All posts tagged: education

Unions, Advocacy Groups Sue to Overturn US Visa Rule for Foreign Students, Journalists

Unions, Advocacy Groups Sue to Overturn US Visa Rule for Foreign Students, Journalists

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON, Aug 18 (Reuters) – A coalition of ⁠unions ⁠and advocacy groups sued ⁠the federal government on Tuesday seeking to block a rule ​that would limit how long foreign students and journalists can remain in the U.S. without ‌applying for extensions. The new rule from ‌President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security creates a fixed time period for ⁠F visas ⁠for international students, J visas that allow visitors on cultural exchange ​programs to work in the U.S., and I visas for members of the media. Those visas are currently available for the duration of the program or employment in the U.S. Under ​the new regulations, set to take effect on September 15, the student and ⁠exchange ⁠visa periods would be no ⁠longer than ​four years. The visa for journalists, which currently can last years, would be up ​to 240 days or, ⁠in the case of Chinese nationals, 90 days. In the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the groups said the changes would be “catastrophic” for universities, …

Black academics need to feel they belong in higher education

Black academics need to feel they belong in higher education

Published by skeptic

The death of Professor Jason Arday has left many of us with a profound sense of sadness. For Black academics in particular, his loss feels deeply personal. Jason represented possibility – a reminder of what could be achieved despite the barriers that continue to shape Black people’s experiences in education. I had the privilege of knowing Jason and welcoming him to speak to scholars on the Accomplished Study Programme in Research Excellence (Aspire), which was set up to address the underrepresentation of Black students progressing into doctoral education. Jason had been facing accusations of plagiarism and resigned from his position at the University of Cambridge. He was found dead on August 14 2026. His passing has made me reflect on an uncomfortable question: do Black academics really belong in UK higher education? Of course, we should belong. The more difficult question is whether our institutions consistently make us feel that we do. This question has shaped much of my work through the Aspire programme. Across three cohorts, Aspire has supported 59 Black and mixed-Black scholars. …

Ensure a top-class education for your child

Ensure a top-class education for your child

Published by Daniella Wilson

Every child learns differently. That’s why finding the right educational support makes all the difference. These independent schools, academic coaches and one-to-one tutors provide a tailored education that helps children thrive and be prepared for university and life beyond. Cultivate global ambition with an island education (King William College) King William’s College is a boarding and day school located in the Isle of Man, a self-governing British crown dependency with low crime, scenic beauty and strong community spirit. At secondary level, pupils begin their academic journey with (I)GCSEs before choosing one of three Sixth Form pathways: the globally respected IB Diploma Programme, IB Courses or the newly introduced blended A-Level pathway, all of which offer outstanding value. With pupils from all parts of the globe, King William’s College nurtures confident, curious achievers who are well equipped to make their mark on the world, in whichever field they choose to excel. Visit Kwc.im to find out more or arrange a private tour by emailing admissions@kwc.im or calling 01624 820110 Prepare your child for a changing world …

Police Have Arrested a 19-Year-Old in Connection With Virginia State University Shooting

Police Have Arrested a 19-Year-Old in Connection With Virginia State University Shooting

Published by Sam Flores

Police arrested a 19-year-old found hiding in a dormitory closet at Virginia State University on Saturday in connection with an overnight shooting on campus that left five people wounded, including one with critical injuries. Camron Harris of Henrico, Virginia, is not a student on campus nor were four of the people injured, Chesterfield County Police said in a statement. They ranged in age from 17 to 23. One of the injured, a 20 year old, is a student and has now been released from the hospital, authorities said. The victims’ names have not been released. Authorities have given no information about a possible motive. Police obtained eight felony warrants for Harris, including for malicious wounding and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Efforts to reach Harris’ family by phone were unsuccessful. The university said in an earlier statement that authorities were searching for multiple suspects, but police provided no additional information Saturday evening about the …

US Military Base Schools Put New Emphasis on Western Civilization and Christianity

US Military Base Schools Put New Emphasis on Western Civilization and Christianity

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Defense is introducing a course centered on Western civilization and Christianity this fall in the schools it operates for military families, part of an effort by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to redirect the education system toward patriotic values and classical learning. The Department of Defense Education Activity operates about 160 schools across 11 countries and educates roughly 70,000 students who are children of active-duty military or civilian service members. Conservatives have eyed the schools — which, unlike most public schools, are run by the federal government — as a testing ground for reshaping education. The Western civilization course planned for this fall will use a textbook published by Encounter Books, a conservative publishing house. Titled “The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition, Volume I: The Ancient World and Christendom,” it includes suggested lesson plans created in partnership with Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian school in Michigan that has also developed influential materials for K-12 schools. Historians and educators who reviewed excerpts of the text told The Associated …

Taliban has taken a toll on education of girls — and boys : NPR

Taliban has taken a toll on education of girls — and boys : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Afghan school boys wear Taliban-imposed uniforms of turbans and long tunics in a school in Herat. The government has put more focus on religious education since returning to power on August 15, 2021. Mohsen Karimi/AFP/via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Mohsen Karimi/AFP/via Getty Images By Grade 11, Hashmat Mubariz had stopped attending school regularly. He was still officially enrolled. The Taliban had not barred him from the classroom, as they had barred his two sisters. But Mubariz, who later taught himself English, became an English instructor and now hosts a podcast and helps run a nongovernmental organization, said the school he once attended no longer felt like a place of learning. “I felt I was wasting my time at school rather than learning,” he said. Before the Taliban returned to power five years ago — on August 15, 2021 — Mubariz remembered his public school as friendly and relatively open. Students studied English, science, mathematics, biology and literature alongside religious subjects. They could speak in class, share their opinions and ask questions. The school …

Student Wounded and Young Suspect Is in Custody After Shooting at Georgia High School, Police Say

Student Wounded and Young Suspect Is in Custody After Shooting at Georgia High School, Police Say

Published by Sam Flores

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. (AP) — A shooting at a Georgia high school Wednesday left one student wounded, and a teenage suspect who fled was later taken into custody, police said. The shooting at Warner Robins High School involving two ninth-graders occurred just one week into the new school year and prompted a response from dozens of law enforcement officers. Warner Robins is about 102 miles (164 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta. “Today a call that we train for every year happened to come to Houston County,” Sheriff Matt Moulton said at an evening news conference. The injured student was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Moulton did not specify the type of injuries the student had. It wasn’t immediately known whether the school has metal detectors in place. Moulton declined to take questions at the news conference, citing the active investigation. The sheriff said a group of students was inside a school bathroom when a verbal altercation between two students escalated into a physical fight. One student was shot at 2:15 p.m., and …

Record drop in 1 type of A-level student means subject could ‘disappear in a decade’ | UK | News

Record drop in 1 type of A-level student means subject could ‘disappear in a decade’ | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

The lowest ever number of A-level music students ever will today be receiving their results as numbers in the crucial subject have plummeted even further to push the subject into fresh crisis. Industry insiders fear that despite music being a British global success story, bringing over £8bn into the economy and spreading soft power around the globe, the subject could completely vanish over the next decade. The horror statistics by Ofqal, which are for exam entries this summer, show A-level music entries plummeted by 4.9% from last year to just 4,635 pupils. GCSE music entries are down 1.3%. The fall comes despite overall exam entries rising in line with the 18-year-old population. Overall GCSE entries have increased by 1.1% since last summer, while A-levels are up 2.9%. But analysis by Campaign for the Arts in 2025 shows the share of total entries in A-levels arts subjects contracted by 0.5%, reaching the lowest level in 15 years. The uptake of A-level music has fallen by nearly 50% since 2010, the year then Tory Education chief Michael …

How Changeable Are the Concepts We Teach?

How Changeable Are the Concepts We Teach?

Published by Jenni Sidey

Recently, there have been some high-profile cases of teachers in schools and universities being asked to stop teaching certain concepts. Race and gender are immediate examples. Outside of identity politics, examples of changes include not teaching the concept of evolution, using effort grades instead of focusing on achievement, and moving from “third world” to “developing countries” to “the Global South.” In some cases, proposed changes might strike a teacher as justified, or at least not unjustified—in my case, I would be quite happy to experiment with the concept of effort instead of achievement. In other cases, the external pressure might come across as nonideal. It might feel like bowing to pressure would undermine a student’s education in one way or another. Here is one example that was widely reported in philosophy circles: Earlier this year, Professor Martin Peterson, based at Texas A&M University “was asked by university leadership to … either remove ‘modules on race and gender ideology, and the Plato readings that may include these,’ or be reassigned to teach a different philosophy course.” …

NUS students to get ChatGPT access; AI module compulsory for incoming freshmen

NUS students to get ChatGPT access; AI module compulsory for incoming freshmen

Published by Sam Flores

SINGAPORE: All National University of Singapore (NUS) students will get access to ChatGPT tools from this academic year, while incoming freshmen will have to complete an artificial intelligence course within their first two weeks of school. Announcing a partnership with OpenAI on Monday (Aug 11), NUS said all students, faculty and staff will from Aug 31 get access to ChatGPT Edu, a version of ChatGPT that is built specifically for universities and colleges. More advanced tools on the platform will initially be piloted in selected courses, before being progressively made available in undergraduate courses where AI can add educational value and support learning objectives, the university said. NUS provost and deputy president for academic affairs Professor Aaron Thean declined to provide exact figures, but shared that the initiative is a “significant but necessary” investment.  The partnership with OpenAI is the first of many NUS has in the pipeline, he added. According to Prof Thean, AI companies are keen to work with the university because of its captive market of about 50,000 undergraduate, master’s and PhD …