Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Cosmetology schools and other certificate programs got exemption from rules on graduates’ earning levels

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · 13d

“There is this very strange donut hole in accountability where workforce programs are held accountable, two-year degree programs are held accountable, but everything in between gets off without any accountability,” hechingerreport.org/congress-wan...

Cosmetology schools and other certificate programs (short-term programs for specific trades) were exempted from new legislation requiring that all colleges whose graduates don’t earn at least as much ...

Rural Ohio relies on Head Start. Trump is worrying people in the region who need this free child care

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · 15d

“If we had to pay for child care, I would not be able to work. “There’s no way I could do it.” Terrific piece via @jackiemader.bsky.social

hechingerreport.org/rural-americ...

Close to half of its seats in this federally funded free program are located in areas outside towns and cities. But federal staff cuts and funding showdowns may hurt some of the same voters in rural a...

NY lawmakers demand investigation into charter school rally, alleging coercion

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · 16d

Opps! “Canceling classes during a school day and forcing families and students to engage in a political rally is an egregious misuse of instructional time and state funds,” --

After a major charter school rally, two state senators are calling for an investigation into whether schools pressured families, staff, and students to attend.

www.chalkbeat.org

STUDENT VOICE: What National Endowment for the Humanities cuts mean for high schoolers like me

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · 17d

STUDENT VOICE: We are witnessing "an intentional part of a broader effort by lawmakers to change how history is understood and what students can know about their past." hechingerreport.org/student-voic... via @mariumzahra.bsky.social

Funding for National History Day, which runs a competition that engages students in original research, was slashed by the Trump administration.

Public school kids were already going missing. There's even more to come

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · 17d

The missing kids are not in private schools or being homeschooled. Many children are simply not enrolled anywhere: hechingerreport.org/proof-points... via @jillbarshay.bsky.social

Between students gone missing, the choices some Black families and families in high-poverty districts are making and how many kids are being born, public school enrollment is dramatically decreasing.

Schools confront a new reality: They can’t count on federal money

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Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · 21d

“It is scary to think about it, you’re getting ready to open school and not have a significant pot of funds,” -- a chilling look at frozen funds that are hampering teaching and learning everywhere: hechingerreport.org/schools-conf... via @arielgilreath.bsky.social @hechingerreport.org

Ashe County, North Carolina, and thousands of other school districts are preparing to lose some federal public school funding after a freeze on nearly $7 billion over the summer.

OPINION: We cannot afford to dismantle Head Start, a program that builds futures, strengthens families and delivers proven returns

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · 23d

OPINION: For many families, Head Start is the first place outside the home where a child’s potential is nurtured and celebrated. Yet, this program that builds futures and strengthens families is now under threat, and it’s imperative that we protect it: hechingerreport.org/opinion-head...

For many families, Head Start is the first place outside the home where a child’s potential is nurtured and celebrated. Yet, this program that builds futures and strengthens families is now under thre...

OPINION: NAEP scores show we need new approaches, more resources and all hands on deck to address underlying education problems

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · 28d

OPINION: Okay, so the report card wasn't encouraging. But leaders at every level need to stop using the pandemic as an excuse and start looking for solutions: hechingerreport.org/opinion-lets...

The latest NAEP scores paint a grim picture, but progress in American education has generally been stalled for at least a decade. Leaders at every level need to stop using the pandemic as an excuse an...

Artificial intelligence — AI — in many forms is transforming teaching and learning, for young children and students in college. The Hechinger Report is exploring how and our contributors weigh in with...

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Sep 8

Back-to-school views, voices and opinions on AI literacy, via @erinmote.bsky.social, @jillbarshay.bsky.social, @jeremyr.blog and many more: hechingerreport.org/tags/artific...

Artificial Intelligence

Reimagining Liberal Arts Education: A National Conversation on Real-World Readiness | Brandeis Campus Calendar | Brandeis University

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Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Sep 3

Excited to moderate an event next week on the future of higher education and the liberal arts-- and some new ideas from @brandeisuniversity.bsky.social: www.brandeis.edu/events/press...

www.brandeis.edu

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Sep 2

With widespread layoffs and as consumers are already increasingly questioning the value of a college education, the problem is expected to get worse: hechingerreport.org/students-can...

Being shut out of required courses is delaying college students’ graduation

Fifty-seven percent of college students have to spend more time and money on college because their campuses don’t offer required courses when they need them. Mounting layoffs and budget problems now t...

Colleges struggle to make manufacturing training hot again

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Aug 27

Colleges have struggled to add and revise their training based on employer input and prepare students for tomorrow’s jobs, not just today’s: hechingerreport.org/colleges-str...

Trump wants to add manufacturing jobs, but colleges are already having difficult recruiting and keeping up with companies’ fast-changing needs. Lorain County Community College, in Ohio, has had more s...

OPINION: The resumption of student loan payments means students will need new policies — and our help

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Aug 25

OPINION: Student debt relief is not about handouts — it’s about honoring the promise that education should be a ladder up, not an anchor weighing down entire generations: hechingerreport.org/opinion-the-... via @jamalwatson.bsky.social

The resumption of student loan payments comes at a time when the fundamental inequities of our higher education system have never been more apparent. The resumption of loan payments, while painful, mu...

Tutoring was supposed to save American kids after the pandemic. The results? 'Sobering'

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Aug 25

The researchers found that tutoring during the 2023-24 school year produced only one or two months’ worth of extra learning in reading or math — a tiny fraction of what the pre-pandemic research had produced: hechingerreport.org/proof-points... via @jillbarshay.bsky.social

Logistics made it difficult to deliver the amount of tutoring that could produce a real difference

What Trump's education cuts mean for literacy - The Hechinger Report

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Aug 21

She's back at: @ehanford.bsky.social with some important updates: hechingerreport.org/what-trumps-...

This podcast, Sold a Story, was produced by APM Reports and reprinted with permission. There’s an idea about how children learn to read that’s held sway in schools for more than a generation – even th...

A ‘Great Defection’ threatens to empty universities and colleges of top teaching talent

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Aug 21

Seemingly relentless attacks and funding cuts since the start of Donald Trump’s second presidential term have been “the straw that broke the camel’s back." hechingerreport.org/a-great-defe... via @jonmarcusboston.bsky.social

Political attacks and other problems appear to be driving an exodus of Ph.D.s and faculty from higher education, threatening a diminished experience for undergraduates.

PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Aug 19

Looking forward to this discussion: participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

participate.sxsw.com

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Aug 18

“You would almost think that whoever implemented this didn’t know what they were doing: hechingerreport.org/proof-points... via @jillbarshay.bsky.social

Inaccurate, impossible: Experts knock new Trump plan to collect college admissions data

New data survey could produce statistics that indicate bias where none exists

OPINION: Tutoring provides a much-needed on-ramp into the teaching profession. School districts should pay attention.

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Aug 13

OPINION: A potential solution for minting new teachers: hechingerreport.org/opinion-tuto...

Tutoring can be a powerful training ground for future educators, providing hands-on experience, confidence and a bridge into the classroom. And what might begin as a temporary opportunity can become a...

Student veterans, advisers say VA cuts are derailing their educations

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Aug 12

Veterans who are just starting to feel the effects of federal cuts, and organizations that support them, worry things will only get worse: hechingerreport.org/complete-nig...

Already slow, the process of getting GI Bill benefits has gotten even slower since cuts to government staffing, veterans and their advocates say. Some student veterans are dropping out.

PRINCIPAL VOICE: Inviting families into our classrooms slashed absenteeism and raised reading levels - The Hechinger Report

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Jul 21

PRINCIPAL VOICE: Here's a way to create a joyful school community and boost student achievement: hechingerreport.org/principal-vo... via @brittanydaly.bsky.social

Research has long shown that family engagement in their child’s education — attending parent-teacher conferences and participating in school events — boosts student achievement, motivation and social-...

Musicians brace for impact as Senate vote on public radio looms

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Jul 16

This is one of the saddest stories I have read this week. A world without music on the radio: so dark: www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

If the rescission bill passes, $1.1 billion of funding will be cut from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, limiting public radio’s ability to license music.

www.washingtonpost.com

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Jul 16

The Trump administration’s far-reaching war on immigration threatens America’s already-fragile child care system. That hurts all of us: hechingerreport.org/americas-chi... via @jackiemader.bsky.social

America’s child care system relies on immigrants. Without them, it could collapse - The Hechinger Report

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Maggi’s home in a suburban neighborhood here is a haven for local families. It’s a place where after just a few weeks in Maggi’s family-run child care program this spring, one pres...

Former education stats chief describes her final days under DOGE

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Jul 14

“I would say that what has happened is a professional tragedy, not just for me, but for all of NCES and my staff." hechingerreport.org/proof-points... via @jillbarshay.bsky.social

Suddenly sacked