21st-century learning

Google has launched a YouTube for Schools service to make educationally relevant videos available for use in school. It's a great idea, but for it to actually be used in schools, many districts around the country will have to modify their filters to allow teachers to access at least this portion of YouTube.

YouTube is launching a brand new tool to help teachers and students get their learn on. “YouTube for Schools” is a portal that helps curate education materials and videos on subjects such as history and math while filtering out potentially offensive or distracting content.

On the surface, having a college degree might seem to make getting and keeping a job more difficult in the current employment environment. Armed with a college degree, most people would expect to earn more than someone without a college degree. When jobs appear scarce, the lower-cost worker would seem to have an easier time finding a job.

Classroom furniture is coldly utilitarian at best – it gets the job done, but you wouldn’t consider decorating your home with it.

But how realistically can it be improved?

Beginning this week, nine states that were the runner-up finalists from last year's Race to the Top competition can apply for a portion of the $200 million Race to the Top round three fund.

Yes, a college education is certainly "worth it" to the many students for whom college is a way out of cyclical poverty or geographic isolation.