The first district in New Jersey. This report on Newark’s “groundbreaking” decision to move ahead with merit pay includes a colorful anecdote from the union leader. Also, Education Week reports that Mark Zuckerberg’s $80 million donation will, in part, fund the performance pay increases. (The Star Ledger)

Improving loan literacy. More universities are trying to educate students on the coContinue Reading »

Changing standards. Fifth-graders in Pittsburgh Public Schools are delving into sixth-grade math topics, as the district makes the transition to Common Core State Standards. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

The “new” liberal arts. A call for the liberal arts to “show some spine and create a response” to the critics who say a degree in “soft studies,” like humanities and social sciences, has no Continue Reading »

Late last week, the Department of Education released its annual update on student loan default rates. Not surprisingly, the overall two-year default rate shot up from 8.8 to 9.1 percent over the course of the last year, and the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and other news outlets all ran stories highlighting yet additional evidence of the poor economy and job market, and their impact on Continue Reading »

Defining school down. Virginia has a lot of work to do as it revises its new standards. “Setting passing rates for black and Hispanic students far below the cutoff scores for white and Asian students is deplorable.” (Richmond Times Dispatch)

Persistence, and the lack of. Only 9 percent of low-income students get a bachelor’s degree by age 24. Why? (American RadioWorks)

Delinquent Continue Reading »

Losing ground. Twenty-two percent of respondents in a public opinion poll feel that teachers unions have a positive effect on schools and education—that’s 7 percent less than last year; 41 percent are neutral on the issue. (Wall Street Journal)

The last elected schools chief in Oregon. The state schools superintendent, Susan Castillo, has stepped down, leaving the governor and his newly Continue 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 »

‘War is Pell.’ Andy Rotherham offers up five ways lawmakers can make the Pell grant program more effective in helping the country’s neediest students. Education Sector’s Steve Burd also has an idea: Eliminate tuition tax breaks, in favor of supporting Pell. (TIME)

‘Culprit: Summer.’ Sarah Garland recaps a conversation from last week’s Education Writers Association conference on how achieContinue Reading »

This Wednesday, Education Sector will be hosting an event on the future of Pell Grants, the cornerstone of federal financial aid for low-income students. In preparation, we thought we’d highlight the following five things we think you should know about the program:

The Pell Grant program is the cornerstone of federal financial aid. Every year, it helps millions of  low-income students gain access to college. But because the government’s cost of financing Pell Grants has skyrocketed in recent years, the program has been on a perilous path.

Last year, the Obama administration and Congress were repeatedly forced to take emergency actions in thContinue Reading »

On Tuesday, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) held a hearing before a Senate Judiciary Committee subpanel promoting legislation that would allow financially distressed borrowers to discharge their private student loans in bankruptcy. If Durbin has any hope of getting traction on this important bill, he’s going to need the help of another powerful Illinois politician: President Obama, who has so far avoidContinue Reading »