A study, to be published in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Population Economics, sheds new light on whether full-time college students who work perform better than those who do not work while in school, Inside Higher Ed reported Oct. 8. The study took cross-sectional data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, finding that students in four-year colleges who work 20 hours or less per week perform better academically in comparison to students who work more than 20 hours and those who do not work, according to Inside Higher Ed. One of the study's authors, Charlene Kalenkoski, told Inside Higher Ed that the lack of a relationship between parents' financial contributions and student work schedules suggests that students are working to raise money for non-tuition-related expenses.
The U.S. Department of Education plans to introduce an "Investing in Innovation Fund," which would provide grants to public schools to support educational programs that are both innovative and effective, The New York Times reported Oct. 6. Grants up to $5 million for new programs and $30 million for existing, proven programs, will be offered to schools, according to The Times. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told The Times he hopes a large number of programs, perhaps addressing low school performance or technology use, will flourish with the fund's help. Critics such as Grover Whitehurst, former director of the Institute of Education Sciences, have expressed concern that the fund will ultimately support innovative but ineffective programs.
A bill currently before Congress aims to reduce "swipe fees," the processing fees applied to textbook or tuition purchases made with a credit card, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported Oct. 8. The bill would also allow merchants to decline cards that charge high fees and give discounts as an incentive to customers who pay with lower-fee cards, The Chronicle reported. The House Judiciary Committee had included a similar provision in a more extensive credit card bill last year, but the provision was ultimately cut, according to The Chronicle. Supporters have said the current bill is more likely to pass because of increased support from consumer groups and because more legislators have recognized a need to provide an exemption for college booksellers.
