AcademicInfo's blog

US States to Form Common Standards Coalition
by AcademicInfo | Mon, 06/01/2009 - 09:42

In an effort led by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, 49 states have agreed to form a Common Standards Initiative designed to develop a common core of state standards in English-language arts and mathematics for grades K-12.

Announcing the move, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, “This is the beginning of a new day for education in our country. A lot of hard work is ahead of us, but this is a huge step in a direction that would have been unimaginable just a year or two ago.”

Tags: education, k-12, states

Obama Urges Student Loan Reform
by AcademicInfo | Mon, 04/27/2009 - 04:01

President Barack Obama has courted controversy by proposing plans to change the way student loans are distributed nationally. The move which aims to increase college attendances while keeping costs down would end federally subsidized student loan programs and move the government as the primary financier.

Speaking at the White House, President Obama said, “We have a student loan system where we’re giving lenders billions of dollars in wasteful subsidies that could be used to make college more affordable for all Americans.”

Tags: education, obama, student, student loan reform

Special Education to Receive Budget Boost
by AcademicInfo | Tue, 04/14/2009 - 05:44

According to details of the 2009/2010 budget, the government has seen fit to help often underfunded schools that offer special education by increasing the budgets available to eligible educational institutions as part of the stimulus packet.

The funds have been set aside to help with the direction, administration, instructional, structural and acquisition of relevant equipment for the schools.

Tags: budget, special ed, special education, stimulus

Obama Plans to Boost Students Financial Aid
by AcademicInfo | Fri, 03/27/2009 - 10:08

President Obama has taken steps to ease the financial burden felt by college students by cutting out the involvement of banks as middle men and will lead to larger payouts for those students that qualify for grants, such as the Pell Grant federal aid.

“The cost of college continues to go up and support for student aid has not kept pace,” said, Robert Brandon, the director of the campaign for College Affordability.

Tags: college students., obama, pell grant, president

First Lady Gives Inspirational Talk to Students
by AcademicInfo | Mon, 03/23/2009 - 03:52

Michelle Obama has taken strides to lift the gloom on the nation’s students as well as making the White House more accessible by visiting a public high school in down town DC on Thursday.

Accompanied by a posse of her female peers, that included singers, Alicia Keys and Sheryl Crow, actress Alfre Woodward, former astronaut Mae Jemison and General Ann Dunwoody, the first lady urged the students to reach for the top.

Tags: education, First lady, michelle obama, students

Education Stimulus Bill comes with Conditions
by AcademicInfo | Tue, 03/17/2009 - 09:06

While most schools wrestle with ways to spend the economic stimulus package designed to help struggling, schools, Education Secretary, Arne Duncan says, educational institutions need to revamp their working methods in order to benefit from the bill.

“We’re going to reward those states and those districts that are willing to challenge the status quo and get dramatically better,” Duncan said while addressing press at the White House.

“Those who keep doing the same old thing however won’t be eligible for the money,” he continued.

Tags: arne duncan, bill, economic stimulus bill, education