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Troubled by students she’s not reaching — ‘that no one is reaching’AUSTIN, Texas — Anne Fletcher worries her students won’t succeed. It’s been more than a year since the coronavirus shut down most college campuses, and many of the problems that emerged at the start of the pandemic still plague Fletcher, who teaches English and developmental writing at Austin Community College. More students than ever have dropped her courses. They’ve been battered first by the virus and, more recently, by a brutal winter storm and a major power crisis. A student who contracted Covid-19 this semester has fallen behind, but every effort Fletcher has made to reach him has been fruitless. Two of her students have been hospitalized with the virus. Several have family members who died or lost their jobs. Others...

As a district re-opens, one middle schooler returned to school and another remained home Get important education news and analysis delivered straight to your inbox BROCKTON, Mass. — It was starting to feel like a normal seventh grade lunch at West Middle School. After several days of eerily quiet cafeteria reunions, the din from the cafeteria could be heard far down the hall. The plexiglass dividers that sectioned off the lunch tables into four socially distanced stations no longer intimidated the kids; they shouted across them — or chatted happily together in one of the quarters when teachers turned their backs. Twelve-year-old Isabella Rogers sat at one of the tables, grateful for the noise (“I like playing the drums and I like being loud”) and happy to be reunited with two...

As a district re-opens, one middle schooler returned to school and another remained home Get important education news and analysis delivered straight to your inbox BROCKTON, Mass. — It was starting to feel like a normal seventh grade lunch at West Middle School. After several days of eerily quiet cafeteria reunions, the din from the cafeteria could be heard far down the hall. The plexiglass dividers that sectioned off the lunch tables into four socially distanced stations no longer intimidated the kids; they shouted across them — or chatted happily together in one of the quarters when teachers turned their backs. Twelve-year-old Isabella Rogers sat at one of the tables, grateful for the noise (“I like playing the drums and I like being loud”) and happy to be reunited with two...

PROOF POINTS: Why reading comprehension is deteriorating Get important education news and analysis delivered straight to your inbox The number of eighth graders who said they read 30 minutes or more a day, besides homework, declined by 4 percentage points between 2017 and 2019. Credit: Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages Before the pandemic, eighth graders’ reading comprehension declined substantially. Since then, scholars have been trying to figure out why their scores dropped so much between 2017 and 2019 on a highly regarded national test known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress or NAEP.  Researchers at the American Institutes for Research, a nonprofit research organization, are digging into whether kids are reading less — perhaps distracted by their ...

Ultimate Guide to College Grants and Scholarships for MinoritiesScholarships and grants are a valuable tool for students who need funds to pay for college. These programs typically have criteria that consider your background and interests. One major category of gift awards is minority scholarships and grants. Minorities are groups that have historically faced societal disadvantages or challenges due to factors including: ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and disability. Students whose backgrounds qualify them for these awards can access financial assistance that they don’t need to pay back. Like all scholarships, minority scholarships will usually have additional merit or need based criteria for selection. Minority scholarships are offered by colleges, private organizations ...

Ultimate Guide to College Grants and Scholarships for MinoritiesScholarships and grants are a valuable tool for students who need funds to pay for college. These programs typically have criteria that consider your background and interests. One major category of gift awards is minority scholarships and grants. Minorities are groups that have historically faced societal disadvantages or challenges due to factors including: ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and disability. Students whose backgrounds qualify them for these awards can access financial assistance that they don’t need to pay back. Like all scholarships, minority scholarships will usually have additional merit or need based criteria for selection. Minority scholarships are offered by colleges, private organizations ...