Education

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - On the heels of the worst recession since the great depression, many Ohioans are having a hard time repaying their student loans.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Ohio's default rate for student loans was 8.5 percent as of Sept. 30, 2010 - making Ohio's the 18th-highest rate out of 54 U.S. states and territories ranked by the U.S. Department of Education.

Ohio's for-profit colleges saw the highest rate of students unable to pay back loans. American School of Technology in central Ohio had the highest rate of 22 percent.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio is exploring how to take advantage of President Barack Obama's plan to let states opt out of parts of the federal No Child Left Behind law.

State schools Superintendent Stan Heffner says Ohio is reviewing details from the U.S. Department of Education.

The 2001 law sought to hold schools more accountable for student performance and require better qualified teachers. But it has grown increasingly unpopular as more schools risk being labeled failures.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio State University is rebuilding its database of people who are texted about campus emergencies, so parents who want to keep being notified will have to have students put them back into the system.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Ohio State is starting a new brand new list so alerts will stop going to thousands of graduates across the country. University Director of Emergency Management Bob Armstrong says if there are too many people, there's a greater chance of slowing the system and delaying urgent messages.

The September 2011 installment of SOCHE TALKS featuring Jeff Firestone, from the University of Dayton on Flyer Enterprise.

The SOCHE Talks are a collaboration with the Southwest Ohio Council for Higher Education. In this monthly series we’ll hear from faculty and staff from areas colleges and universities on a wide variety of subjects. It's an effort to bring Miami Valley research and thinking into the public arena – a way to enlighten the world with local knowledge.