Author: Nola Jones

Millions of high school students receive invitations from the National Society of High School Scholars every year when they check their mailboxes, or more likely, their email inboxes. The promise of recognition among the top students in more than 26,000 high schools across 170 countries is noteworthy, the letter is formal, and the language is flattering. The initial response is pride for a lot of students and their parents. Suspicion comes in second, not far behind. It’s worth taking a moment to sit with that tension. NSHSS was established in 2002, and the organization doesn’t back down from its co-founder’s…

An amber warning was the first. When the red one arrived, the decisions spread like dominoes throughout Buckinghamshire in a matter of hours. Parents throughout the county were quietly rearranging their workdays, checking school websites, and refreshing emails by Wednesday morning. In Buckinghamshire, more than 125 schools and colleges had either completely closed or shortened the day. This wasn’t due to snow or a gas leak, but rather to the heat in the classrooms. That fact makes me feel a little uneasy. For many years, Britain has constructed schools without air conditioning, believing that a truly hazardous summer day only…

Every school’s narrative has a point where purpose and reality collide. where the wall-mounted mission statement either has meaning or does not. That moment seems to arrive frequently at Waverley Park School, which is located in Invercargill’s eastern suburbs, and the school seems to be meeting it most of the time. Students in Years 1 through 6 are served by the school, which draws from Glengarry’s unique community. It’s not a private school with waiting lists and well-kept grounds. It is a coeducational, contributing state school without boarding facilities, and it operates with the kind of unambiguous purpose that frequently…

On the morning of October 17, 2018, Kerch Polytechnic College’s hallways were typical. Pupils made their way to class on foot. Workers became accustomed to their routines. Kerch, a port town on Crimea’s easternmost point, moved at its customary leisurely pace. Then, at approximately 10:02 a.m., Vladislav Roslyakov, an 18-year-old fourth-year student, entered the college and opened fire. Twenty people had died and seventy-three had been injured by the time it was over. Teenagers made up the majority of the victims. This was meticulously planned by Roslyakov. He was seen legally buying 150 rounds of ammunition for the 12-gauge shotgun…

Observing a school get ready to close has a subtle unnerving quality. It was a slow, institutional exhale, neither dramatic nor abrupt. That’s what’s happening at Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s Glenwood Elementary School, which will have its final academic year in 2026–2027. The neighborhood is still figuring out how to react to the closing of a location that has hosted children’s energy and noise since 1953. It was a unanimous decision. After more than 70 years of operation, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools board unanimously decided on June 4 to close Glenwood. By all accounts, it was the conclusion of…

When discussing the financial situation of American higher education, a figure that frequently comes up is not the $1.7 trillion in outstanding student loan debt that is already widely discussed. The number is 583. Between January and May of 2025, about that number of Federal Student Aid employees vanished. These individuals were responsible for managing repayment systems, supervising loan servicers, operating borrower websites, and identifying mistakes before they became serious problems. Many in the field had suspicions but were unable to substantiate them, but a new inspector general report published on Tuesday provided actual numbers. In just a few months,…

A university that began as a mechanics classroom, produced astrophysics research, produced Olympic athletes, and once had Queen’s lead guitarist as its chancellor is quietly impressive. In UK higher education, Liverpool John Moores University doesn’t always make the biggest news. However, it’s difficult to avoid feeling that the location is somewhat underappreciated if you spend any time observing what it’s actually doing. The Liverpool Mechanics’ School of Arts, which was established in 1823, was founded on the straightforward but impactful principle that education shouldn’t be restricted to a select few. Really, that ethos has never gone away. More than 200…

Entering a university campus for the first time and attempting to envision the next three or four years of your life in a place you have never visited can be a little nerve-racking. The structures seem excessively big. The students passing by seem overconfident. Additionally, the information sessions can occasionally feel like a sales pitch disguised as advice due to their polished speeches and well-organized slides. Loughborough University appears to be aware of this, which may explain why its open days feel more like formal introductions than recruitment events. The two main September dates for Loughborough’s 2026 open days are…

Every June, there are a few days when college baseball subtly takes over and professional baseball becomes a little quieter. It all revolves around Omaha, Nebraska. The Charles Schwab Field is filled. The bracket becomes tighter. And somewhere in the mayhem of double-elimination baseball, an unexpected tale comes to light. Oklahoma was that story this year, and it’s one that’s worth telling from beginning to end. Eight teams competed in a double-elimination format during the 2026 College World Series, which took place from June 12 to June 22. The final two teams faced off in a best-of-three championship series. West…

Open days at universities are associated with a certain kind of anxious energy. Parents holding printed maps, prospective students walking a bit too cautiously, everyone acting casually while discreetly making one of the most important decisions of their lives. The same vibe permeates the University of Bristol’s open days in 2026; in fact, Bristol’s location makes them feel a little more intense than most. This year, the university has already hosted two open days, which will take place at the Tyndall Avenue campus on Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Subject talks,…