Cable in the Classroom is pleased to present via podcast [MP3, 55MB], the January 17, 2006 edition of the U.S. Department of Education's Education News Parents Can Use.

Recent statistics are telling: about 80 percent of the fastest-growing jobs require postsecondary education, and on average, college graduates earn nearly twice as much as workers with only a high school diploma. In addition, our increasingly competitive global economy places even greater emphasis on the need for a college degree, as today’s jobs require advanced levels of skill and proficiency in math, science, and engineering. This episode focuses on ways we can ensure that all students gain access to a high quality postsecondary education and succeed once they get there. It addresses questions such as:

• What is the Secretary’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education and how is it working to improve and reform postsecondary education in the United States?
• Why is a college education more important than ever before? What federal, state and local strategies are helping us to meet this demand?
• How accessible is higher education? And how can we make it more affordable?
• How can we help students, especially minority youth, prepare for and succeed in college?
• When should parents and students start thinking about saving for college, and what programs and resources are available to help?
  

For more information about this program, please see the U.S. Department of Education's show notes.

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