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The private collection agencies that chase delinquent student loans will see commissions as low as 11 percent.

If confirmed, F. King Alexander would step into a new position at Louisiana State that merges the posts of system president and flagship chancellor.

Rebecca M. Blank, a former public-policy dean at Michigan, will lead a campus that has been at the center of debates over the role of public flagship institutions.

Secretary Duncan talks with students about school safety as part of his ongoing Student Voices Series. Official Department of Education photo by Joshua Hoover.

The fight to end the school-to-jail track and reestablish restorative justice practices is personal for Jasmine Jauregui, a youth organizer from the Youth Justice Coalition.

“I have a family with a history of incarceration. My father is serving a life sentence at the moment and I don’t feel comfortable around [school resource] officers.”

Jauregui is just one of a number of students who recently met with Secretary Arne Duncan and David Esquith, director of the Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS), at the Department of Education to discuss school safety. The students, who work to break down silos and make their schools and communities safer, represented coalition members of the Alliance for Educational Justice (AEJ), the Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) and Padres y Jovenes Unidos (Parents & Youth United).

One day before the students met with Secretary Duncan, they participated in a rally on Capitol Hill calling on Congress to implement positive approaches in response to gun violence and address the impact of school safety policies.

Secretary Duncan applauded the students’ efforts to make their voices heard to lawmakers and was interested in hearing some of the alternative recommendations they’ve developed.

“Rather than promote more school resources officers (SROs) in schools, we want school administrators to promote positive measures such as positive behavior intervention and restorative justice,” said Yuki Diaz, a youth organizer of Padres y Jovenes Unidos via video teleconference.

Other students agreed, saying that they felt their schools needed an increased presence in guidance counselors, social workers and psychologists.

Secretary Duncan said that he believes each school is unique and should have the flexibility to choose school resource officers or social workers and counselors in order to prevent violence.

Padres y Jovenes Uniodos recently reached a historic partnership with the Denver’s police department and school district that limits the role of police in schools. The organization is hoping that their interagency agreement will be used as a model for other urban schools confronted with alarming rates of misconduct and violence.

The Department of Education has already provided technical aid to help nearly 18,000 schools implement evidence-based strategies to improve school climate. “One of the things that the President is proposing is a new $50 million initiative to scale up positive behavioral interventions and supports,” said David Esquith.

Other youth activists such as Nicole Cheatom of the Baltimore Algebra Project said that it shouldn’t have taken the tragedy at Sandy Hook to build momentum on school and community safety. She cited that a school shooting occurred last year at Perry Hall high school in Baltimore, and that it didn’t receive national attention.

Earlier this month, ED’s Office of Safe and Healthy Students awarded more than $35,000 to the Baltimore, County, Md., high school. The Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) grant will assist with ongoing recovery efforts.

Christina Cathey, a youth activist and college student at Tugaloo College said that she hopes the Department continues to support alternatives to a culture of zero-tolerance, punishment and push out in schools. She said that ED’s leadership can serve as a catalyst at the local-level.

Click here to read the President Obama’s plan to make our schools safer.

Click here to read the students’ joint issue briefing.

De’Rell Bonner works in ED’s Office of Communications and Outreach

The program, being offered under a contract with Caterpiller Inc., is turning the college into a "pawn" in the company's "union-busting games," the union says.

Certificates from Baylor University and the University of Virginia help ex-cons find jobs faster and even start their own businesses.

Susan Desmond-Hellmann, of the University of California at San Francisco, will be the second woman on that board. Read about that and other job-related news.

In the largest survey of instructors who have taught massive open online courses, The Chronicle heard from critics, converts, and the cautious.

Energy analysts see few downsides for campus utility operators, but climate activists disagree.

Donald W. Zacharias, who led Mississippi State from 1985 to 1997, died on March 2. Read about that and other deaths.

Richard L. Revesz will lead a new institute at New York University focused on cities and the urban environment.

Ariel Ilan Roth is the new executive director of the Israel Institute, which will encourage American universities to do more research on Israel.

While expressing concern about the working conditions of the growing ranks of their contingent colleagues, those with tenure prefer to keep governance to themselves.

Some administrators say the position must shift with the changing model for college libraries.

Teachers and students alike say they like the addition of more low-tech face-to-face interaction.

But after decades of neglect, the higher-education system will need "millions and millions of dollars" to get up to speed, one expert warns.

The bill would make some changes that community colleges want, but some say it would go too far in eliminating or consolidating job-training programs.

Critics have faulted the NYU president as autocratic and have raised questions about ambitious projects he is pressing in the city and abroad.

Each March we take time to reflect on the amazing women who have left their mark throughout history. At the U.S. Department of Education, we realize we have a lot of women to celebrate in education. Every mother is an educator, instilling life lessons for future generations from the moment her child is born. Every sister, aunt, grandmother and even friends, help us learn valuable lessons in and out of the classroom. After all, we never truly stop learning and an education never ends.

As a small part to the month-long commemoration of inspirational women, we have chosen to highlight two women educators because of their incredible ability to break glass ceilings through their dedication to education. Please read and share these inspirational stories with the women and young girls in your own life.

Elizabeth Blackwell

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821–1910) Physician: 

After many years of determined effort, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to complete a course of study at a medical college in the United States, graduating at the top of her class at Geneva Medical School (NY) with an M.D. degree in 1849. Blackwell later used her education and experience to help other women achieve doctorate degrees by establishing the New York Infirmary for Women and Children, the first medical school for women, resulting in greater acceptance of female physicians across the country.

Famous Quote: “It is not easy to be a pioneer – but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world.”

Share Elizabeth Blackwell’s story with your classroom:

• Learn more about Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell
• Coloring Activity- Grades 1st-3rd

Mary McLeod Bethune’s portrait is on display in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.

Mary McLeod Bethune (1877-1955) Educator: 

Equal parts educator, politician, and social visionary, Mary McLeod Bethune, dedicated her life to improving the lives of young African American women through the power of education. In 1904, Bethune established the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Girls, aimed to help young African American women living in the most impoverished areas of Florida get an education.

Famous Quote: “The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.”

• Learn More about Mary McLeod Bethune’s Story on PBS.org

These are just two women out of the millions who have helped educate our children. On behalf of all of us at the U.S. Department of Education, we thank you.

More Women’s History Teaching Resources

Kelsey Donohue is a senior at Marist College (N.Y.), and an intern in ED’s Office of Communications and Outreach