By Liz Fedor. People in powerful positions often have access to the best information. Minnesota high school students now have the ability to expand their power base. When they are agonizing over technical school and college choices, they can now look at marketplace data that show which academic programs have high placement rates and what recent graduates are being paid.
For the first time in its history, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is making this information available to the public on its website. More...

By Christopher Doering. South Dakota State University will receive a $3.6 million grant from the White House to promote access to college and graduation for Native American and low-income youth throughout the state, the Obama administration said Tuesday.
The university was one of 24 schools across the country selected by the White House to receive a total of $75 million in "First in World" grants. An estimated 500 U.S. schools applied for the funding. More...

By Neal McCluskey. Unless you follow education policy closely, you probably don’t know who Representative John Kline is. But just a few weeks ago, lefty talk-show host and comedian Bill Maher declared the district of the Minnesota Republican his top target for flipping from red to blue. Why? First and foremost, because Kline chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee and gets donations from, apparently, the worst villains this side of the Joker and Lex Luthor: for-profit colleges. More...

By Tom Lindsay. There is a variety of opinions in the media these days regarding online learning. Depending on what you read, online education can appear to be either a cure-all or cancer. In an effort to cut through the smoke, here are the top eight established facts you need to know.
1) Online learning is here to stay. Since 1986, when the first online degree program from an accredited institution was offered (by John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, California), growth has been exponential. More...

By Nina Keck. A record number of American college students are studying abroad - 282,000, according to the most recent data gathered by the Institute of International Education.
Educators say that’s good, since international education promotes critical relationship building and cross cultural understanding. But many in the field worry the influx of technology and social media may be hampering the ability of American students to fully immerse themselves abroad. More...

By John O'Connor. To get a student loan at Broward College, one of Florida's largest community colleges, you first have to sit through a two-hour financial lesson with Kent Dunston.
It's a little like Scared Straight, the 1978 documentary designed to keep kids from ending up in prison.
Dunston's lesson, though, is about scaring students into making good financial choices. Nationwide, student loans total more than $1.2 trillion. More...

It won't take long to spot a cell phone on a table in The Huddle at Augustana College.
Researchers surveyed more than 150 college students, and 60 percent of them said they are addicted to their cell phones and spend on average eight to 10 hours a day on it.
Even without a smartphone, Matt Thompson said he's been in social settings where people are easily distracted. More...

By Clare McCann. Last month, the U.S. Department of Education released data showing the share of borrowers at each institution of higher education that defaulted on student loans within three years of entering repayment. Most of the press coverage has focused on the 21 schools that exceeded the default rate set by Congress (30 percent for three consecutive years or 40 percent in any one year), and will likely be cut off from federal financial aid. These schools are the very worst of the worst, failing the default rate test even after some controversial fiddling with the numbers by the department. More...

By Alex Seitz-Wald. A summer dominated by concern about Hillary Clinton’s wealth has given way to a more friendly autumn. But questions about her finances returned to the headlines Monday night, because of a paid speech she gave to a school in Las Vegas.
The keynote speech to the University of Las Vegas Foundation’s annual dinner became controversial in July when students said they wanted funds put towards student aid, instead of Clinton’s $225,000 speaking fee. More...

By Scott Travis. Florida Prepaid College plans go on sale again Wednesday, and this time it may really seem like a sale.
After six years of rapidly increasing prices which made Prepaid unaffordable for most families, this year's prices are the lowest since 2007.
The cost of a four-year university plan for the family of a newborn has dropped from $53,729 to $27,379, or from $350 to $173 a month. More...