January 30, 2015: Education News We're Reading This Week

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January 30, 2015—Here are the best articles from education news this week.

Having trouble deciding what to study in college? Go with your passion but be aware of the ever-evolving job market, writes James Dworkin.

Despite efforts to increase interest, from 2004 to 2014 the percentage of U.S. students earning bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields only rose from 33 to 34 percent. The Wall Street Journal delves into the slow trend as well as the lack of women in such fields.

Kevin Carey asks if, after a few obscure tweaks in legislation, the student loan crisis has already been solved. His article in The Upshot suggests that in time students will face a much easier task in getting out of debt.

‘Free’ community college is a viable investment for local economies, writes Nicholas Wyman in The Huffington Post, and effective collaboration between educators, policy makers, and industry will be vital to its success.

Yesterday College Board announced a partnership with the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and four other scholarship providers in an effort to expand scholarship access to millions of students who take the PSAT/NMSQT exam.

This week EdSurge featured the Cooke Foundation’s scholarship programs in an article by Mary Jo Madda.

Caralee Adams of Education Week also featured the Cooke Foundation, with her piece focusing on the new “Breaking Down Walls” report on community college transfer students that was released this month.

Queens College profiled soprano Jin-Xiang Yu, who currently studies at the Yale School of Music. Listen to this song by Jin-Xiang, who is a Graduate Arts Award recipient.

EdX CEO Anant Agarwal has shed light on his philosophy for blended learning and the future of MOOCs for WBUR. Applicants to the Cooke Foundation Young Scholars Program can benefit from taking one of EdX’s free online courses this year.

The Cooke Foundation was featured in Politico‘s ‘Morning Education’ overview for its suggestions on how to aid community college students working towards transferring to a four-year institution.