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Opinion - Education

Harvard Is Bringing Back Standardized Tests. Other Schools Should, Too.

Emi Nietfeld didn’t have access to lacrosse or advanced placement classes, but she did have standardized tests.

By Emi Nietfeld and Kristina Samulewski

The Troubling Trend in Teenage Sex

Choking has moved from porn to pop culture to the dorm room. And the consequences for young women could be very serious.

By Peggy Orenstein

Anxious Parents Are the Ones Who Need Help

Today’s parents are suffering from anxiety about their children’s anxiety, and it’s not easy to persuade them that all is OK.

By Mathilde Ross

Is This the End of Academic Freedom?

Silencing pro-Palestinian speech and action sets a dangerous precedent.

By Paula Chakravartty and Vasuki Nesiah

The Appalling Tactics of the ‘Free Palestine’ Movement

What does it say about a cause that won’t weed out its worst members or stamp out its worst ideas?

By Bret Stephens

Elite College Admissions Have Turned Students Into Brands

Teenagers should not have to commoditize themselves for the sake of getting into an elite school.

By Sarah Bernstein

On Broadway, ‘Centering’ Antiracism Is Delightful

Why is it so dreary in universities?

By John McWhorter

Who Would Want to Go to a College Like This?

The national debate about so-called woke campuses does not reflect what most college students care about.

By Tressie McMillan Cottom

How the SAT Changed My Life

For a disadvantaged kid like me, the SAT was the one shot I had to prove my potential.

By Emi Nietfeld

The Great Rupture in American Jewish Life

What happens when liberalism and Zionism can no longer be reconciled?

By Peter Beinart

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Opinion AI has great potential to assist in education

Leana S. Wen’s July 12 op-ed, “ The AI revolution in health care is already here ,” argued that “AI holds incredible promise to make health care safer, more accessible and more equitable.”

Artificial intelligence has incredible promise in education , too. While the national conversation about AI in education has focused on the negatives, such as students using generative AI — including ChatGPT — to write papers for them, less attention has focused on its potential benefits .

For example, just as generative AI holds the potential to reduce administrative burden in clinics, the Institute of Education Sciences and the National Science Foundation are testing AI’s ability to alleviate the paperwork burden on school-based speech-language pathologists . Instead of spending so much time on paperwork, as some estimates suggest, these specialists can redirect their valuable time to create individualized interventions so that every child in need can be helped.

To be clear, just as AI is not “replacing a doctor” but is instead “augmenting a doctor,” the same is true in education. AI will free teachers and service providers to do what only they can do: work closely with students to advance their knowledge and skills. Harnessing the power of AI to free up time for teachers will move us closer to what we know is the key to a great education: individualized instruction tailored to the needs of students.

Mark Schneider , Washington

The writer is director of the Institute of Education Sciences at the Education Department.

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Education – Articles, Analysis, Opinion

Displaying 1 - 25 of 1778 articles.

I spent a decade helping Afghan girls make educational progress − and now the Taliban are using these 3 reasons to keep them out of school

Enayat Nasir , University at Albany, State University of New York

College athletes still are not allowed to be paid by universities − here’s why

Cyntrice Thomas , University of Florida

Rural students’ access to Wi-Fi is in jeopardy as pandemic-era resources recede

Gabriel E. Hales , Michigan State University and Keith N. Hampton , Michigan State University

March Madness brings unique gambling risks for college students

M. Dolores Cimini , University at Albany, State University of New York

How going back to the SAT could set back college student diversity

Joseph Soares , Wake Forest University

Failure of Francis Scott Key Bridge provides future engineers a chance to learn how to better protect the public

Michael J. Chajes , University of Delaware

3 ways to use the solar eclipse to brighten your child’s knowledge of science

David J. Purpura , Purdue University ; Lauren Westerberg , Purdue University , and Sona Kumar , Purdue University

Schools can close summer learning gaps with these 4 strategies

Rhea Almeida , New York University

What are microcredentials? And are they worth having?

Daniel Douglas , Trinity College

$50K per year for a degree in a low-wage industry − is culinary school worth it?

Ellen T. Meiser , University of Hawaii at Hilo

Amid growth in AI writing tools, this course teaches future lawyers and other professionals to become better editors

Patrick Barry , University of Michigan

Free school meals for all may reduce childhood obesity, while easing financial and logistical burdens for families and schools

Anna Localio , University of Washington and Jessica Jones-Smith , University of Washington

The hostility Black women face in higher education carries dire consequences

Ebony Aya , Macalester College

National parks teach students about environmental issues in this course

Seth T. Kannarr , University of Tennessee

Is the National Guard a solution to school violence?

F. Chris Curran , University of Florida

What families need to know about how to safely store firearms at home

Kerri Raissian , University of Connecticut and Jennifer Necci Dineen , University of Connecticut

A Barbie dollhouse and a field trip led me to become an architect − now I lead a program that teaches architecture to mostly young women in South Central Los Angeles

Lauren Matchison , University of Southern California

The Black history knowledge gap is widening – and GOP politicians are making it worse

Paul Ringel , High Point University

How age-friendly universities can improve the second half of life

David R. Buys , Mississippi State University and Aaron Guest , Arizona State University

How teens benefit from being able to read ‘disturbing’ books that some want to ban

Gay Ivey , University of North Carolina – Greensboro

How educator Gloria Jean Merriex used dance, drills and devotion to turn around a failing elementary school in a year

Boaz Dvir , Penn State

A Texas court ruling on a Black student wearing hair in long locs reflects history of racism in schools

Kenjus T. Watson , American University

Making the moral of the story stick − a media psychologist explains the research behind ‘Sesame Street,’ ‘Arthur’ and other children’s TV

Drew Cingel , University of California, Davis ; Allyson Snyder , University of California, Davis ; Jane Shawcroft , University of California, Davis , and Samantha Vigil , University of California, Davis

Colleges are using AI to prepare hospitality workers of the future

Rachel J.C. Fu , University of Florida

Donors gave $58 billion to higher ed in the 2023 academic year, with mega gifts up despite overall decline

Genevieve Shaker , Indiana University

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Opinion: Struggling to get help with college through the FAFSA? Here’s why you shouldn’t give up

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Applying to college and navigating the financial aid process is never easy, especially for first-generation students. But this year has been unusually challenging because of problems with the rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

As the leader of an organization working to ensure that California students get the financial aid that will allow them to achieve their college dreams, I’m deeply concerned that so many students and families have been struggling to complete their applications. California is experiencing a precipitous drop in aid applications compared with last year, second only to Tennessee’s as of early March. The Times reported huge year-over-year declines in the number of L.A. area high school students completing their applications.

Opinion: The college tuition system is broken. FAFSA headaches are the latest proof

Online glitches have discouraged many from applying for federal student aid, but forcing low-income families to prove their neediness has bigger problems.

Feb. 23, 2024

The problem has been especially dire for roughly 100,000 California student applicants with a parent or spouse who does not have a Social Security number, which is common among families that include relatively recent immigrants. For many months, it was impossible for these families to complete their applications. The U.S. Department of Education announced a solution for them last month, but the online application remains hard to navigate, and some families are still unable to apply.

It’s important for families across California to know that more solutions are in the works to help them obtain all the financial aid they deserve, including an extension of the financial aid deadline to May 2 . Resources are available to help them complete their applications in the month ahead.

For students and families still dealing with the aid application, I have three key messages:

Editorial: Applying for financial aid to college shouldn’t be this torturous

The rollout of the new, ‘simpler’ FAFSA application is unacceptably chaotic. There’s plenty of blame to go around.

Feb. 16, 2024

Keep at it. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is still the only path to the largest sources of federal aid to help you pay for college, and higher education institutions use the FAFSA to determine students’ eligibility for state and school aid. The U.S. Department of Education has been working to fix the glitches that prevented many families from completing the application. So if you have yet to fill out your form, do it now , and remember that both students and parents need to complete the relevant sections.

Complete the California Dream Act application if you’re eligible. The application is available to undocumented students, recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, those with temporary protected status and others. It can open the door to additional financial aid resources to further reduce the cost of college.

Reach out for help. Many resources are available for students and families who encounter problems with their applications, including:

• The financial aid offices at the colleges where you’re applying . If you’re having problems or your application has been delayed, let the colleges know.
• Your high school counselors, teachers and college access organizations such as mine .
• Free Cash for College webinars from the California Student Aid Commission, which make financial aid experts available to answer questions about financial aid. Or watch one of the commission’s prerecorded Cash for College videos .
• Tools for students and families such as the commission’s Cali chatbot and uAspire’s how-to videos .
• The federal government’s student aid Help Center .

In the months ahead, the Department of Education will be getting plenty of advice about how to ensure a much smoother and easier process next year. When the application is functioning properly, it streamlines the financial aid process, and direct transfers of IRS tax information to the form have improved. This gives us hope that the application experience will be better next year and beyond.

Right now, however, we’re encouraging students and families to stay focused on pursuing their college dreams. A bachelor’s degree remains the surest path to higher incomes and greater economic mobility, especially for students from lower-income families. Financial aid is available, you have earned it, and to the extent that you are eligible, I’m confident you will receive it. You just may need a little more time and help getting it this year.

Jaclyn Piñero is the chief executive of uAspire, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the economic mobility of underrepresented students.

More to Read

Caught up in the FAFSA chaos? Some students now have a workaround

April 9, 2024

Opinion: I was homeless in college. California can do more for students who sleep in their cars

California extends deadline for students seeking state financial aid amid FAFSA turmoil

March 25, 2024

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