parents/guardians

Faster, thinner: Colleges are swiftly trimming a B.A. degree to three years [Marcus]

On 03/18/2026, in 21st century, change, changing business models, colleges, cost of getting a degree, higher education, learning ecosystem, parents/guardians, reinvent, staying relevant, surviving, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

Faster, thinner: Colleges are swiftly trimming a B.A. degree to three years — from hechingerreport.org by Jon Marcus
Needing to fill seats and facing demands for faster routes to jobs, more colleges are shortening degree programs

That’s an option being made available by colleges and universities with astonishing speed — especially in the notoriously slow-moving world of higher education: an entirely new kind of bachelor’s degree muscling into the space between the traditional four-year version and the two-year associate degree. Three-year degrees have existed, but they simply jammed those 120 credits into fewer semesters.

At least one school, Ensign College in Utah, will convert all of its bachelor’s degrees into the new, reduced-credit, three-year kind, it announced in February. Nearly 60 other universities and colleges are planning, considering or have already launched them in some disciplines. States including Indiana have required or are considering requiring their public universities to add reduced-credit bachelor’s degrees. Even graduate and professional schools are being pressed to shorten the duration of degrees.

Even more than employers, consumers have lost patience with the time and expense it takes to get a four-year bachelor’s degree, according to the advocates and politicians pushing schools to offer them. More than half of students who start down the conventional four-year path today take even longer than four years, according to the Department of Education.

Also from Jon Marcus, see:

Behind ideological attacks on higher ed, surprising bipartisan reforms are happening— from hechingerreport.org by Jon Marcus
Long sought by both the right and left, some changes could protect consumers and lower costs

Americans’ retirement accounts – and hardship withdrawals – hit new highs. Here’s what to know [Feingold]

On 03/17/2026, in business, curriculum, Daniel S. Christian, economics, education, funding / grants, future, K-12 related, legislatures / government / legal, parents/guardians, society, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, United States, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Americans’ retirement accounts – and hardship withdrawals – hit new highs. Here’s what to know — from weforum.org by Spencer Feingold

Last year, US retirement account balances rose at double-digit rates, driven by strong market performance and steady contributions.
At the same time, hardship withdrawals increased, highlighting growing short-term financial stress.
The trend underscores the importance of financial education and resilience to support long-term retirement security.

From DSC:
I’m hoping that we are doing a better job in the United States on educating our youth on investing, saving, and developing better legal knowledge (i.e., the need for wills, estate planning, trusts, etc.).

Are microschools a solution to falling public school enrollment? One district thinks so [Fradette]

On 03/03/2026, in curriculum, education, education reform, ideas, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, more voice more choice more control, parents/guardians, student-related, teachers, United States, youth, by Daniel Christian

Are microschools a solution to falling public school enrollment? One district thinks so — from hechingerreport.org by Rachel Fradette
In Indiana, a rural school district leader started a network of microschools to help keep students in his schools. The model could spread

Around the same time, the concept of microschooling was gaining traction nationally. Microschools offer multiage learning environments that focus on personalized, often less-regulated instruction. Popularity grew during the pandemic when families sought learning alternatives in online, hybrid and pod options; an estimated 750,000 to 2 million students now attend the schools.

The schools are typically privately run, but Philhower saw a role for them in his small district. Last year, he won approval from the state’s charter school board to establish the Indiana Microschool Collaborative, which he says will incubate a network of microschools statewide. They will operate as charter schools, meaning they are public but have more flexibility in terms of curricula and other operations than traditional public schools.

Funding cuts, shifts in aid could make college harder to afford for low-income families [Marcus]

On 02/11/2026, in business side of he, colleges, cost of getting a degree, faculty/staff, higher education, leadership, learning ecosystem, parents/guardians, participation, society, sociology, student-related, trends, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

Funding cuts, shifts in aid could make college harder to afford for low-income families — from hechingerreport.org by Jon Marcus
Advocates worry that the promise of a higher education will soon drift further out of reach

Now TRIO has come under the scrutiny of the Trump administration, which has already moved to cancel TRIO funding for some participating colleges (though this was paused in January by a federal court and remains in litigation) and proposes to eliminate it altogether; letters from the Department of Education to those colleges show the money was cut off because the programs were considered part of diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, efforts.

At a time of rising income inequality, it’s one of several developments advocates worry are converging to make things even harder for lower-income Americans who want to go to and get through college — a group that already faces considerable challenges, and whose proportion of enrollment has been falling for a decade and a half.

From Stephanie T.’s posting out on LinkedIn

The lesson isn’t to make school reports more like Spotify Wrapped.

It’s to design reports that are accessible, timely, and readable — without losing the humanity that makes teacher insight meaningful.

If a report is too difficult to access, or arrives too late to matter, who is it really for?

So, You Want to Open a Microschool — from educationnext.org by Kerry McDonald
For aspiring founders who have the will but lack the way to launch their schools, startup partners are there to help

In recent years, microschools—small, highly individualized, flexible learning models—have become a popular education option, now serving at least 750,000 U.S. schoolchildren. More than half of microschools nationwide operate as homeschooling centers, while 30 percent function as private schools, 5 percent are public charters, and the rest fit into unique, often overlapping categories, according to a 2025 sector analysis by the National Microschooling Center. While many founders achieve success on their own, joining an accelerator or network can offer the business coaching and community connection that make the inevitable challenges of entrepreneurship more manageable. Van Camp decided to join KaiPod Catalyst, a microschool accelerator program from KaiPod Learning.

I feature six of these microschool accelerators and networks in my new book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling. Some of them have been around for years, but they have attracted rising interest since 2020 as more parents and teachers consider starting schools. These programs vary widely in the startup services and supports they offer, but they share a commitment to building relationships among founders and facilitating the ongoing success of today’s creative schooling options.

MICROSCHOOL REPORT
A small shift with an outsized impact in K-12 education— from gettingsmart.com by Getting Smart

High quality, personalized instruction in an intimate setting that focuses on the whole child is growing in popularity—and it looks very different from traditional models both past and present. What may seem like a throwback to the pioneers’ one-room schoolhouse actually speaks volumes about what we as a society have outgrown.

What began as a response to a global crisis has led to a watershed moment.

Yet to categorize microschools simply as “pandemic pods” or private schools with a low headcount largely misses the mark. They are perhaps best described as intentionally-designed small learning environments that are bucking two centuries of inertia and industrial-era constraints.

Microschools are providing educators with an entrepreneurial opportunity that was unthinkable just a couple of decades ago, in tandem with the ability to deliver high student and family satisfaction. And they’re doing it by prioritizing learner agency, personalization, and mastery over compliance and standardization.

However, for microschools to truly scale and impact equitable outcomes, the K-12 sector must address critical policy challenges related to access, accountability and regulatory restrictions.

The following key findings from deeply researched case studies and strategic guides published by the Getting Smart team are intended to provide a comprehensive overview on the microschool movement. Each section offers an opportunity to dive deeper into resources on specific, timely topics.

Speaking of education reform and alternatives, also see:

Driving systems transformation for 21st-century educators, learners, and workers. — from jff.org

Today’s education ecosystem must meet the needs of today’s learners. This means learner-centered outcomes, pathways between education and careers, and policies and practices that support both degree and non-degree programs.

Jobs for the Future’s Education practice works to support systems change in the education ecosystem, influence policies that promote diverse pathways, and identify and apply data-informed, learner-centered solutions.

Higher education faces ‘deteriorating’ 2026 outlook, Fitch says — from highereddive.com by Laura Spitalniak
A shrinking pipeline of students, uncertainty about state and federal support, and rising expenses could all hurt college finances, according to analysts.

Dive Brief:

Fitch Ratings on Thursday issued a “deteriorating” outlook for the higher education sector in 2026, continuing the gloomy prediction the agency issued for 2025.
Analysts based their forecast on a shrinking prospective student base, “rising uncertainty related to state and federal support, continued expense escalation and shifting economic conditions.”
With its report, Fitch joins Moody’s Ratings and S&P Global Ratings in predicting a grim year for higher ed — Moody’s for the sector overall and S&P for nonprofit colleges specifically.

Yale expects layoffs as leaders brace for $300M in endowment taxes — from highereddive.com by Ben Unglesbee
The Ivy League institution’s tax bill starting next year will be higher than what it spends on student aid, university officials said.

Dive Brief:

Yale University is bracing for layoffs as it prepares to pay the government hundreds of millions of dollars in endowment income taxes.
In a public message, senior leaders at the Ivy League institution said that Yale’s schools plan to take steps such as delaying hiring and reducing travel spending to save money. But they warned workforce cuts were on the horizon.
“Layoffs may be necessary” in some units where cutting open positions and other reductions are insufficient, the university officials said. They expect to complete any downsizing by the end of 2026 barring “additional significant financial changes.”

Education Department adds ‘lower earnings’ warning to FAFSA — from highereddive.com by Natalie Schwartz
The agency will warn students when they’ve indicated interest in a college whose graduates have relatively low incomes.

The U.S. Department of Education has launched a new disclosure feature that warns students who fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid if they’re interested in colleges whose graduates have relatively low earnings, the agency said Monday.

“Families deserve a clearer picture of how postsecondary education connects to real-world earnings, and this new indicator will provide that transparency,” U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a Monday statement. “Not only will this new FAFSA feature make public earnings data more accessible, but it will empower prospective students to make data-driven decisions before they are saddled with debt.”

Also from highereddive.com, see:

College costs grew 3.6% in fiscal 2025, HEPI shows
Faculty salaries rose 4.3%, the highest recorded rate since the Higher Education Price Index began in 1998.
Martin University to ‘pause’ operations at the end of the month
The board of the private Indianapolis university is working to find a path toward economic viability, it said in a Tuesday press release.
Willamette University and Pacific University seek to merge
The two private nonprofits in Oregon said Thursday that they intend to create “the University of the Northwest,” with one state official voicing support.
University of Nebraska regents approve cutting 4 programs at flagship
The university’s governing board voted in favor of the plan despite sustained faculty objections over the eliminations and the process for determining them.

Fresh Off the Press: Parents’ Guide to Microschools — from gettingsmart.com

We’re excited to announce and share our new Parents Guide to Microschools, a clear and approachable introduction to one of the fastest growing learning models in the country. The guide unpacks what microschools are, how they work and why families are increasingly drawn to intimate, relationship centered environments. It highlights features like flexible schedules, small cohorts, personalized pathways and hands-on learning so parents can picture what these settings actually look and feel like.

It also equips families with practical tools to navigate the decision making process: key questions to ask during visits, indicators of strong culture and instruction, considerations around cost and accreditation and how to assess overall fit for each learner. Whether parents are simply curious or actively exploring new options, this guide offers clarity, confidence and a starting point for imagining what learning could look like next.

Why Parents Aren’t Reading to Kids, and What It Means for Young Students [Harkay]

On 12/10/2025, in education, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, parents/guardians, participation, reading, research, student-related, teachers, trends, United States, writing, youth, by Daniel Christian

Why Parents Aren’t Reading to Kids, and What It Means for Young Students — from the74million.org by Jessika Harkay
A recent study found less than half of children are read to daily. The consequences are serious for early learners who enter school unprepared.

For children not getting the benefits of being read to at home, the opportunity gap has widened, with those young students entering school unprepared compared to those who have been read to.

“The gap really begins very, very early on. I think we underestimate how large a gap we’re already seeing in kindergarten,” said Susan Neuman, professor of childhood and literacy education at New York University, adding she recently visited a New York City kindergarten classroom and saw some children who only knew two letters compared to others who were prepared to read phrases.

A 2019 Ohio State University study found a 5-year-old child who is read to daily would be exposed to nearly 300,000 more words than one who isn’t read to regularly.

New Study: Business As Usual Could Doom Dozens Of New England Colleges — from forbes.com by Michael B. Horn

The cause of the challenges isn’t one single factor, but a series of pressures from demographic changes, shifts in the public’s perception of higher education’s value, rising operating costs, emerging alternatives to traditional colleges, and, of late, changes in federal policies and programs. The net effect is that many institutions are much closer to the brink of closure than ever before.

What’s daunting is that flat enrollment is almost certainly an overly optimistic scenario.

If enrollment at the 44 schools falls by 15 percent over the next four years and business proceeds as usual, then 28 of the schools will have less than 10 years of cash and unrestricted quasi-endowments before they would become insolvent—assuming no major cuts, additional philanthropy, new debt, or asset sales. Fourteen would have less than five years before insolvency.

Also see:

A Looming Crisis: New Analysis Shows Dozens of Well-Known Colleges Are Near Financial Trouble — from michaelbhorn.substack.com by Michael B. Horn and Steven M. Shulman

From DSC:
The cultures at many institutions of traditional higher education will make some of the necessary changes and strategies (that Michael and Steven discuss) very hard to make. For example, to merge with another institution or institutions. Such a strategy could be very challenging to implement, even as alternatives continue to emerge.

Enrollment Growth Continues, Bolstered by Short-Term Credentials [Alonso]

On 11/13/2025, in Alternatives, business side of he, career development, colleges, community colleges, credentialing, expectations, faculty/staff, game-changing environment, higher education, parents/guardians, student-related, United States, by Daniel Christian

Enrollment Growth Continues, Bolstered by Short-Term Credentials — from insidehighered.com by Johanna Alonso
Enrollment is up across the board this fall, except for graduate student enrollment, which remained stagnant. The biggest increase was among those pursuing short-term credentials, followed by those earning associate degrees.

College enrollment continued to grow this fall, increasing by 2 percent compared to fall 2024, according to preliminary fall data released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The biggest gains came from students studying for short-term credentials, whose ranks increased 6.6 percent, while the number of students enrolled in associate and bachelor’s degree programs rose 3.1 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively. Enrollment also grew faster at community colleges, which experienced a 4 percent increase, than at public (1.9 percent) and private (0.9 percent) four-year institutions.

Total graduate enrollment was stagnant, however, and the number of master’s students actually decreased by 0.6 percent.

Speaking of higher education, also see:

OPINION: Too many college graduates are stranded before their careers can even begin. We can’t let that happen — from hechingerreport.org by Bruno V. Manno

This fall, some 19 million undergraduates returned to U.S. campuses with a long-held expectation: Graduate, land an entry-level job, climb the career ladder. That formula is breaking down.

Once reliable gateway jobs for college graduates in industries like finance, consulting and journalism have tightened requirements. Many entry-level job postings that previously provided initial working experience for college graduates now require two to three years of prior experience, while AI, a recent analysis concluded, “snaps up good entry-level tasks,” especially routine work like drafting memos, preparing spreadsheets and summarizing research.

Without these proving grounds, new hires lose chances to build skills by doing. And the demand for work experience that potential workers don’t have creates an experience gap for new job seekers. Once stepping-stones, entry-level positions increasingly resemble mid-career jobs.

Seeing The Unseen Students: The Invisible Strength of Teachers [Tazkiya] + The Power of Play [Bray]

On 11/13/2025, in education, Emotion, ideas, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, more voice more choice more control, motivation, parents/guardians, pedagogy, play, student-related, teachers, United States, youth, by Daniel Christian

Seeing The Unseen Students: The Invisible Strength of Teachers — from teachthought.com by Tasneem Tazkiya
One afternoon, I asked a different question: “What would make school feel worth showing up for again?”

A Moment That Changed My View of Teaching
I’ll never forget a student I’ll call Jalen. He was bright and quick with answers, sharp in debate, but he had built a wall around himself after a difficult year at home. He’d stopped turning in work and began sitting silently in the back of the room, disengaged and defiant.

One afternoon, instead of lecturing him about missing assignments, I asked a different question: “What would make school feel worth showing up for again?”

That simple question opened a door. Over the following weeks, Jalen began sharing ideas for projects connected to his interests, designing sneakers and exploring how geometry applies to shoe patterns. I adapted lessons to let him create, design, and analyze. Slowly, his confidence returned. Months later, he told me, “You made me feel like my ideas mattered.”

That moment reminded me that teaching isn’t just about delivering content; it’s about restoring belief in learning, and in oneself.

Also see:

The Power of Play — from barbarabray.net by Barbara Bray

Play brings joy and happiness to learning. Infusing play in schools prepares kids as future citizens.
When you play a game with your friends, how do you feel?

When you see children playing with other children, what do you notice?

Ask a child if they remember the worksheet they filled out last week.
Did they have fun?

Do they remember what they learned?

Let’s play more and discover how learning unfolds.
Schools can invest in more play through games, interactive experiences, and just making learning fun. Providing engaging activities through play creates learners who become critical thinkers, researchers, and designers.

Also re: teaching and learning:

Using Classic Texts From the Past to Foster Future-Ready Skills — from edutopia.org by Lauren Kaufman
High school teachers can use texts from the canon to promote the skills their schools or states have identified as essential for graduates.
Empowering Students Through a Focus on Incremental Progress — from edutopia.org by Kathy Collier
Elementary teachers can help students feel confident tackling big goals by encouraging them to focus on getting a little bit better every day.
Discovering Global Sounds Through the Recorder — from edutopia.org by Nina Stern, JoDee Scissors
Music teachers can guide exploration of musical styles from around the world to spark elementary students’ curiosity and build community.
Entrepreneurial Mindset in Middle School — from rdene915.com by Dr. Rachelle Dené Poth

Class of 2025 says they see the effects of a tough job market [Moody] + item re: prices for obtaining a degree

On 11/07/2025, in business, business side of he, career development, colleges, community colleges, cost of getting a degree, faculty/staff, funding / grants, higher education, parents/guardians, student-related, teaching & learning, United States, universities, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Net tuition rises at colleges, but costs are far below their peaks — from highereddive.com by Ben Unglesbee
The prices students and their families paid after aid at four-year public colleges and private nonprofits ticked up in 2025-26, per College Board estimates.

Dive Brief:

The average tuition and fees paid by students and their families after aid rose slightly for the 2025-26 academic year but remain well below historic peaks, according to the latest higher education pricing study from the College Board.
At public four-year colleges, net tuition and fees for first-time, full-time students increased just 1.3% to $2,300 from last year, when adjusted for inflation, according to the College Board’s estimates. That figure is down 48.3% from the peak in 2012-2013.
At private nonprofits, net tuition and fees for first-time, full-time students rose 3.7% annually to $16,910 in the 2025-26 year, when adjusted for inflation. By comparison, that’s down 14.6% from the peak for private colleges in 2006-07.

Class of 2025 says they see the effects of a tough job market — from hrdive.com by Kathryn Moody
Young workers have been particularly exposed to the changes brought by artificial intelligence tools, some research has indicated.

The Class of 2025 faced a particularly tough job market, searching for jobs earlier, submitting more applications — averaging 10 applications to the Class of 2024’s six — and receiving fewer offers on average, a National Association of Colleges and Employers study said in a recent report, in partnership with Indeed.

Graduates were more likely to accept those offers, however, even amid uncertainty; 86.7% of those offered a job had accepted in 2025, compared to 81.2% of 2024 graduates.

“Compared to earlier classes, they were more likely to say they were unsure about their plans, and more were planning to enter the military, suggesting they were unsure about private-sector employment,” NACE said in an Oct. 30 announcement regarding the report.

An addendum from DSC:
While we’re talking the workplace, careers, jobs, and such involving higher education, also see:

Careers in Educational Development with Leslie Cramblet Alvarez and Chris Hakala — from intentionalteaching.buzzsprout.com by Derek Bruff

On the show today I talk with Leslie Cramblet Alvarez and Chris Hakala, authors of the new book Understanding Educational Developers: Tales from the Center from Routledge Press. The book blends scholarship and personal narratives to explore the career trajectories of the professionals who work at CTLs (Centers for Teaching & Learning). How do academics move into these careers? And what can these careers look like over time?

Leslie Cramblet Alvarez is assistant vice provost and director of the Office of Teaching and Learning at the University of Denver. Chris Hakala is director for the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship and professor of psychology at Springfield College.

I wanted to talk with Chris and Leslie about what they discovered while writing their book. I also wanted to know what advice they had for navigating educational development careers here in the U.S. in 2025, with higher education under attack from the federal government, a looming demographic cliff affecting enrollment and tuition, and a budget situation that for more institutions is not rosy. Leslie and Chris offer advice for faculty considering a move into a faculty development role, as well as for those of us current working at CTLs trying to plan our careers.

Is An Internship In College More Important Than The Degree Itself? — from forbes.com by Brandon Busteed

While confidence in higher education has eroded and more Americans are questioning the importance of a degree, the demand for internships among college students is skyrocketing and the odds of getting an internship at a major company are now lower than getting into the Ivy League. This begs the question: are we at a point where an internship is as valuable – or perhaps more so – than a degree itself?

While concerns about degree ROI were on the rise, the value of internships and other work-integrated learning opportunities was becoming increasingly apparent. New research and analysis have shown us how valuable it is for a student to have an internship during college: it doubles the odds they have a good job waiting for them upon graduation and doubles their odds of being engaged in their work over their lifetime. Although there are some variations in those outcomes by choice of college or academic major, those variations pale in comparison to the impact of having an internship. In short, a collegiate internship experience is a more important indicator of these outcomes than alma mater or major.

How To Increase (Self-)Motivation [Kuepper-Tetzel]

On 10/27/2025, in education, Emotion, experimentation, faculty/staff, homeschooling/homeschoolers, K-12 related, learning, motivation, parents/guardians, productivity / tips and tricks, psychology, society, student-related, teachers, by Daniel Christian

Digest #182: How To Increase (Self-)Motivation — from lifehack.org by Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel

No matter whether you are a student or a teacher, sometimes it can be difficult to find motivation to start or complete a task. Instead, you may spend hours procrastinating with other activities and that opens an unhelpful cycle of stress and unhappiness. Stressful environments which are common in educational settings can increase the likelihood of maladaptive procrastination (1) and hamper motivation. This digest offers four resources on ways to think about and boost (self-)motivation.

Also see:

Learning Ecosystems

Faster, thinner: Colleges are swiftly trimming a B.A. degree to three years [Marcus]

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