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CodeAI, formerly Code.org, has named OpenAI the 'Lead Partner' for its 2026 Hour of AI, a successor to its Hour of Code event, with Microsoft listed as a supporter. Microsoft is hosting a November 17th webinar for K-12 teachers to introduce a Minecraft-branded 'Hour of AI' experience, featuring speakers from its AI training and Minecraft Education marketing teams.
A new Gallup survey asking how important a college education is found 'very important' responses have fallen to less than a third, down from 70% in 2013. 'Not too important' responses rose roughly fivefold over the same period, from 6% to nearly 30%. Gallup reports the decline occurred across all demographic groups, including those historically most favorable to college, such as Democrats and groups with traditionally strong support.
The Department of Education posted an X image on October 27 showing students approaching a Hogwarts-like castle with a blonde girl in the foreground, captioned 'There's Magic in Learning!' and 'Make Education Great Again.' Online commentators, including Bulwark reporter Will Sommer, said the imagery matched the 'Malfoid' meme—a right-wing fan fiction trope built around a gender-swapped, blood-purity-obsessed version of Draco Malfoy.
Bank of America's 2026 Workplace Benefits Report finds small-business employees report lower financial confidence than workers at larger firms, with 56% saying they feel stressed about their finances. The report also lists staying competitive on pay and getting job offers accepted among small business owners' top concerns for the next five years.
Apple has increased the education price of the MacBook Neo to $649, just $50 below its standard retail price. The laptop launched at $599 with a $499 education price, but both prices rose by $100 in June, and the student discount has now shrunk further, putting it $150 above its original education price.
Apple has raised the MacBook Neo's Education Store starting price to $649, a $50 increase, after an earlier $100 bump in June. The entry configuration still includes 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM but lacks Touch ID, and the student discount off the regular $699 price is now only $50 instead of the previous $100.
A Nature commentary argues that short-term academic visits to China can help maintain scholarly collaboration amid wider geopolitical strain. The piece suggests such visits as a practical alternative when longer-term exchanges or partnerships face obstacles.
A former journalism professor writing for CNET describes how AI chatbots like ChatGPT have made grading homework nearly impossible, citing a UC Berkeley math professor who has stopped grading assignments because students rely on AI. The author recounts struggling to detect AI-generated writing in advanced communications courses and noting that students could pass most assignments with AI help, only faltering on tasks like live presentations that AI couldn't complete for them.
A UC Berkeley mathematics professor says the prevalence of students using AI tools to complete assignments has led them to conclude that grading homework no longer serves a useful purpose. The professor indicated this shift reflects difficulty verifying whether submitted work reflects a student's own understanding.
The writer, expecting his first child, reflects on Neil Postman's 1995 book The End of Education and historical predictions about technology replacing teachers, including Thomas Edison's 1913 claim that books would soon be obsolete. He revisits his own 2013 prediction that MOOCs would transform education and notes that institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton have persisted for centuries despite shifting purposes.
Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 ranking for 2026 spotlights children's enrichment franchises, a category spanning art, music and STEM education. School of Rock, founded in 1998 and franchising since 2005, ranked #154 overall with 449 units and 32.8% unit growth over three years, requiring an initial investment of $378,050 to $756,100. A newer entrant founded in 1999 and franchising since 2020 ranked #380 with 57 units, showing 418.2% growth over three years and a lower initial investment range of $149,268 to $294,110.
A Nature commentary argues that peer review should be taught explicitly as a core research skill rather than learned informally by osmosis. It proposes preprint journal clubs as a scalable method to give students and early-career researchers structured practice in evaluating scientific work before they review for journals.