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The Report
A newsletter from The Hechinger Report
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In today's edition: A little-known federal program to help students with special needs ([link removed]) . The NAEP results document large increases in students who lack basic skills ([link removed]) . A collection of must-reads on higher ed.
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Kim Brooks and her daughter, Zoe, spent months searching for college options but didn’t receive college counseling from the program that’s supposed to support students with disabilities. Credit: Yunuen Bonaparte for The Hechinger Report
There’s a half-billion-dollar federal program that is supposed to help students with disabilities get into the workforce when they leave high school, but most parents — and even some school officials — don’t know it exists ([link removed]) . As a result, hundreds of thousands of students who could be getting help go without it. New Jersey had the nation’s lowest proportion — roughly 2 percent — of eligible students receiving these services in 2023.

More than a decade ago, Congress recognized the need to help young people with disabilities get jobs, and earmarked funding for pre-employment transition services to help students explore and train for careers and send them on a pathway to independence after high school. Yet, today, fewer than 40 percent of people with disabilities ages 16 to 64 are employed, even though experts say most are capable of working.

At a time when Americans have made clear that access to training and good jobs is a top priority, a program that could be providing that for one of the nation’s most vulnerable populations is, in many states, serving a fraction of the students it should. When it does reach students, the programming is often inadequate, and states like New Jersey face almost no accountability for their shortcomings.

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Come together this March at SXSW EDU to join the brightest minds in education. Be part of the innovation creating a new tomorrow for learners everywhere. Get ready to be inspired with bold, new ideas and celebrate 15 years of impact with us March 3-6, 2025 in Austin, Texas. Learn more. ([link removed])
Higher Education Trends
Jon Marcus Senior higher education reporter Jon Marcus recently appeared ([link removed]) on the NPR radio show 1A to discuss the topic of college affordability.

We rounded up some of our most recent higher education coverage from Jon and others at Hechinger so you're up to date. And be sure to bookmark our interactive tool, Tuition Tracker ([link removed]) , which students can use to research colleges and universities before they apply.
* Fewer students and fewer dollars mean states face closing public universities and colleges ([link removed])
* The number of 18-year-olds is about to drop sharply, packing a wallop for colleges — and the economy ([link removed])
* ‘Easy to just write us off’: Rural students’ choices shrink as colleges slash majors ([link removed])

Reading List
Last week's newsletter had a broken link to the story below. Here is a corrected version ⬇️



** A researcher said the evidence on special education inclusion is flawed. Readers weighed in ([link removed])
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Clear solutions elude parents, teachers and researchers


** A dismal report card in math and reading ([link removed])
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2024 NAEP test results document large increases in students who lack basic skills


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What might happen if the Education Department were closed? ([link removed])
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The Trump administration has promised big changes, but the president can’t make them alone


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OPINION: Instead of panicking over test scores, let’s rethink how we measure learning and student success ([link removed])
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We could pause some tests and redirect resources toward more meaningful ways to promote and assess student learning


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What the White House pause on spending means for education ([link removed])
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President Donald Trump’s budget office said it wants agencies to comb budgets for spending on DEI, wokeness and the green new deal. The pause was rescinded, a day after it was temporarily blocked in court


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OPINION: We must acknowledge that students are asking for options beyond the four-year college degree ([link removed])
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It is time to expand the definition of college to include other high-quality pathways

⭐ Extra credit! You are allowed to repost or reprint our stories as long as you follow these guidelines ([link removed]) . Questions? Email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
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