Inside Higher Ed
NCTQ study gives teacher prep programs failing grades
By Lauren Ingeno

June 18, 2013 --� The vast majority of teacher education programs -- housed in universities and colleges across the United States -- are not sufficiently preparing future teachers to run their own classrooms, says a highly critical new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality. Like much of the group's previous work, the new study's methodology generated complaints from many education school leaders, even as they acknowledge that programs need to improve.

Inside Higher Ed
Universities Play Role in 2 Supreme Court Employment Law Rulings

June 25, 2013 -- By far the most significant higher education case out of the U.S. Supreme Court Monday was its affirmative action ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin (see our coverage here). But universities were parties in two other decisions by the justices as well, and while the issues at play were not specific to higher education, the rulings have implications for colleges as well as other employers. In both cases, the Supreme Court, divided 5 to 4, narrowly defined employees' rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. In Vance v. Ball State University, the majority endorsed a restrictive definition of which kinds of managers count as "supervisors" for purposes of defining discrimination that automatically can be ascribed to the employer.�

Inside Higher Ed
The Lights Are On ...
By Libby Nelson

June 18, 2013 -- The next few months should be a busy time for the U.S. Education Department. The administration is gearing up for several rounds of negotiations over possible new rules, including rewriting controversial regulations governing for-profit colleges. Congress is beginning the process of renewing the Higher Education Act. And in the days after President Obama won re-election, Education Secretary Arne Duncan promised an increased focus on higher education issues in the administration’s second term.

The Washington Post
Seeking Soft Skills: Employers Want Graduates Who Can Communicate, Think Fast, Work in Teams
By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (June 24, 2013) — They can get good grades, earn a diploma and breeze through that campus rite of spring, the job interview. But college graduates still might not land a decent job. The world’s top employers are pickier than ever. And they want to see more than high marks and the right degree.