President Trump calls on Congress to “Pass School Choice for America’s Children,” and the Nation Seems Ready for Congress to Do So

President Trump calls on Congress to “Pass School Choice for America’s Children,” and the Nation Seems Ready for Congress to Do So

February 6, 2019
Categories: K-12.

At his second the State of the Union address, President Trump called on the Congress to enact legislation that will support efforts in the states and at the local level to provide educational options to families for their children: “To help support working parents, the time has come to pass school choice for America’s children.” Polls indicate that Americans do believe that the time has come. “School choice” is the commonly-used term to describe the array of state and local government measures that provide families with alternatives to the traditional, public-school system. It encompasses public school options, such as charter
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New Financial Aid Disclosure Template Will Make College Costs and the Options for Affording Those Costs Clearer to Prospective and Current Students

New Financial Aid Disclosure Template Will Make College Costs and the Options for Affording Those Costs Clearer to Prospective and Current Students

January 21, 2019
Categories: Higher Education and Student Loans.

On January 16, 2019, the Education Department announced that it is introducing a new template for colleges and universities to use to disclose financial aid information to prospective and current students. The College Financing Plan, which was previously named the Financial Shopping Sheet, is intended to be more user friendly to both institutions and students. The nation’s student loan debt has skyrocketed to nearly $1.5 trillion, and some borrowers may have benefited from a clearer explanation of the costs and options for affording those costs. The College Financing Plan attempts to set forth in a clearer format the various components
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Jonathan Vogel Appeared on Television in Charlotte to Discuss What College Students Should Do If Their School Suddenly Closes

Jonathan Vogel Appeared on Television in Charlotte to Discuss What College Students Should Do If Their School Suddenly Closes

January 8, 2019
Categories: Higher Education and Student Loans.

On January 7, 2019, Jonathan Vogel appeared on WSOC-TV (Charlotte) news to discuss what college students should do if their school suddenly closes. Vogel noted that students who seek to transfer should ensure that they obtain a copy of their transcript and any school catalogs, course guides, and course syllabi. If they have earned a credential (degree/certificate) from the college prior to its closing, then they should ensure that they physically obtain it. With respect to the transfer of credits, the receiving school will likely examine whether the prior school was accredited, whether the credits were for on-campus or online
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Education Department Discharges Approximately $150 Million in Student Loans, Helping About 15,000 Borrowers Who Attended Colleges and Universities that Closed

Education Department Discharges Approximately $150 Million in Student Loans, Helping About 15,000 Borrowers Who Attended Colleges and Universities that Closed

January 2, 2019
Categories: Student Loans.

On December 13, 2018, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it was automatically discharging the student loans of approximately 15,000 borrowers who attended a college or university that closed between November 1, 2013 and December 4, 2018. The approximate amount of loans that will be automatically discharged is $150 million, of which approximately $80 million is attributable to loans taken out by borrowers who attended schools operated by Corinthian Colleges, Inc. The Department’s seemingly friendly action was actually prompted by a decision from a federal court in Washington, DC that forced the Department to act. The court invalidated the
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New CMS Security Protocols Must be Minimally Intrusive and Avoid Racial Profiling

New CMS Security Protocols Must be Minimally Intrusive and Avoid Racial Profiling

January 2, 2019
Categories: K-12.

When Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students return to area high schools on January 3, they will be greeted by new security protocols.  CMS parents and guardians should not only hope that their children are safer now than they were before, they should also expect CMS to implement the new protocols in an effective and minimally intrusive manner that also does not employ racial profiling. In the wake of the shooting of a student that occurred at Butler High School in Matthews on October 29, CMS reviewed its safety protections and, on November 16, announced new measures that include random wanding of students
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