST budget was issued before the COVID-19 state of emergency."
- Saturday classes? Schools mull ways to make up lost time (apnews.com)
May 13, 2020, AP—"When students return to school after a lengthy pandemic-induced absence, the consensus is they will have lost significant academic ground. Still unresolved for governments and educators are the questions of how — or even whether — teachers should try to make up for lost learning."
- WCSD moves forward with TV broadcasts to honor class of 2020 (rgj.com)
May 13, 2020—Reno Gazette Journal—"The Washoe County School District to broadcast videos to honor thousands of seniors and looks to schools to find other ways to honor the class of 2020."
- PUSD Superintendent Tells Community Schools Budget Cuts Could Be “Unimaginable” Unless Steps Are Taken Quickly (pasadenanow.com)
May8, 2020, Pasadena Now—"“Public schools are projected to lose more than $18 billion in Proposition 98 state funding. That means that PUSD could lose more than $35 million in state funding for the 2020-21 fiscal year alone, which is equivalent to a -22% cost of living adjustment (COLA). This will require the district to enact unimaginable cuts unless mitigation steps are implemented or changes are made quickly to the way that California public schools are funded."
- California governor says schools may restart in late July (apnews.com)
April 28, 2020, AP—"California classrooms could reopen with modifications as soon as late July, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday, bringing a new wave of anxiety for parents, teachers and students."
- Coronavirus and Learning: What’s Happening in Each State (updated daily) (blogs.edweek.org)
EdWeek—"ducation Week is keeping track of the coronavirus pandemic's impact on the nation's schools, including whether the buildings and facilities educating more than 55 million students are open or closed and for how long, as well as the directives, recommendations, and guidelines states have issued to maintain student learning, as confirmed by state authorities, official statements, and original reporting."
Nevada Education News
- Why California needs to invest in independent colleges and universities (whittierdailynews.com)
May 25, 2020, Whittier Daily News (Opinion)—"The idea that college is only for the rich is not only false – it is dangerous to the future of a state that already has one of the highest poverty rates in the country. Access to higher education and specialized training is crucial."
- Clark County School District approves budget $37.8M less than previous year (fox5vegas.com)
May 18, 2020, KVVU Las Vegas—"Initial revenue projections were provided by the Nevada Department of Taxation prior to the COVID-19 state of emergency. Given updated projections from the department, the district expects a 11% ($130 million) reduction in Local School Support Tax revenue and a 10% ($8.6 million) reduction in Governmental Services Tax revenue."
- California community colleges will likely be online this fall (calmatters.org)
May 18, 2020, CalMatters—"The chancellor of California’s largest college system today said he believes online instruction will be the best course of action this fall."
- California Universities to Endure 10% State Budget Cut After COVID-19 (timesofsandiego.com)
May 17, 2020, Times of San Diego—"California’s budget heartache means its public colleges and universities are expected to receive nearly $2 billion less than planned for the coming year, but the financial aid that keeps tuition free for hundreds of thousands of students remains largely unscathed."
- With Cal State and other colleges moving online, higher ed has to prove its value (sfchronicle.com)
May 17, 2020, SFChron—"As colleges and universities grapple with how to conduct business this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic, they also face larger, long-term challenges in balancing traditional instruction and digital innovation."
- Return to play or not? A thorny question for youth sports (apnews.com)
May 15, 2020, AP—'These scenarios playing out across the nation illustrate how a return to youth sports amid the coronavirus pandemic is fraught with questions, from the health of everyone who attends to the ethics of potentially putting children in harm’s way in the name of getting back to business."
- Citing technical, budget issues, NSHE chancellor recommends against approving new contract for CSN faculty (thenevadaindependent.com)
May 15, 2020, NV Independent—"Reilly raised two concerns in his memo, chief among them a worry that the new agreement would raise costs for CSN by $1.9 million dollars at a time when the governor has declared a “period of unprecedented fiscal emergency.”'
- Coronavirus Will Keep Cal State Classes Online in the Fall (nytimes.com)
April 12, 2020, NYTimes—"The move by the nation’s largest four-year public university system comes as many other schools insist they will find a way to bring students back to campus despite the coronavirus."
- In-Person Learning Will Return To Nevada’s Colleges, Universities But With Changes (knpr.org)
May 11, 2020—"Nevada's colleges and universities will be open this summer and fall. In the fall, they’re expecting to have in-person classes. That’s the latest from Thom Reilly, chancellor of the state’s university system."
- The coming storm: big budget cuts, rising costs for California schools (edsource.org)
May 6, EdSource—"As unemployment soars and the outlook for a steep recession looms, analysts are cranking new data into old forecasts, and the projected impact on education funding is ugly — probably a bigger dollar cut next year than the worst year in the Great Recession. Whether school districts, community colleges and early education programs will feel the full impact may depend on how much Newsom funds them beyond the statutory minimum."
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Reinventing College
- What college will look like in the fall amid coronavirus (washingtonpost.com)
June 11, 2020, The Washington Post—"As more colleges and universities announce how and when they will resume operations — following the abrupt shutdowns of March — most are making clear that students will share in the duty of protecting classmates, faculty and staff from a contagious disease that has killed more than 100,000 Americans."
- Opinion | How the Coronavirus Crisis Makes the Best Case Yet for Free College Tuition (nytimes.com)
June 6, 2020, NY Times (Opinion)—"The crisis highlights the unjust, unsustainable fact that higher education is surviving on ever higher tuition payments — and, going forward, will most likely lean even harder on students and their families to make ends meet."
- Opinion | How the Coronavirus Crisis Makes the Best Case Yet for Free College Tuition (nytimes.com)
June 5, 2020, NY Times (Opinion)—"College was already a financial house of cards. Then coronavirus hit."
- How Colleges Can Help Educate the 40-Million-Plus Newly Unemployed (edsurge.com)
May 28, 2020, EdSurge—"Roughly one out of every four American workers are now unemployed, after jobless claims rose to more than 40 million this week. Typically, that results in a rush of people looking to higher education for new skills and credentials. But with such a sudden shift in the employment landscape, how can colleges best respond?"
- While focus is on fall, students’ choices about college will have a far longer impact (hechingerreport.org)
May 29, 2020, Hechinger—"Delaying enrollment, slowing to part time lower the odds of ever getting a degree."
"An entire forest of potential future graduates is now imperiled by the cataclysmic pandemic that has large numbers of students saying they will delay their higher educations, take time off, opt for community college or shift to studying part time.
While attention has been focused on the impact of these choices on enrollment in the fall, each has also been shown to slow down or derail students on their way to degrees. For them, and for employers who need educated graduates, that means the effects of this crisis will be felt not just for one semester, but for six or more years."
- Falling Into the Gap Year (nytimes.com)
May 28, 2020, NYTimes—"With next semester a question mark, more graduating high school seniors are considering deferring college. But what will they do instead?"
- Moving Forward (nytimes.com)
May 28, 2020, NYTimes—"At a time of year long associated with graduation and with students moving on to new adventures, members of the first class of New York Times fellows also prepare for their next steps. Here they reflect on the journeys that brought them together and on some of the lessons they've learned."
- Risky Strategy by Many Private Colleges Leaves Them Exposed (nytimes.com)
May 26, 2020, NYTimes—"Chasing after a shrinking pool of wealthy students by increasing spending, and now vulnerable to closure because of the pandemic."
- Students want a fall semester as close as possible to last fall’s, surveys show (insidehighered.com)
May 26, 2020, Inside Higher Ed—"Niche, a website that reviews colleges for prospective students, decided to survey those who come to its website about the scenarios. Some of what it found from a survey of 10,000 students -- in high school and college -- is similar to other surveys. But its findings reinforce the view of many college leaders that getting students to campus is the best way to function … if it can be done safely."
- Michigan football won’t have a season without students on campus (nypost.com)
May 24, 2020, NYPost—Michigan president Dr. Mark Schlissel told the Wall Street Journal that the Wolverines will sit out the college football season if the Ann Arbor campus remains closed to students. The state of Michigan’s stay-at-home order has been extended through June 12 and the flagship school has not announced a potential reopening date."
College Search Resources
- How to Assess the Financial Health of a College or University (edmit.me)
Edmit.me
- College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov)
Find the college that’s the best fit for you! The U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard has the most reliable data on college costs, graduation, and post-college earnings.
- Postsecondary Education Outcome Measures, as selected by US Govt (nces.ed.gov)
Education News Sources
Test Prep & Study Resources
- Nothing to display ...
Financial Aid Resources
- TuitionFit (tuitionfit.org)
"The Kelly Blue Book of Colleges"
- SwiftStudent (formswift.com)
helps students write a financial aid appeal letter
- Project on Student Debt (ticas.org)
- FinAid Loan Calculator (finaid.org)
- BrokeScholar (brokescholar.com)
- The College Payoff: Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings (cew.georgetown.edu)
- Education Pays Off Handsomely, but Borrowing for It Makes People Unhappy | UCLA Anderson School of Management (anderson.ucla.edu)
Online Learning How-to Resources
Online Edu Content Providers
- Publishers Sue Internet Archive Over Free E-Books (nytimes.com)
June 1, 2020, NYTimes—"Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette and Wiley accused the nonprofit of piracy for making over 1 million books free online."
- TeacherVision | Trusted Teaching Resources Since 1999 – TeacherVision (teachervision.com)