Anya Kamenetz

"The Star Spangled Banner" turns 200 this year, and the attention it's been getting is again a reminder of how difficult it is for many Americans to sing our national anthem.

Not so for the French, who have "La Marseillaise," composed by Claude Joseph ...

In New York City's East Village, there are a number of hole-in-the-wall spots that advertise sushi at 50 percent off. But I can never bring myself to sample the goods. We're talking about a delicacy flown in from around the world. Marking it down drastically just doesn't sit right. ...

Under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Corinthian Colleges will put 85 of its U.S. campuses up for sale and close the remaining dozen. The for-profit college chain operates campuses under the names Heald, Everest and WyoTech. It has more than 70,000 students across North America. It's ...

When students at Purdue University are reading their homework assignments, sometimes the assignments are reading them too.

A software program called Course Signals tracks various pieces of information, including the number of points earned in the course and the amount of time the student has spent logged in ...

Even if your grandpa didn't walk uphill to school both ways, or have to break the ice on the bucket before fetching a drink with the dipper, you probably have iconic images in your mind of the one-room schoolhouse. It's a storied piece of America's past dating back to the ...

Jackson Ellis will soon head to fourth grade. Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, he's been receiving publicly funded services since he was 15 months old. Jackson's mother, Rebecca Ellis, a single parent, has made education advocacy her career. She's fighting to make sure her son gets the help he needs ...

One of the last two Supreme Court decisions of this term was billed as a potential "final destruction" or "kill shot" for public sector unions. They seem to have been merely nicked by a bullet.

Harris v. Quinn is a class action suit brought by a group of ...

Jeff Hellmer is an accomplished jazz pianist who has taught music at the University of Texas at Austin for 27 years. He thinks of himself as more than a teacher, though: "What I would like to do with my teaching is be an ambassador for jazz."

This past spring, in ...

Imagine the lede in the campus newspaper:

The Eagles swept to a win last night in 100 hours of tournament gameplay. Tabbz made the absolute best usage of the shields and heals that were available to him. Froggen went for utility and pushing power, while Nyph's black shields were near ...

"Free" is a word with a powerful appeal. And right now it's being tossed around a lot, followed by another word: "college."

A new nonprofit, Redeeming America's Promise, announced this week that it will seek federal support to make public colleges tuition-free. That effort is inspired by "Hope" ...

Starbucks has announced a partnership with Arizona State University to help employees finish their degrees through online courses. Anya Kamenetz of NPR's new education team, and author of Generation Debt: Why Now is a Terrible Time to be Young (Riverhead Trade, 2006), talks about the deal and what it means for Starbucks, their workers, and the future of higher education.

Starbucks Coffee Co. today announces an unusually large tuition reimbursement for employees. It's in partnership with Arizona State University's highly ranked online program.

Starbucks employees who sign up for ASU's online courses as freshmen or sophomores will get a partial scholarship plus need-based financial aid; entering juniors and ...

Our public media colleagues over at KPCC, Southern California Public Radio, have a fascinating two-part report on the efforts of schools in the Los Angeles area to address the effects of "toxic stress" on student learning.

"As researchers work to solve one of the most persistent problems ...

This week, NPR Ed's Eric Westervelt visited a special education classroom in New York City where iPads are being used in a novel way. Students with a range of severe disabilities, including developmental, mental, physical and autism spectrum disorders, are using apps alongside traditional instruments to help express themselves ...

Summertime means summer jobs for many college students. But, as we discussed today on All Things Considered, a summer job just doesn't have the purchasing power it used to, especially when you compare it to the cost of college.

Let's take the example of a working-class student at a four-year ...

President Obama made big news today for student loan borrowers. He said he'll use his executive power to expand a program called Pay As You Earn, which limits borrowers' monthly debt payments to 10 percent of their discretionary income. Under the program, loans don't just get less expensive; they ...