News
Trade press and journalism covering higher ed and ed tech
Friday, October 2
What are the ‘best colleges for rural America’ doing for rural students?
Welcome to Mile Markers, a twice-a-month newsletter about rural higher education. If you’re a young student in Livingston, Alabama, it’s likely that many of your principals and teachers are alumni of the University of West Alabama. At SUNY Potsdam, students don’t travel far from the campus – located in “the shadow of…
opencampus.orgHow Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is helping kids start reading when they’re very young
By the time Dolly Parton died on Aug. 25, 2026, her Imagination Library had gifted more than 332 million children’s books to babies and kids in all 50 states and four other countries: Canada, the U.K., Australia and Ireland. If they were set end to end, these books would circle the earth 1.8 times. This free program…
theconversation.comWhy AI doesn’t replace education—it demands it
Working in higher education, I’ve been asked the same question several times—and with increasing frequency in the last year: Is AI going to replace the need for education? The post Why AI doesn’t replace education—it demands it appeared first on eCampus News.
ecampusnews.comPodcast: Hope (again), Mi5
This week on the podcast we examine what Labour Party conference told us about the government’s plans for higher education
wonkhe.com
Thursday, October 1
The tax change that could help the child care workforce
Each year, the early childhood educators at Bluff’s Little Thinkers in western Iowa spend hundreds of dollars of their own money on classroom supplies and materials, including rugs for “cozy corners” where children can spend a quiet moment, special lights to create a calming environment and sensory items that help…
hechingerreport.orgNavigating the storms of student success
Kate Newby argues that the storms of the student journey aren’t a distraction from learning, they’re where it really happens
wonkhe.comHigher education postcard: The Queen’s Tower, Imperial College
This week’s card from Hugh Jones’ postbag takes us to another university bell tower
wonkhe.comA supplier shouldn’t be able to rewrite who owns students’ essays
Sam Dickinson looks at Turnitin’s paused plan to put student essays to work on AI – and finds that neither anonymisation nor university regulations answer the copyright question
wonkhe.comAI Leads 2027 Educause Top 10
While artificial intelligence has long factored into the trends and issues within Educause's annual Top 10, the technology has officially risen to the No. 1 spot for 2027.
campustechnology.comOpen Campus adds veteran higher education journalist and news entrepreneur to its Board of Directors
Doug Lederman brings a wealth of experience at the intersection of journalism and higher education to our board. The post Open Campus adds veteran higher education journalist and news entrepreneur to its Board of Directors appeared first on Open Campus.
opencampus.orgHigher Ed’s Path to Advanced Cybersecurity Maturity
Higher education institutions face increasing pressure to strengthen cybersecurity while maintaining agility and cost-efficiency. IT leaders must move beyond reactive defense and toward operationalized maturity — creating systems that are resilient, scalable and audit-ready. Using guidance from the National Institute…
edtechmagazine.comAmbassador to Business
The community college that leads the nation on Workforce Pell approvals teams up with its biggest corporate neighbor to build a training alliance with local businesses. Also, two new podcast episodes on how the U.S. should prepare for AI-driven job disruption, and how public-private partnerships in Colorado are…
workshift.org14 Best AI Courses for 2026: For Beginners & Coders
New to AI and too overwhelmed to learn? These 14 courses start from zero, sorted for beginners and coders. The post 14 Best AI Courses for 2026: For Beginners & Coders appeared first on The Report by Class Central.
classcentral.com
Wednesday, September 30
One state bets on parents to boost preschool math skills
TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — In an elementary school classroom just outside Salt Lake City, Clarence Ames warmed up an audience of 15 parents, their young children sitting beside them. “Has anybody here ever heard or said, ‘I’m not a math person?’” asked Ames, who leads research and implementation for the Utah STEM Action…
hechingerreport.orgEmeritus, honorary, and visiting professors are an untapped resource
Roger Watson, Kenneth Eaton, and Anne-Maria Brennan argue the sector is missing by not paying attention to its emeritus, honorary and visiting professors
wonkhe.comHE data doesn’t need another taskforce, it needs good governance
Andy Youell asks why the HE data landscape is still so chaotic, and argues that what’s missing is someone actually in charge
wonkhe.comSAT scores are up across the board for high school class of 2026
Dive Brief: The high school class of 2026 outperformed the previous year’s graduates on the SAT, according to results for the college admissions exam released Tuesday by the College Board The mean total SAT score for the class of 2026 reached 1045 — a 16-point increase from the class of 2025. Average scores increased…
highereddive.comAI Leaders Warn of Security Risks at United Nations Briefing
The heads of OpenAI, Anthropic, and Hugging Face joined AI researcher Yoshua Bengio at the United Nations headquarters in New York to warn the UN Security Council about the security risks of increasingly capable AI.
campustechnology.comRedesigned Copilot Will Build Apps and Work on Its Own
Microsoft recently announced that it's redesigning Copilot, the company's all-encompassing AI assistant, so users can hand off complex tasks, build tools by describing what they need and assign work to an agent that keeps going after they log off.
campustechnology.comFinding the Right Disaster Recovery Strategy for Higher Ed
As higher education institutions prepare for unexpected events, from cyberattacks to unplanned downtime, disaster recovery is becoming a critical part of their survival. Having reliable, immutable backups is no longer just a matter of IT hygiene, it’s table stakes for operational continuity. Though colleges and…
edtechmagazine.comGuide: How to Sign up for Coursera Courses for Free
In this guide, you’ll learn how to preview Coursera online courses without going through the checkout. The post Guide: How to Sign up for Coursera Courses for Free appeared first on The Report by Class Central.
classcentral.comBuilding the Workforce Nobody Knew They Could Join
This brief looks at how public-private partnerships are building up the systems engineering workforce in Colorado. It is the second in a series about a $90M grant program that invested in employer-led workforce partnerships across the state. The post Building the Workforce Nobody Knew They Could Join appeared first on…
workshift.orgUsing an AI chatbot to practice new languages can be helpful, but it doesn’t replace speaking with an actual person
Relying on AI chatbots to learn a new language has various drawbacks, including the propensity for the chatbots to sometimes have cultural biases and make grammatical mistakes. Andriy Onufriyenko/iStock via Getty Images Approximately 30% of U.S. adults who were learning a language in 2025 reported that they were using…
theconversation.comAI Cannot Lead Your District. Only People Can.
FETC unveils an agenda for human leadership in the age of AI. GUEST COLUMN | by Jennifer Womble These are extraordinary times in education. Artificial intelligence can generate a lesson, summarize a report and analyze a mountain of district data. However, it cannot decide what a community owes its children. It cannot…
edtechdigest.comYour institution’s website should prioritize prospective students
I’ve spent more than 30 years working in higher education, so I know my way around a college website. I understand how institutions are organized. I know the difference between admissions and enrollment, academic affairs and student affairs, advancement and communications. I generally have a pretty good idea of where…
ecampusnews.com
Tuesday, September 29
Fearing AI, young workers retrain for hands-on jobs
ChatGPT hit the internet in November 2022 during Keon Davis’ junior year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He used it and grew overreliant, but it also worried him. Davis, who was studying marketing, soon watched it automate tasks he handled in a summer internship, like crafting outreach emails and doing…
hechingerreport.orgHigher education can become more collaborative in course provision – but the onus is on institutions to work out how
Ministers want the sector to move forward with regional collaboration around skills and economic priorities. Poppy Short and Kate Newman explain that it’s possible, but it takes work
wonkhe.comCan Schools Trust AI Features in Edtech Products?
In this episode of This Week with EdSurge, two former educators join to discuss EdReport's recent brief and explain why it is so important to verify ...
edsurge.comTraditional PD Wasn’t Enough. So I Used TikTok to Create an Engaging Alternative.
Tired of compliance-driven workshops, one teacher took to TikTok to turn literacy research into actionable classroom strategies.
edsurge.comHow Colleges Are Using Technology To Attract Students on Campus Visits
Prospective students and their families have been known to judge an institution based on first impressions. In fact, 86% of higher education enrollment leaders said campus visits are the defining factor in securing enrollment, with smaller schools relying on campus visits the most, according to the 2026 State of…
edtechmagazine.comAI Will Work Best for the Students Who Need It the Least
The families with the most resources are buying more human support, not less. GUEST COLUMN | by Alicia Kacharia There is a lot of excitement about how, for the first time, every student can access a personalized tutor regardless of income, location, or level. To be fair, AI is great at delivering detailed,…
edtechdigest.comWhy Trump’s plan to cut Head Start regulations could undermine services for the country’s poorest families
A teacher leads a clay activity with students at a dual language Head Start program at Hillcrest Elementary School in Monterey Park, Calif., in August 2026. Christina House/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images For over 60 years, the federal program Head Start has helped children from low-income families get ready for…
theconversation.comAre religious charter schools constitutional? After deadlocked SCOTUS decision, another Oklahoma case is trying to find out
Another case about the constitutionality of a religious charter school may be on the Supreme Court's horizon. Finn Gomez/Getty Images Just over a year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered an unusual judgment: a tied vote. Without stating why, Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from Oklahoma Statewide Charter…
theconversation.comHigh costs, dwindling enrollment: What happened to one school district after a state takeover
This story was produced by The Texas Tribune and republished with permission. HOUSTON — Fonville Middle School hired learning coaches to help students falling behind in the classroom. It bought new state-of-the-art technology, such as webcams and smart boards. The school days are longer. All that aggressive change…
hechingerreport.org
Monday, September 28
STUDENT VOICE: Higher education was never built for nontraditional students like me. Here’s why it can and should be
When I graduated from college in December 2025, I crossed a stage I once worried I would never see. In the months since, I have spent a lot of time thinking about how many students start but never finish. Just six in 10 students earn a degree within six years. While that number is bad […] The post STUDENT VOICE:…
hechingerreport.orgFrom kindergarten to disciplinary school: Texas sends kids as young as 6 to harsh alternative campuses
The most notable thing about Melissa’s son’s 6th birthday should have been the vacation the family took. Instead, it was the letter waiting for them when they returned home. Her child was assigned to the disciplinary campus in their school district in McKinney, Texas, for 30 days, the April 2024 letter told them, over…
hechingerreport.orgStudy: Edtech Is Rushing AI Integration Before Proving It Works
As AI features flood K-12 curricula, educators are left to filter proven quality from marketing hype.
edsurge.comAI Platform Behind 12,000 E-mail Breaches Shut Down
Microsoft has disrupted EvilTokens, a cybercrime service that used AI to help attackers break into e-mail accounts, study their victims, and build convincing financial scams.
campustechnology.comIndustry Alliance Targets Common Security Model for AI Agents
A new vendor coalition built on an Okta-developed blueprint is proposing a shared architecture for discovering, governing, monitoring and containing enterprise AI agents.
campustechnology.com[2026] 8000+ OpenCourseWare Courses from Top Institutions
Curated collection of thousands of open educational resources from MIT, Stanford, Yale, and more. The post [2026] 8000+ OpenCourseWare Courses from Top Institutions appeared first on The Report by Class Central.
classcentral.comCollege rankings, like those of US News and World Report, remain influential, despite their many flaws and decades of criticism
College rankings assign schools numbers that may correspond more closely with their wealth than other factors of quality, critics say. Talaj/iStock via Getty Images Plus U.S. colleges and universities are governed by many traditions – including the annual U.S. News Best Colleges rankings, which list schools based on a…
theconversation.comWhen AI’s architects ask to slow down, education must speak up
When the people building the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence systems warn that their creations are advancing too quickly, the rest of society should stop and listen. The post When AI’s architects ask to slow down, education must speak up appeared first on eCampus News.
ecampusnews.com
Friday, September 25
What civil rights enforcement cuts mean for students with disabilities – fewer staff, closed offices, longer waits
The Department of Education has undergone various changes, including closing regional offices of its Office for Civil Rights, since 2025. J. David Ake/Getty Images Felicita Piñón weighed just 1 pound at birth. She was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy that requires her to use a power wheelchair, and she also has…
theconversation.comStop trying to AI-proof your assignments
A few years ago, many of us in higher education were asking a fairly straightforward question about AI: How do we stop students from using it to do their work? I was asking a different question. The post Stop trying to AI-proof your assignments appeared first on eCampus News.
ecampusnews.comMajor public universities report hits to international enrollment
Major public colleges across the U.S. have reported big drops in their international student populations this fall. As more institutions release their newest enrollment data, the higher ed sector is getting a clearer picture of the impacts of the federal government's crackdown on foreign students and moves to tighten…
highereddive.com
Thursday, September 24
Nowhere to turn: Many grad students in health care fields can’t get loans for their degrees
With her senior year of college now underway, Mitzie Westgate has begun planning what she’ll do after graduation next spring. An exercise science major, she hopes to go straight to graduate school and pursue a doctorate in occupational therapy so she can open a nonprofit to help children with disabilities like her…
hechingerreport.orgShared Responsibility
A national commission uses real-world examples to make the case for improving education and workforce readiness, while another set of reports calls for integrated education-to-career systems. Also, Eckerd Connects and evolving job centers, and seed money for helping North Carolina community colleges reimagine the…
workshift.orgFriendship is built over time, through ordinary moments – I teach lonely college students to notice them
Nearly 6 in 10 college students said in 2026 that they felt lonely sometimes or always. Denis Novikov/iStock/Getty Images Plus The first skill I learned when I became a political science professor nearly 20 years ago was how to quiet a room full of chatty undergraduates. These days, I often walk into a silent room,…
theconversation.comNYC Banned AI in Schools. That Won’t Work.
The nation’s broadest restriction may buy educators time—but only teacher literacy can provide a durable path forward. GUEST COLUMN | by Sohan Choudhury On September 2, Mayor Mamdani announced a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI in New York City public schools, covering pre-K through eighth grade.…
edtechdigest.com
Wednesday, September 23
California Governor Proposes Independent Watchdogs Within AI Safety System
California Governor Gavin Newsom is proposing a new model of artificial intelligence regulation that would give independent organizations a formal role in evaluating the safety claims made by leading AI companies.
campustechnology.com