Daily Lumina News 040622

As colleges across the country try to turn around sagging enrollment rates, many are targeting one group in particular: the 36 million adults who left college without a degree.
Most students who left before graduating are 25 and older and have different needs than their younger peers. Now, higher ed leaders, politicians, and nonprofits alike are trying to make sure adult learners are better prepared to face any challenges this time around.

The United States doesn’t have enough teachers. The situation is so desperate that some states are sending in National Guardsmen to help cover classes.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is calling for states to spend more money, recruit more, and establish better teacher training programs. Education experts offer their thoughts on facing and fixing America's teacher shortage in this interview.

Many colleges have come up with clever ways to help their students cope with ongoing financial pressures from the pandemic.
Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City started offering free breakfast to all students at the end of February. Others, like Cuesta College in California, provide gas gift cards to students. Community colleges in areas with public transit often offer free or discounted transit passes.

The White House plans to once again extend the moratorium on federal student loan payments through the end of August, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
The official announcement, expected today, comes as the current pause on payments expires in May, potentially affecting more than 40 million Americans. The new August extension, however, tees up another fight over the relief just months before midterm elections.

Efforts to promote a culturally sensitive classroom where diverse students can thrive typically focus on Black, Hispanic, and Native American students—groups that are underrepresented and are more likely to be economically disadvantaged.
But a new study suggests East Asian students are also struggling in classrooms where assertiveness is expected but not necessarily encouraged within their cultures. That’s especially true in business and law classes where rapid-fire discussions can feel, to some, like verbal sparring.

Each year, thousands of aspiring truck drivers sign up for training with some of the nation’s biggest freight haulers.
But the training programs often fail to deliver the compensation and working conditions they promise. And those who quit early can be pursued by debt collectors and blacklisted among other companies in the industry, making it difficult for them to find a new job.