By Peter Schmidt. An unusual bill pending in Washington State’s Senate would clear the way for experienced adjunct faculty members at colleges to be certified as substitute teachers in public schools. More...

By Andy Thomason. An influential Republican lawmaker on Friday introduced a bill that would abolish the U.S. Department of Education’s gainful-employment rule and outlaw the Obama administration’s forthcoming college-ratings system, among other things. More...

By Andy Thomason. A new lawsuit accuses Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology of failing to provide closed captioning in online teaching materials, in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws, The New York Times reports. The lawsuits were filed by the National Association of the Deaf, and seek an injunction requiring that closed captioning be provided for all online materials. More...

By Andy Thomason. Less-prestigious law schools are enrolling more minority students in an effort to counter a nationwide dip in applications and enrollments, a new study suggests. That trend does not extend to the most prestigious institutions, according to a paper describing the study by Aaron N. Taylor, an assistant professor at Saint Louis University’s School of Law. More...

By Andy Thomason. A Politico investigation shows that the publishing and learning-technology giant Pearson gets big payouts even when it falls short of recruitment goals it establishes with its university clients in contracts to create online courses. For example, the company’s contract with Rutgers University dictates that if Pearson recruits fewer students than expected to its online-degree programs, it may actually receive a larger portion of students’ tuition. More...