How the pandemic could negatively impact the progress of Black and Hispanic college students in Los Angeles
INSIDE HIGHER ED — A new report from the Campaign for College Opportunity, a California-based research and policy advocacy organization, highlights ongoing equity gaps for Black and Latinx students pursuing higher education in Los Angeles County. The report, released today, describes some notable gains in Black and Latinx students’ access to college and their academic outcomes. However,…
Read More about How the pandemic could negatively impact the progress of Black and Hispanic college students in Los AngelesUS House of Representatives passes College Transparency Act
INSIDE HIGHER ED — The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved an amendment to add the College Transparency Act to another bill, which the House then passed. Under the College Transparency Act, colleges would be required to collect and submit data to the Department of Education regarding student enrollment, persistence, transfer and completion measures for all…
Read More about US House of Representatives passes College Transparency ActUS college completion rate rises over previous year
INSIDE HIGHER ED — The national six-year completion rate for students who started college in 2015 reached 62.2 percent, according to a new report out today from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. That’s an increase of 1.2 percentage points over the fall 2014 cohort and 1.5 percentage points over the 2013 cohort. “Students who started college six years ago have…
Read More about US college completion rate rises over previous yearStates target higher education in ‘divisive concepts’ legislation
INSIDE HIGHER ED — State legislation prohibiting the teaching of so-called divisive concepts is increasingly directed at higher education, not just K-12 schools, according to a new analysis by PEN America. PEN, which tracks what it calls educational “gag order” bills throughout the year, says that just 26 percent of state bills proposed in 2021 explicitly addressed…
Read More about States target higher education in ‘divisive concepts’ legislationColleges consider mental health a top priority as students return for spring semester
BOSTON GLOBE — As the spring semester gets underway on campuses across the region, college mental health staff say they’re inundated with students seeking care — a sign that, though classes remain largely in person, the stressors caused by the pandemic over the past two years are far from gone. In recent months, many institutions…
Read More about Colleges consider mental health a top priority as students return for spring semesterShould students in need receive a monthly stipend while in college?
INSIDE HIGHER ED — Scott Myers-Lipton, a professor of sociology at San José State University, was dismayed to hear the same stories from his students semester after semester: students were routinely struggling financially; some were sleeping in their cars, “scared out of their minds” about their safety. Others were even spending nights in the campus library…
Read More about Should students in need receive a monthly stipend while in college?Virginia Attorney General says public colleges cannot mandate COVID-19 vaccine in state
INSIDE HIGHER ED — Virginia’s Republican attorney general issued an advisory opinion Friday concluding that the state’s public universities cannot require vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition for enrollment or attendance. The advisory reverses an opinion from his Democratic predecessor that reached the opposite conclusion last year. The new opinion from Virginia attorney general Jason S. Miyares…
Read More about Virginia Attorney General says public colleges cannot mandate COVID-19 vaccine in stateBoth the SAT and Multistate Bar Exam announce transition to a digital format
REUTERS — The College Board announced Tuesday that the SAT will go digital in 2024, ending its long run as a paper-and-pencil exam. But it’s not the only high stakes standardized test moving to an all-computer format. The next version of the bar exam, which could debut as early as 2026, will also be taken entirely on…
Read More about Both the SAT and Multistate Bar Exam announce transition to a digital formatUS Supreme Court to take up Harvard and University of North Carolina affirmative action cases
CNN POLITICS — The Supreme Court announced Monday it will reconsider race-based affirmative action in college admissions, a move that could eliminate campus practices that have widely benefitted Black and Hispanic students. The justices said they will hear challenges to policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina that use students’ race among many criteria…
Read More about US Supreme Court to take up Harvard and University of North Carolina affirmative action casesThe SAT exam announces move to all digital format by 2024
AP NEWS — The SAT exam will move from paper and pencil to a digital format, administrators announced Tuesday, saying the shift will boost its relevancy as more colleges make standardized tests optional for admission. Test-takers will be allowed to use their own laptops or tablets but they’ll still have to sit for the test at a…
Read More about The SAT exam announces move to all digital format by 2024