Accessibility links

Breaking News

Student Union

Over Half of US Lower Schools to Stay Online

FILE - Des Moines Public Schools custodian Joel Cruz cleans a teacher's desk in a classroom at Brubaker Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa, July 8, 2020.
FILE - Des Moines Public Schools custodian Joel Cruz cleans a teacher's desk in a classroom at Brubaker Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa, July 8, 2020.

Over half of U.S. public elementary and secondary school students will study online this fall, according to new research.

In addition to the 52% of students learning online, 44% will attend school in person on partial schedules, such as rotating days. Four percent of school districts remain undecided, according to a survey by Burbio, a data service that aggregates school calendars nationwide.

“We have seen a dramatic shift to online-only learning in the past three weeks,” Julie Roche, Burbio co-founder, said in a press release. “Large districts such as Chicago, and Sun Belt cities such as Houston and Miami, along with large suburban districts such as Fairfax County, Virginia, were all setting plans to return with in-person learning and shifted to fully remote.”

The 200 largest districts are 66% virtual, Burbio stated.

But the largest school district in the U.S. — New York City — recently announced it would have students attend school in person.

In the Northeast U.S., districts that will hold online classes only are mixed with districts where students will attend class in person. Along the West Coast, most districts will be online, while the Midwest looks predominantly in person or hybrid, according to Burbio’s map of school districts across the country.

Twenty-five percent of schools have stated they will hold classes every day. Other schools that plan to hold classes in person include hybrid formats in which 19% of students attend some but not all days of the school week.

“We expect this situation to stay fluid for the entire academic year and we will continue to measure it,” said Roche. “Many districts have thresholds for COVID-19 levels that could result in converting back to remote learning. Other districts are planning to revisit the online decision as soon as September and could convert to in-person models.”

See all News Updates of the Day

Universities in Middle East building research relationships with China  

FILE - University students display the flag of the Communist Party of China to mark the party's 100th anniversary during an opening ceremony of the new semester in Wuhan in China's central Hubei, September 10, 2021.
FILE - University students display the flag of the Communist Party of China to mark the party's 100th anniversary during an opening ceremony of the new semester in Wuhan in China's central Hubei, September 10, 2021.

As China bolsters research relationships with universities in the Middle East, the United States has taken notice – especially when that research involves artificial intelligence.

Reporting for University World News, Yojana Sharma has the story. (March 2024)

Tips for staying safe while studying in the US

FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2019 photo, Sgt. Jason Cowger, with Johns Hopkins University's Campus Safety and Security department, walks on the university's campus in Baltimore.
FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2019 photo, Sgt. Jason Cowger, with Johns Hopkins University's Campus Safety and Security department, walks on the university's campus in Baltimore.

Recent news events have raised safety concerns among some international students studying in the United States.

Adarsh Khandelwal, writing in the India Times, has tips for staying safe from the moment you arrive until the day you complete your studies. (March 2024)

Some colleges are making digital literacy classes mandatory

FILE - A teacher librarian at a Connecticut high school, left, works with a student in a Digital Student class, Dec. 20, 2017. The required class teaches media literacy skills and has the students scrutinize sources for their on-line information.
FILE - A teacher librarian at a Connecticut high school, left, works with a student in a Digital Student class, Dec. 20, 2017. The required class teaches media literacy skills and has the students scrutinize sources for their on-line information.

A 2019 study by Stanford found that most college students can’t tell the difference between real and fake news articles. Amid rampant online disinformation, and the threat of AI-generated images, some schools are making students learn “digital literacy” to graduate.

Lauren Coffeey reports for Inside Higher Ed. (March 2024)

With federal student aid delays, students aren’t sure what college will cost 

File - Students make their way through the Sather Gate near Sproul Plaza on the University of California, Berkeley, campus March 29, 2022, in Berkeley, Calif.
File - Students make their way through the Sather Gate near Sproul Plaza on the University of California, Berkeley, campus March 29, 2022, in Berkeley, Calif.

The U.S. Department of Education’s federal student aid form (FAFSA) experienced serious glitches and delays this year.

Now, many students have been admitted to college, but don’t know how much money they’ll need to attend.

Read the story from Susan Svrluga and Danielle Douglas-Gabriel for The Washington Post. (March 2024)

Senator draws attention to universities that haven’t returned remains

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, speaks with reporters as he walks to a vote on Capitol Hill, Sept. 6, 2023 in Washington.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, speaks with reporters as he walks to a vote on Capitol Hill, Sept. 6, 2023 in Washington.

More than 70 U.S. universities continue to hold human remains taken from Native American burial sites, although those remains were supposed to be returned 30 years ago.

Jennifer Bendery writes in Huffington Post that one senator has been using his position in an attempt to shame universities into returning remains and artifacts. (April 2024)

Load more

XS
SM
MD
LG