edLeaders

The president of the University of Missouri system resigned Monday amid escalating protests over racist and other bias-related incidents on campus and concerns about how he responded when members of the community showed outrage.

Renewed urgency, political importance as neighboring states with more high-tech opportunities have grown faster than Arizona in recent years.

The Department of Education unveiled a slate of executive actions it’s taking to beef up accountability in the higher education accreditation system, which Education Secretary Arne Duncan said is filled with “watchdogs that don’t bite.”

By Lauren Camera

PHOENIX – The Arizona Board of Education has voted to reject Common Core, but for the time being leave its standards in place.

Students shouldn’t spend more than 2 percent of time taking tests, the Education Department says.By Lauren CameraStates and school districts should evaluate the number of tests they administer to students and eliminate any deemed ineffective or duplicative, the Department of Education recommended in new assessment guidance released Saturday.

Education secretary takes aim at low graduation rates while student debt is rising fastEducation Secretary Arne Duncan is preparing to unveil a package of proposals aimed at forcing colleges that receive federal money to improve graduation rates and to provide students with job skills. The proposals will be aimed at accreditors, the not-for-profit agencies that must give their seal of approval so schools can take part in the federal student-loan system. The overhaul effort comes as student debt has climbed to $1.2 trillion, but graduation rates remain not much better than a “coin toss,” Mr. Duncan has said.

By Griselda NevarezThe U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday released a resource guide to help undocumented students and educators ensure that young people are on a path to academic success regardless of their immigration status. 

Hoping to offer more alternatives, particularly to low-income students considering substandard for-profit colleges, the Education Department is unveiling a pilot program on Wednesday to allow students to use federal loans and grants for nontraditional education like boot camp software coding programs and MOOCs, or massive open online courses.