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California schools continue to struggle with test scores in reading and math

Cal Matters Dan Walters February 4, 2025 When Gov. Gavin Newsom issues one of his periodic boasts about California’s superiority vis-a-vis other states — particularly those with conservative politics such as Texas and Florida — he conveniently omits aspects that are less than admirable. The exclusions include California’s levels of poverty, homelessness, unemployment, utility bills and housing costs that are the nation’s […]

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Microsoft Introduces Copilot Chat Agents for Education

Campus Technology Rhea Kelly February 3, 2025 Microsoft recently announced Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, a new pay-as-you-go offering that adds AI agents to its existing free chat tool for Microsoft 365 education customers. Powered by generative AI, agents can be tailored to perform autonomous tasks with a particular expertise, the company explained in a blog post. In […]

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Congressional Budget Office Projects $2.7B Pell Grant Shortfall

Inside Higher Ed Katherine Knott February 4, 2025 The Pell Grant program has a $2.7 billion shortfall heading into the coming fiscal year, according to new projections from the Congressional Budget Office. The budget office said in June that the program would run a $11.4 billion surplus, though that assumption was based on a projected drop in financial […]

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Trump Planning EO Directing Education Department to ‘Diminish Itself,’ Reports Say

Inside Higher Ed Jessica Blake February 6, 2025 News reports about the potential executive order come after the Trump administration suspended dozens of department staff. The Trump administration is preparing an executive order to dismantle the Education Department, though the specifics are still in the works, two news outlets reported Monday. The Wall Street Journal first […]

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