Obama: Spare education from budget cuts
In his State of the Union address on Jan. 25, President Obama called for more investment in education, innovation, and infrastructure—setting up a showdown between his administration and Republicans in Congress who are seeking billions of dollars in cuts to domestic spending.
Rep. Rand Paul unveils $500 billion in federal budget cuts
The freshman Republican congressman, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) would nearly eliminate the Department of Education and do away with the Energy Department, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Education group to push for funding
Higher-education supporters have formed another new group that aims to pressure the Legislature to be more generous with education funding, reports the Seattle Times.
Verizon to offer $30/month unlimited data plan for iPhone
You’ll be able to get unlimited data with the upcoming Verizon iPhone, carrier execs have confirmed. Meanwhile, word has it that Verizon may nix a cheaper, capped 3G data plan, Yahoo News reports.
Google makes ed-tech splash with apps marketplace
Google opened an Apps Marketplace for educators Jan. 25, creating an online repository filled with learning management system (LMS) software, web-based grade books, and other content that could be shared among an entire school district or college campus with the click of a button.
Public universities relying more on tuition than state money
In most states, it is now tuition payments, not state appropriations, that cover most of the budget, the New York Times reports.
For-profit college group sues over regulations
A group representing for-profit colleges and trade schools filed a federal lawsuit Friday against the U.S. Department of Education seeking to block new regulations of the sector, the Associated Press reports.
Google awards $100 million to Eric Schmidt
Google says it has awarded $100 million worth of equity to outgoing CEO Eric Schmidt, the Associated Press reports.
Facebook raises $1.5 billion
If you thought Groupon’s $950 million was big, hold on to your hats. Facebook has announced that it has raised $1.5 billion in funding at a $50 billion valuation, reports ReadWriteWeb.
How Google’s leadership shakeup could affect education
Google Inc.’s announcement last week that co-founder Larry Page would replace CEO Eric Schmidt might be appealing to educators who long for the company’s free-wheeling days, but educational technology leaders said a less structured, more risk-taking approach might make some ed-tech chiefs hesitant to embrace Google’s education services.