Hurricanes Hold High Schoolers Back — Again
In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, high schools in the Florida Panhandle are struggling to figure out a way forward. While determinations have already been made regarding advancement and graduation for seniors, it’s uncertain how long underclassmen (your prospective students!) will be held up in their studies as at least 26,000 students are currently out of school with no confirmed date to return. Last year, Hurricane Irma had the same effect on students in Florida and Puerto Rico and earlier this fall Hurricane Florence had some South Carolina students out of school for weeks.
Source: Education Dive
MIT to Spend $1 Billion on New College
A new addition to MIT will cost $1 billion and focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and the challenges implementing AI can bring. The challenges organizations face when using AI include the ethical and philosophical outcomes of society affected by the technology and the breakdown of educational departments. This venture is a culmination of donations from sources, including $350 million from the chief executive of Blackstone. Classes will begin in the fall of 2019 with the new building opening in 2022.
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education
College Tuition Drops $10 This Year
The College Board released several bits of information this week, including the fact that tuition and fees at two- and four-year public colleges dropped 0.3%, or $10 this year. It’s the first year there has been a drop since 2008. Four-year public institutions saw the first drop since 1990, but private four-year institutions increased by 0.3%. Also released this week were ACT scores from last year and SAT scores are predicted to be released next week.
Source: Inside Higher Ed
Harvard Affirmative Action Trial Begins
The affirmative action and holistic admissions trial of the year began October 15th and promises to be a hot topic for quite a while. Harvard has been accused of putting a quota on the number of Asian-American students its admits and of holding these prospective students to a higher standard than other students. Other Ivy League schools have gathered to support Harvard by filing a joint amicus brief and the Asian-Americans who The New York Times spoke to about the issue are split, generally preferring not be used as a pawn in the country’s race relation debate.
Source: The New York Times