ALEXANDRIA - Grace Brown's schedule at West Potomac High School in northern Virginia is filled with all the usual academics, and she's packed in Latin, chorus and piano as extras.

What she can't cram into the 8:10 a.m. - 2:55 p.m. school day is gym class.

So she's taking that one minus the gym, and on her own time.

The 14-year-old freshman is getting school credit for virtual physical education, a concept that, as strange as it may sound, is being helped along by the availability of wearable fitness trackers.

For students whose tests and textbooks have migrated to screens, technology as gym equipment may have been only a matter of time.

Grace, who lives in Alexandria, wears a school-issued Fitbit on her wrist while getting in at least three 30-minute workouts a week outside of school hours. She has an app on her computer that screenshots her activity so she can turn it in for credit.

While online physical education classes have been around for well over a decade, often as part of virtual or online schools, the technology has made possible a new level of accountability, its users say.

"We're asking kids to wear this while they do an activity of their choice, and they can change the activity as they desire, as long as it's something that they understand is probably going to get their heart rate up," said Elizabeth Edwards, department head for online physical education at Fairfax County Public Schools, which includes Grace's high school.

Though a physical education instructor isn't shouting from the sidelines, teachers do guide assignments by setting goals such as fat burn, cardio or peak, relying on the technology to be their eyes and ears. Students also are required to sign in for a weekly 60-minute to 90-minute classroom session with the teacher.

Teenagers who play soccer, swim or dance all year may satisfy the workout requirements without doing anything extra. Grace has been adding bike rides and jogs to her days.

For her, online PE freed her up to take three elective courses, instead of two in school. For others, it's a welcome way to take a required class that students otherwise may find socially or physically challenging.

"We definitely exercise more in online PE," Grace said. "There's a lot of standing around in regular PE. Online, I do much harder workouts."

A survey of more than 3,000 fitness professionals by the American College of Sports Medicine named wearable technology the top trend in fitness for 2020.

It's not clear how many schools are embracing the trend. It comes with some cautions.

Technology and the collection of any student data always raises the specter of student privacy concerns. And some worry that students exercising on their own may miss out on important social concepts such as teamwork.

"There is a difference between physical activity and physical education," said Chris Hersl, former vice president for programs and professional development at SHAPE America, which wrote national standards for K-12 physical education.

Joliet Township schools in Illinois uses fitness trackers as part of a blended learning conditioning program that has students who sign up for it work out two to three times a week in the gym with an instructor and the other days on their own.

"It's a flexible schedule where they still have in-person physical education classes and there's still instruction happening, but they're able to use the Fitbit to monitor how students are working outside the classroom," said Karla Guseman, the district's associate superintendent for educational services.

She said it's one of numerous blending learning options that Joliet Township High School offers to give students both more control over the pace and time of their work, and more responsibility to get it done.

"We're trying to give them an opportunity to see what post-secondary might look like," Guseman said, "when you don't meet every day but you're still expected to do work for a course or preparation between class periods."

A virtual school that is part of the Springfield, Missouri, public school district started with a single class -- physical education, said Nichole Lemmon, the creator of the program, called Launch, which uses Garmin fitness trackers.

"Eight years ago, it was the very first online class by our developers to meet a really niche student who could not fit PE courses into their schedule," Lemmon said. "Maybe they wanted to take more honors level courses, or advanced placement, or international baccalaureate classes and PE was hard to fit in, so we allowed them to do it outside of the school day."

A telling illustration of the technology-driven 24/7 school day is the peak log-in time on the school's portal system: 10:03 p.m.

"They may not be working out at 10 p.m., but that's when they're turning in their workout. The notion that education now runs 7:30-4, 8-3, is really antiquated," Lemmon said, "and our students are begging to be able to have more flexibility in the time of day they learn."

During the past summer session, there were 22,600 students enrolled, and the most popular courses were PE, she said.

Teachers help students set up their fitness devices, entering the student's height, weight and age, and coming up with a target heart rate. As an added layer of instruction and accountability, Launch students are required to send video back to the teacher, who checks their technique as they stretch or lift weights, for example.

"They work with their PE instructor to set a fitness goal and then they get their workout however they want to," Lemmon said. t really does promote lifelong fitness because it's about working out the way they want to, not they're required to do a particular activity in gym."

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Gym class without the gym? With technology, it's catching on - Richmond.com

Technology will continue to disrupt education in K12 schools in 2020. Source: Shutterstock

The education landscape is transforming before our very eyes, where teaching approaches are becoming more student-centered and classroom designs are becoming more flexible in schools to allow for more collaborative learning.

With the rapid growth of the educational technology industry, teaching methods today are also relying more and more on technologies like artificial intelligence and even robots.

In this era of disruptive technologies, whats in store for your school in 2020? Heres a look at some key education trends that will shape and influence schools in the coming year.

The role of the teacher in schools is slowly changing. Instead of feeding information to students and lecturing from the front of the room, teachers are playing a facilitating role instead guiding students towards thinking for themselves and carrying out projects and activities for students to work on in groups.

Assisting teachers in this new role is artificial intelligence (AI). According to Online Education for Higher Ed, AI use in US classrooms will grow by 47.5 percent in the next three years.

The technology is predicted to allow teachers more time to focus on more human-specific teaching skills like emotional intelligence and creativity. AI will take over the time-consuming and monotonous tasks like checking papers for plagiarism or tests.

Parents who choose to homeschool their kids have plenty of support nowadays thanks to technology. If they have gaps in their knowledge or are unable to teach a subject effectively, they can use online modules or face-to-face classes in a more traditional schooling environment to supplement their education.

This is known as hybrid homeschooling, and its predicted to become more popular in years to come. It allows for more flexibility, particularly for parents who want to homeschool their children but are unable in one way or another to do so.

Mike McShane, director of national research at US education reform organisation EdChoice wrote inForbes: For many families, the costs and obligations related to homeschooling are simply too burdensome. Some parents dont have the confidence in their own abilities to teach every subject to their children. Others cannot devote themselves to homeschooling full-time. Perhaps most of all, many homeschooling families want their children to socialise with other children to learn how to share, cooperate and get along with others.

Enter hybrid homeschooling, a model where children split their time between homeschool and a more traditional schooling environment. This could be three days at home and two days at school, two days at home and three days at school, part of the day at home and part of the day at schools, or a variety of other options.

AR is becoming popular in schools, allowing more three-dimensional experiences that bring abstract concepts to life for students.

This interactive experience adds digital elements by using a camera on a smartphone to a live view, such as Snapchat filters.

In classrooms, AR animated content could be a tool to motivate children to study. They can understand topics better if extra data such as fun facts, historical information or visual 3D models are added to classroom lessons. Or when they can scan parts of their books, there are texts, audio snippets or videos from teachers that pop up.

Compared to AR, VR is more immersive, where students can be transported to different worlds with the use of VR goggles such as Google Lens.

It is also becoming more widely used in schools, as the industry is seeing major growth with heavy investment around the world, leading to a bigger market and more affordable products in the edtech sector.

With VR, students can experience what they read beyond word descriptions and book illustrations. Tricking the body into thinking its a new place, VR tools like Google Expeditions allow students to visit cultural sites around the world without ever leaving the classroom or even go back in time to a historical setting such as the land of the dinosaurs.

4 European edtech start-ups to look out for in 2020

4 UK-based EdTech start-ups that are transforming the way we learn

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4 major education trends that will influence schools in 2020 - Study International News

If youre looking for a personal loan, your options are increasing. Theres the traditional route visit a loan officer at your bank or the more modern option of an online lender that can get you a loan virtually overnight, if you qualify.

Financial technology companies that offer personal loans online are encroaching on banks in the lending business. Fintechs originated almost half (49.4%) of unsecured loans in March 2019, up from 22.4% in March 2015, according to a recent study by credit bureau Experian.

While some large national banks dont offer personal loans, others are responding to the competition with online offerings of their own. PNC Bank, one of the largest banks in the U.S., launched online personal loans this year to capture customers it couldnt serve at brick-and-mortar locations, says senior vice president for personal lending Chris Dervan.

Like many industries, theres been a big trend toward digital, and that trend will continue, he says. But part of what were seeing is that theres still a substantial customer base who likes that personal touch.

The heightened competition means consumers can handpick where they get a personal loan, be it online or at a bank branch. Here are four questions to ask when choosing between a bank loan and an online loan.

One of the obvious differences between bank and online lenders is the face-to-face exchange you can have at a physical bank.

If you value personal interaction and the security of knowing who is handling your loan, a bank might be for you, says Eric Simonson, a Minneapolis-based certified financial planner and owner of Abundo Wealth.

Some people like to just know that theres a person that makes sure the loan goes through smoothly for them, he says.

Also, you may have the opportunity to negotiate a lower rate or qualify with a lower credit score if youre talking to a person you already have a relationship with at a bank, Simonson says.

But the personal touch might come at a premium, says Oklahoma-based CFP Kyle Jackson. He says brick-and-mortar banks tend to pass on to the consumer operational costs that online lenders dont have, which can result in higher rates or fees.

If you need a loan quickly, online might be the way to go.

Online lenders and traditional banks with an online option can sometimes process an application and make a decision more quickly than banks that dont have an internet presence, Jackson says.

Some of those lenders can fund the loan the same day you apply, or the following business day.

Lenders with an online presence can also expedite your research process if they post their rates, says Todd Nelson, senior vice president with LightStream, the online lending arm of SunTrust Bank.

If youve got good credit, you dont really worry whether youre going to get approved, he says. What youre more concerned with is Am I going to waste my time with applying for a loan and getting back an offer I dont want?

For an online loan application, youll need to electronically share information like your Social Security number, education history and bank account information, which might require granting the lender access.

Especially in those cases, beware of scammers. Wisconsin-based CFP Ben Smith with Cove Financial Planning says that if you dont feel confident that you can tell whether an online lender is legitimate, the safest option would be a physical bank.

Managing a loan online, which typically means your only contact with the lender is via a customer service representative, can prove challenging for folks who arent financially or technologically savvy, Jackson says. If this is you, the online-only experience may not be a good fit.

The chief considerations when shopping for a loan should be its rate, fees and terms, Nelson says, rather than whether its from an online lender or a bank branch.

Some online lenders let you pre-qualify and see your potential rate, which is helpful information to have as you shop around.

Simonson notes that if you have less-than-desirable credit or are seeking a loan for a nontraditional reason, a community bank or credit union might be more willing to take on the risk of lending to you than a big bank or online lender would be.

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Annie Millerbernd is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: amillerbernd@nerdwallet.com.

The article Online or In Person: Whats the Better Way to Get a Loan? originally appeared on NerdWallet.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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Online or In Person: Whats the Better Way to Get a Loan? - Nasdaq

WYOMING/PAVILION Genesee Valley Educational Partnership (GVEP) teacher Elizabeth Slocum earned the Ferdinand DiBartolo New York State Distinguished Foreign Language Leadership Award this year.

Slocum is a teacher of French and Spanish at the middle, high school and undergraduate levels. Slocum holds permanent state certification in French and Spanish, as well as certification as a school district administrator and supervisor. She is a GVEP seventh- and eighth-grade Spanish teacher and serves both the Wyoming and Pavilion Central School districts.

Serving on the executive board of New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers has been an incredible experience. It has been an honor to represent New York state teachers and students of world languages at the local, state and national levels, Slocum said. I teach because I believe that languages are at the heart of the human experience. Languages will open doors and make connections for our students at home and abroad.

As a 25-plus year member of New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers (NYSAFLT), Slocum has been an active member of the association through her participation on various committees as well as serving on the NYSAFLT Board of Directors. She holds the distinction of chairing two annual conferences, including the 100th Annual Conference and Gala. She was selected to represent NYSAFLT at American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) inaugural Leadership Initiative for Language Learning (LILL) and remains an active member of LILL Cohort 1. She will participate in a LILL panel at ACTFL 2019 in Washington, DC on the topic of Growing Our Leadership.

In 2017, Slocum was honored by Genesee Community College with the Chancellors Award for Excellence as an Adjunct Instructor of World Languages. She works with the Genesee Region Teachers Center as a member of the Policy Board and coordinator of the regional World Language Teachers Network.

The Ferdinand DiBartolo NYS Distinguished Foreign Language Leadership Award is presented annually to the president of NYSAFLT in recognition of his/her dedication and service to our organization and to the profession.

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Genesee Valley Educational Partnership teacher Receives Distinguished NYS Award - The Daily News Online

When it was first published last week, a controversial New York Times column about the secrets of Jewish genius linked to a 2005 study from a researcher labeled an extremist, revered by white supremacists and discredited by scientists and who, for years, worked as a distinguished professor at the University of Utah.

Citing the late U. anthropologist Henry Harpending, expectedly, touched off criticism. Hours after it appeared online, The Times commentary was updated with an editors note saying it had been a mistake to mention the study, which has been widely questioned and long seen as an argument of racial superiority.

The note suggests that conservative columnist Bret Stephens did not know that Harpending promoted racist ideas. It also says Stephens was not endorsing the study or its authors views but acknowledges that his reference to the research, nevertheless, left an impression with many readers that Mr. Stephens was arguing that Jews are genetically superior. That was not his intent.

The paragraph Stephens wrote about Harpendings research has since been deleted online. And on Friday, the University of Utah deleted a complimentary memorial post from its Department of Anthropology that had said Harpendings scholarly and personal footprint will be long lasting in the field.

The U. also noted in response to the column that none of the three authors of the paper Harpending, Gregory Cochran or then-student Jason Hardy work at the school any longer. Harpending was there from 1997 until he died of a stroke in 2016.

Statements attributed to Henry Harpending that promote ideas in line with white nationalist ideology stand in direct opposition to the University of Utahs values of equity, diversity and inclusion ... " said Annalisa Purser, the universitys spokeswoman.

As such, we will meet these words with ours: Racist views and rhetoric that position one race as superior to another are inaccurate and harmful," she said. "The University of Utah is bolstered by its diversity, which allows individuals from different backgrounds and perspectives to come together to address challenges in new and creative ways.

Neither Cochran nor Hardy could not be reached by The Salt Lake Tribune for comment. Its unclear why none of the researchers faced censure while at the university for publishing the piece, though Purser added, Speech even when it is racist is protected by the U.S. Constitution and is necessary for the free exchange of ideas.

This has been a very painful time already for Jews in the United States, said Amy Spiro, a Jewish journalist whose work has been published in Variety, Jewish Insider and The Jerusalem Post. And then this column came out, she told The Tribune in a phone interview. Its just generated a lot of controversy. It doesnt seem like this is helpful in any way.

In their disputed study, the U. researchers focused on Ashkenazi Jews, or those who settled in central and Eastern Europe (as opposed to Spain or the Middle East). Among supremacists, the group is often seen as pure because many are white.

Harpending, Cochran and Hardy argue that Ashkenazi Jews have higher IQs, on average, than the general public (including other non-Ashkenazi Jews). Their theory is that in medieval times, individuals in the faith group in Europe were pushed into finance jobs because of the Christian prohibition of usury, or lending money for interest. Over time, many became rich and had more surviving children than poorer families who worked on farms. They also married within the community and stayed fairly isolated.

The University of Utah has long been known as an expert in genetic research, but this paper Natural History of Ashkenazi Intelligence is typically seen as a low point in that expertise. The authors created their own algorithm for determining genetic makeup and cited several scientists also viewed as racist.

The researchers have been criticized on and off since the study came out in 2005 and was published in The Journal of Biosocial Science the next year; that publication was previously called The Eugenics Review up until the 1970s. Eugenics is the controversial pseudo-science popular among Nazis for improving the human race by forced sterilization of poor people.

The Times piece on the study was largely uncritical beyond that; it was written by reporter Nicholas Wade, who later wrote his own book on genetics that shares some ideas with Harpending and Cochran. (Cochran had previously written about incorrect claims that being gay was caused by an infectious disease.)

The head of New York Universitys human-genetics program said: Its bad science not because its provocative, but because its bad genetics and bad epidemiology.

In a 2007 press release about later research by Harpending, the school acknowledged his 2005 paper had created a stir and that critics had questioned the quality of the science.

Harpending continued to speak, though, including at white supremacist conferences, about his also inaccurate ideas that black people are genetically prone to be lazy. His profile on the Southern Poverty Law Centers page lists him as a white nationalist and an extremist who believed in eugenics.

In other words, as an anthropologist looking around the world, he said in 2009 at the Preserving Western Civilization conference, what I see is that men work and produce things when theyre forced into it, and when theyre not, they quit. And Im thinking about, you know tribes in central Africa, but you know its true in Baltimore too, right?

His obituary noted he came to Utah from Pennsylvania State University after earning his doctorate at Harvard.

Stephens, who is Jewish, ultimately argues in his column that theres a cultural not genetic explanation for Jewish genius, stemming from Judaisms religious tradition of encouraging believers to not only observe and obey but also discuss and disagree. He also believes group members became more innovative and creative by typically being in the minority wherever theyve lived.

His original mention of the study read: The common answer is that Jews are, or tend to be, smart. When it comes to Ashkenazi Jews, its true. Ashkenazi Jews have the highest average I.Q. of any ethnic group for which there are reliable data, noted one 2005 paper. During the 20th century, they made up about 3 percent of the U.S. population but won 27 percent of the U.S. Nobel science prizes and 25 percent of the ACM Turing awards. They account for more than half of world chess champions.

That data on awards is not technically wrong, though it broadly counts anyone as Jewish who has a grandparent with ancestry in the faith.

Stephens mentioned Albert Einstein and Franz Kafka and Karl Marx as prime examples of Jewish intelligence, before asking: How is it that a people who never amounted to even one-third of 1 percent of the worlds population contributed so seminally to so many of its most pathbreaking ideas and innovations?

His use of the paper is just stunning, Kennedy told The Tribune, saying the study was obviously a main tenet of Stephens argument, and not a minor point, like the editors note suggests. I think it should have been killed before it ever got published.

In the later edits, all references to Ashkenazi Jews (which also appeared in two other places in the column) were removed. Many have questioned why Stephens referred to Ashkenazi Jews at all if he didnt agree with the paper and was generally talking about Jewish culture, and not superiority.

What was even the point of the column? Spiro asked. Its confusing.

Stephens joined The Times in 2017, after winning a Pulitzer Prize for his work at The Wall Street Journal in 2013 and serving as editor in chief of The Jerusalem Post. He has previously come under fire for bullying a professor who called him a bedbug.

Some have called for his resignation, particularly liberal readers who disagree with his more conservative pieces, but Kennedy believes the Jewish genius piece is a new low. The associate professor, who teaches ethics in journalism at Northeastern, said the commentary needed more than an editors note about the concerns raised.

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A New York Times column on 'Jewish genius' draws criticism for linking to a debunked University of Utah study - Salt Lake Tribune

Contact: Camille Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.Nine Mississippi State College of Education graduates are being recognized as outstanding teacher interns for the fall 2019 semester.

Nominated by their classroom mentor teachers, the award honorees are selected based on their resourcefulness, initiative and effectiveness. They also have demonstrated outstanding teaching performance, professionalism and a high level of commitment to the teaching profession, while completing their teaching interns at various public school systems throughout Mississippi and beyond.

All fall graduates, the honorees include (by hometown):

CANTON, GeorgiaRachel Morley, an elementary education/middle school major, completed her teaching internship in the Louisville Municipal School District at Louisville Elementary.

CARTHAGEBrooke OMalley Stuart, a secondary education/English major, completed her teaching internship in the Scott County School District at Sebastopol Attendance Center and Scott Central Attendance Center.

CONEHATTATaylor Fulkerson, an elementary education/middle school major, completed her teaching internship in the Starkville Oktibbeha School District at Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary.

CORINTHHeather Marie Pannell, an elementary education/middle school major, completed her teaching internship in the Corinth School District at Corinth Elementary.

DALLAS, TexasZara Mishler, an elementary education/middle school major, completed her teaching internship in the Frisco Independent School District at Clark Middle School in Frisco, Texas.

FAIRHOPE, AlabamaZoey Gibson, a special education major, completed her teaching internship in the Starkville Oktibbeha School District at Armstrong Middle School and Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary.

HOULKAJ.T. Washington, a kinesiology/physical education and coaching major, completed his teaching internship in the Houston School District at Houston Upper Elementary and Houston Middle School.

HOUSTONSydney Ramirez, a music education/vocal major, completed her teaching internship in the Starkville Oktibbeha School District at Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary and Starkville High School.

KILNJadyn Saucier, a special education major, completed her teaching internship in the West Point Consolidated School District at South Side Elementary and West Point High School.

Established in 1903, MSUs College of Education is home to six academic departments, one research unit and numerous service units. For more about the college, visit http://www.educ.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippis leading university, available online at http://www.msstate.edu.

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MSU College of Education recognizes outstanding teacher interns - Mississippi State Newsroom

Todays regional news: Reflections on Putins career; an anguishing prisoner swap; more legal trouble for Hungarys MOL; Sputnik out of Estonia; and Polish education policy. 2 January 2020

It Was 20 Years Ago Today ...

The anniversary of Vladimir Putins stunning accession to the Russian presidency is prompting plenty of retrospectives. On New Years Eve 1999, Russias increasingly erratic President Boris Yeltsin told the nation he was resigning so that political rookie Putin, only recently named prime minister, could take power. Ahead of the March 2000 elections which returned him for a full term, Putin delivered a powerful message: Russians have had no sense of stability for the past 10 years. We hope to return this feeling, he said, Moscow-based journalist and author Marc Bennetts writes for Politico. During his first two terms especially, he seemed capable of delivering. The economy provided the stage for some of his greatest successes. Inflation began a decade-long fall and trade ballooned as the energy sector flourished, according to an RFE/RL data report. Putins approval ratings hovered between 70 and 80 percent throughout his first two terms, before sinking as the 2008 financial crisis set in but never falling below the mid-60s then shot to record highs after Russias intervention in Ukraine. On the down side, the Russian population continued to shrink and life expectancy for both men and women fell during his first term, although it has since recovered. Mens expected lifespan has increased by seven years since Putin took office, RFE says. According to Al Jazeera, critics respond that Putin and his allies failed to address Russia's most fundamental problems its dependence on energy exports, plummeting birth rates and industrial production, brain drain, an HIV/AIDS epidemic, and corruption.

Controversy Hits Ukraine Prisoner Swap

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy defended his difficult decision to include members of the now-disbanded Berkut police unit in a New Years prisoner swap with separatists. "If we hadnt exchanged Berkut fighters, we would not have returned our people living people," Zelenskiy told reporters after greeting released prisoners in Kyiv on 29 December, RFE writes. In the swap, agreed at last months meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany, separatists handed over 76 prisoners, and the government freed 124 prisoners, among them five Berkut officers charged with shooting unarmed demonstrators during the 2014 Euromaidan uprising against former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. The swap included two RFE contributors held by separatists since 2017. As the Kyiv Post reports, joy over the return of prisoners, some held for almost five years in the separatist Donbas region, was tempered by anger at Zelenskiys decision to free the Berkut officers. The country has to return its heroes but not at the price of diminishing the values for which these heroes fought, said Oleg Sentsov, the filmmaker who was freed from a Russian jail as part of a prisoner exchange in September.

Bribery Convictions for Hungarian Businessman, Former Croatian PM

The strained relations between Hungarys MOL energy group and the Croatian state hit a new low yesterday, as a Croatian court convicted MOL chief executive and chairman Zsolt Hernadi of bribery. Former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader - previously sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison for accepting a bribe from MOL as the company acquired almost 50 percent of Croatian oil company INA - had his sentence cut to six years for health reasons, Court president Ivan Turudic said, Reuters reports. The verdicts are not final and can be appealed. MOL released a statement denouncing the courts baseless accusations, Hungary Today reports, and noted a Budapest courts refusal to execute a European arrest warrant for Hernadi on concerns that his right to a fair trial in Croatia might be infringed. Sanader, who served from 2003 to 2009, has been tried or convicted of a raft of crimes, from war profiteering to siphoning off state funds.

Sputnik Shutters Estonian Bureau as Sanctions Bite

Russias Sputnik news agency announced yesterday it was closing its Estonian bureau after pressure from the authorities. The state-controlled agency said its 35 staff in Tallinn had resigned, The Moscow Times reports. Estonian authorities last fall froze the bureaus assets and said the bureau would have to leave its rented offices by the end of February, and in December warned that its staff could be prosecuted on the basis of EU sanctions against Russia. Russian state-controlled media have come under pressure in the Baltics in recent years. In May, Lithuania expelled the chief editor of Sputniks local bureau to Latvia, where he holds citizenship, and banned him from re-entering Lithuania for five years. Dmitry Kiselyov, the head of Sputniks parent media group Rossiya Segodnya, is on the EUs list of individuals subject to sanctions for violating Ukraines territorial integrity, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reports. Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu told ERR that Estonias actions against Sputnik were financial sanctions only. The authorities have not taken measures against the portals media content, he said.

PiS Education Policy Comes Under Renewed Criticism

Polands ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) began reconstructing the primary and secondary education system three years ago, in part to reverse changes it said were undermining traditional educational values. Now, a parent group plans to file a collective lawsuit against the state for damaging the prospects of its children, Balkan Insight writes. The nationalist governments most dramatic change was the elimination of gymnasia, academically-oriented three-year schools introduced in 1999 as a step between primary and high school. PiS cited cases of aggression and misbehavior among gymnasia students as proof that the institutions were dysfunctional, Balkan Insight says. In their place, the government brought back eight-year primary schools. The introduction of gymnasia had also been controversial, but by the 2010s, excellent results on the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) student skills tests convinced many the new system was working, Wojciech Kosc wrote for TOL. The parents opposed to PiSs educational policies also say high schools are now overcrowded as they try to accommodate both the last crop of gymnasia students and those coming directly from primary school.

Compiled by Ky Krauthamer

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Around the Bloc - 2 January - Transitions Online

Caldwell University in Essex County has agreed to pay the United States more than $4.8 million to resolve its role in a scheme to defraud a federal education benefit program for veterans, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced Friday.

"Caldwell University tried to hoodwink the Department of Veterans Affairs and, worse, veterans themselves, by claiming to offer online classes developed and provided by Caldwell that were in fact marked-up offerings by an online correspondence school, Carpenito said in a statement. "Our veterans should never be treated this way, and we will continue to work to ensure that they receive all of the benefits that they deserve as a result of their service to the country.

Under a deal marketed by Ed4Mil, a Pennsylvania-based company, veterans could use their Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition benefits to enroll in online courses offered by Caldwell, authorities said. The bill was designed specifically to help veterans who served in the armed forces following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The online classes were not offered by Caldwell University or taught by the universitys staff, according to court documents. Instead, they were low-cost correspondence courses that were not eligible for the GI Bill.

But Caldwell University submitted false claims for payment for the courses to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from Jan. 1, 2011 through Aug. 8, 2013, Carpenito said. The agency administers the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

Three people previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to the scheme, federal prosecutors said.

Lisa DiBisceglie, the former associate dean of the office of external partnerships at Caldwell, and Helen Sechrist, a former employee of Ed4Mil, pleaded guilty in 2017 in federal court in Newark to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

The womens guilty pleas followed the indictment of David Alvey, 40, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the founder and president of Ed4Mil, one year earlier.

Alvey was sentenced on June 4, 2018, to five years in prison and DiBisceglie and Sechrist were each sentenced on June 5, 2018, to three years of probation, according to the statement. The trio were also ordered to pay $24 million in restitution.

Ed4Mil falsely claimed on government applications that the classes offered to the veterans were approved Caldwell classes and not correspondence courses taught by an online company, according to court documents.

The government was charged between $4,500 and $26,000 per course, instead of the $600 to $1,000 per course the correspondence company charged for the same classes, federal prosecutors said.

The $24 million in tuition benefits collected through the GI Bill was allegedly paid to Caldwell University, which then turned over between 85 percent and 90 percent of the money to Ed4Mil, according to court documents.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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N.J. university will pay millions for role in defrauding government program for veterans - NJ.com

Despite the controversies in Maszlee Maliks tenure, a large number of Malaysians have banded together to urge Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to reinstate him as education minister.

Maszlee publicly resigned from his post on Thursday (Jan 2), after consultation with the PM.

Just hours after the announcement, an online petition on change.org titled Keep YB Maszlee Malik as Minister of Education Malaysia was started by a netizen identified only as Tuah Kencana.

In less than 24 hours, it had already garnered 297,977 signatures.

According to a translation by the Malay Mail, Tuah wrote in the petition that Maszlees contributions and efforts were shadowed by unfavourable reportssensationalised by parties with a vested interest.

The decision to resign is a huge loss to the nation, the petitioner wrote. Representing community groups, we request that YB Prime Minister, as the foremost statesman, to reinstate Maszlee Malik to shoulder responsibilities as Malaysias education minister.

The petition reportedly had an initial target of 75,000 signatures, but this was later increased to 500,000, after it crossed the 100,000 mark at 9pm on Thursday, and then the 200,000 mark an hour later.

Possible replacements for Maszlee

In a separate report, Malay Mail also cited sources as saying that former Umno minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed andBersatu secretary-general Datuk Marzuki Yahaya were both likely replacements for Maszlee.

Mustapa was also said to be Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysias favourite candidate, Malay Mail reported.

Maszlee, who was appointed education minister in 2018,wasreported by The Staras saying in a media conference that he was subject to public criticism over issues that were played up, despite the successes his ministry had.

I have been seen to be the cause of many crises, including the Jawi calligraphy issue, Internet at schools and the free breakfast programme.

However, I believe I have placed a foundation and a clear framework for the ministry to follow, The Star reported him as saying.

Meanwhile, The Star quoted Prime Minister Dr Mahathir as saying that he was thankful for Maszlees service, and will announce his successor soon.

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Less than a day after resigning, almost 300,000 people have petitioned for Maszlee to return as Education Minister - Business Insider

FILE - In this May 20, 2013 file photo, graduates pose for photographs during commencement at Yale ... [+] University in New Haven, Conn. There's still plenty of pomp and circumstance, inspiring words from lofty speakers and tossing tassels, but today's college graduation ceremonies include many a contemporary twist. In 1984, according to some estimates, only half of graduates had debt from college loans, averaging about $2,000. Now, two-thirds of recent bachelor's degree recipients have outstanding student loans, with an average debt of about $27,000, according to a Pew Research Center report. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

As 2020 dawns, here a few items from education, higher education and education technology that are moving, and moving enough to develop into trends for next year and beyond. It is less a prediction list than a dont be too surprised if list.

Less Transparency in LMS

Investors and shareholders are negotiating a proposed sale of Canvas, the market leader in learning management systems (LMS) the integrated online platforms that manage classroom and college activities for teachers, students and administrators. A private equity interest wants to take over the public company, making it private.

If that sale happens, the top three LMS companies, controlling 80% of the multi-billion dollar market, will be private. Blackboard, the second-leading provider with about 31% share, went from public to private when it was bought by an equity fund in 2011.

Since these investment houses arent dumb the proposed Canvas sale is reportedly worth $2 billion we can assume theres profit to be made in the LMS game. And since private investors disclose less than public ones, schools, especially public and non-profit schools, will have to decide how comfortable they are feeding an increasingly murky, speculative market. So, dont be surprised if college boards and presidents start asking more questions about these private investors and start shifting to more open source options or move to cut out the middleman entirely and launch their own, proprietary LMS systems.

Campus Tech Will Get Even More Creepy

This year, we started to see stories about what campus education technology can do track were on campus students are or are not, for example. And thats just the start.

Systems exist already that can track where a student is on campus and alert them, and school leaders, if theyre spending too much time in the cafeteria, for example. Connected campus tech can and will try to remind students to review specific materials while theyre already in the library or give them turn by turn directions to the four of their classmates congregating in a study room.

Existing systems can also scan the faces of students while theyre in class, assess their eye movements and alert the teacher when a student is losing interest, producing engagement scores for both students and teachers.

If they dont already, schools will soon know how much a student studied, where, with whom and how much they paid attention in class. Information like that can help schools prevent falling behind, dropouts and more serious consequences. So, dont be surprised if tech companies convince some schools to quietly pilot these technologies, raising fierce objections from just about everyone or so we should hope.

The Beginning of the End of For-Profits

Its been a bad year for for-profit colleges. More high-profile closures, more fines and settlements for fraud, continued bad outcomes and accelerating, deep declines in enrollments. In that climate, several for-profits sought exits. But those exits havent been clear.

For-profit Kaplan University sold itself to public Purdue University for one dollar and a healthy management deal. But the early returns show the venture losing money, likely poisoning the well for similar public or non-profit buyouts, even for a dollar.

Other for-profits have tried to convince the IRS they are actually non-profit schools by selling the school to a non-profit company they own, then hiring themselves to manage the school. But recently, the Department of Education ruled that was not going to work and ordered one school to stop calling itself a non-profit. So that cynical exit is cluttered too.

With dwindling exit options, continued bad press and a drag on online education, 2020 looks dark and dank for the for-profits. With a presidential election that could replace Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the patron saint of for-profit colleges, 2021 and beyond could be even worse. So, dont be surprised if the remaining for-profit colleges simply wind down or radically shift their business models to lightly regulated overseas education or workforce training and get out of the accredited degree market altogether.

Online Education Limits

Colleges have been living on online education milking it for profit margins to pay their bills and using it eek out enrollment growth in an otherwise flat or falling pool of perspective students. And while online learning is still growing, its slowing down. Online enrollment growth is below 2% annually now.

Added to slowing growth is that online students are increasingly taking online programs from schools closer and closer to home. In 2019, 67% of online college students enroll at schools within 50 miles of their residence, that number was 44% in 2012. That localization means a school with online programs based in New Mexico, as an example, is increasingly less likely to attract students from elsewhere, but more likely to get their local share.

Third, and related, the number of adult learners going to school continues to slide. Enrollments by students older than 24 were down nearly 3% in 2019 and its been in decline since 2011. Since older students tend to favor online learning settings that fit their life and career demands, fewer of them means fewer potential online students.

So, dont be surprised if online programs start to lose their luster as growth engines for schools. They probably wont fade just yet but the slow down, declining pool and increased local competition may reduce their investment appeal, slowing them down even further.

Coding/Tech Skill Models Go to College

It was not too long ago that coding and software bootcamps the short, highly intensive learn-to-code technology programs were the rage of education, the new model for fast, career-ready education. They sprang up like weeds. Many have closed, pivoted or are still searching for funding formulae that work.

That does not mean the education is bad, the model of a stand-alone, for-profit coding camp was. This year, new models emerged. For example, MakeSchool, which started as a college replacement because computer science degrees didnt teach many skills relevant to their careers, has now partnered with an accredited college to offer a Bachelors Degree in computer science.

Thats not a failure, thats smart because colleges have valuable things coding camps never did alternative revenue streams, existing students, community credibility, brand awareness and rent-free teaching space. And coding camps had an up-to-date sexiness that colleges were thought to lack. So, dont be surprised if bootcamps continue to diminish as colleges completely co-opt their programs through partnerships or white label providers like GreenFig.

Those trends feel like safe bets for 2020 but, obviously, no one knows. Less safe bets but still plausible developments for 2020 include the major college cheating scandal-in-waiting and more states moving to make college free. Implausible ones, like the public realizing that student debt is not a crisis, seem too far-fetched to even imagine. But by any neutral definition, 2019 we a very eventful year in education, 2020 looks to be no different.

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Dont Be Surprised If These Five Things Happen In Education In 2020 - Forbes