Education
It’s hazing season on college campuses. State safeguards are uneven.
Max Gruver spent the early morning hours of Sept. 14, 2017, heavily intoxicated and passed out on a couch inside the Phi Delta Theta chapter house at Louisiana State University. He had been forced to repeatedly chug 190-proof Diesel liquor in a hazing ritual called “Bible Study,” during which pledges are quizzed on fraternity facts. […]
Student debt relief scams on the rise. Here’s what borrowers need to know.
Complaints about student debt relief scams are increasing as the date approaches for borrowers to restart payment on their student loans after more than a three-year pause. Consumer protection advocates say that the Biden administration’s student debt relief efforts, the subsequent halting of those policies by the courts, and the restart of student loan payments […]
Arkansans seek assistance from federal program as student loan payments resume
With student loan payments resuming in October after a three-year pandemic pause, Karen Sykes of Little Rock said she’s relieved by the creation of a new federal program that will significantly lower her payments and set an end date for settling her debt. “There’s that light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. Sykes […]
Arkansas school safety rules public comment meeting set for Thursday
A public hearing on proposed rules governing school safety is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, at the Arkansas Department of Education Arch Ford Education Building in Little Rock. The proposed Division of Elementary and Secondary Education rules include requiring 40 hours of basic school resource officer training within 18 months of hiring and […]
States urged by Biden administration to rectify underfunding of land-grant HBCUs
States engaged in decades of underfunding of land-grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities, leading to a more than $12 billion disparity with comparable white institutions, leaders of the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday. “Unacceptable funding inequities have forced many of our nation’s distinguished Historically Black Colleges and Universities […]
Hit the snooze button: States debate later high school start times
California and Florida have become the first states to require later public school start times, a response to reams of research showing significant advantages for high school students who can get more sleep by beginning their day at 8:30 a.m. or later. But such changes come with difficult ripple effects — upended bus schedules, later starts […]
Arkansas legislators choose school insurance premium consultant
Arkansas lawmakers selected a consultant to conduct a study of rising property insurance premiums for public school districts and higher education institutions on Wednesday. The Arkansas Legislative Council Executive Subcommittee listened to proposals from Cadence Insurance and Meadors, Adams & Lee Insurance Inc. before authorizing the Bureau of Legislative Research to enter into negotiations with […]
Arkansas attorney general OKs legality of Bentonville’s affordable teacher housing approach
A Northwest Arkansas school district will further consider a proposal to build affordable housing for teachers this month following initial approval of the project by Arkansas’ attorney general on Tuesday. “We are optimistic about the possibilities and we just want to provide all the information to our board so that they can make an informed […]
Millions enrolled in new student loan repayment program
WASHINGTON — More than 4 million federal student loan borrowers are enrolled in the Biden administration’s new repayment program, according to figures released Tuesday by the Department of Education. With the pause of more than three years on federal student loan repayments coming to an end in October, and the Supreme Court’s summer decision to […]
Campus food pantries are seeing greater demand — and more state dollars
SOUTH BRONX, New York City — In the South Bronx, one of the nation’s poorest communities, Hostos Community College has long positioned itself as an educational pathway out of poverty. But to make that journey, many Hostos students must contend with more than their schoolwork. Without the school’s child care center, students who are single […]
Implementation of Arkansas LEARNS Act continues with literacy coach training
Dozens of coaches are preparing to help Arkansas students meet literacy standards outlined in the LEARNS Act, an expansive new education law backed by the governor. During a training session Monday, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the new literacy coaches she knows the impact a single teacher can have on a student because an educator […]
Little Rock Public Radio is new brand name for Arkansas capital city’s two stations
Little Rock Public Radio is the new brand identity for the National Public Radio affiliate in Arkansas’ capital city, according to a Monday announcement. The rebranding includes both KUAR, the NPR affiliate, and KLRE, a classical music station. The stations retain their call letters, but the new names strives to represent the coverage area, station […]