Hello and welcome to another edition of NPR Ed's weekly national education news roundup!
DeVos heckled at Bethune-Cookman University
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' first commencement address since taking office was interrupted by persistent boos when she addressed graduates at a private, Christian, historically black university in Florida.
About half the graduates turned their backs
DeVos has made missteps when it comes to historically black colleges, as
we reported
"Earlier this year, DeVos called HBCUs '
real pioneers when it comes to school choice,
The protests also included a large petition drive, open letters and calls on President Jackson to resign. Some of the loudest jeers during the speech came when DeVos said she'd be visiting the gravesite of the university's founder, Mary McLeod Bethune, a daughter of former slaves and a civil rights leader. "It's a complete insult," alumna Trinice McNally told NPR Ed. "There is no comparison to my founder."
Paul Ryan visits a charter school
House Speaker Paul Ryan also faced protesters this week when
visiting a charter school in Harlem
A few dozen protesters,
including one wearing a Trump costume per this video,
State education plans ready for review
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have submitted complete state education plans, the Education Department announced. You
can see the list here
Update on low-income students denied grants for formatting errors
As we covered
a few weeks ago
In a
memo released
A tax tool to make college aid applications easier is down until the fall
The
IRS Data Retrieval Tool
The tool was designed to allow college aid applicants filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, to add their family tax information with the push of a button. It was taken down because of security concerns just prior to many state deadlines, in March.
Accurate info is crucial for determining how much college help students qualify for. Without it, applicants have to fill in their tax return data manually, which takes longer and is prone to error.
At the beginning of this month, most first-time applicants to traditional colleges had to lock down their decisions, including FAFSA applications. Returning students and those at colleges with rolling admissions may still be filling out the form. On Oct. 1, it becomes available for the 2018-2019 school year, hopefully with the Data Retrieval Tool restored.
DeVos won't speak at education writers' conference
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