From a parent’s perspective. Sixty-three percent of Chicago parents say student achievement should count for more than 30 percent of a teacher’s evaluation, according to a new study of Chicago Public Schools and its families. (Joyce Foundation)

Restorative justice in high school. Replacing zero-tolerance policies with “talking circles” has reduced suspension rates from 12 percent to 8 peContinue Reading »

Successful turnaround. The secretary at this Kansas charter school has already started an enrollment waitlist for 2018—with names of some students yet to be born. It’s a stunning turnaround from six years ago, when enrollment fell below 80 students and the school faced closure. Education Sector’s Susan Headden profiled the same school, called the Walton Rural Life Center, in this piece on projeContinue Reading »

Will student savings accounts encourage a switch to the college-track mindset?

Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education announced its plan to help disadvantaged students gain access to college through investing in a college savings account. Details of the new program were debated in a panel discussion at the New America Foundation. As part of the GEAR UP program, the College Savings AcContinue Reading »

For many students, the excitement of opening an acceptance letter is quickly overshadowed with anxiety over how to pay for their education.  Colleges try to allay the concerns of students and their families with another letter, one that details the student’s financial aid award. This letter explains the financial aid students will receive and shows how much they will be expected to pay upfront—Continue Reading »

America’s college completion agenda is more urgent than ever.  As Degreeless in Debt found, rising college prices are putting more students between a rock and a hard place: the things they do to avoid borrowing too much – like delaying enrollment, enrolling part-time, or working full-time – also make it much harder for them to complete their degrees.   While controlling costs and expandContinue Reading »

The College Access and Completion Innovation Fund is being billed as an exciting new reform program that will move the federal government’s traditional higher education role beyond providing grants and loans. But if that’s true, then why does the version of the fund proposed by the House of Representatives include a provision that directs money away from interesting reform projects to insContinue Reading »