It's not every year that a new Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, becomes a household name, satirized on Saturday Night Live, never mind being the most unpopular member of a historically unpopular cabinet. But we live in interesting times and the nations' schools and colleges are no exception. Here's a glimpse of what's to come in 2018.

  • The extended effects of school closures due to natural disasters in Florida, Texas, California and Puerto Rico will continue to be felt this spring and in the coming school year. Considering scientific forecasts of climate change, there is no reason to believe that the pace of disasters will slow. How can schools respond?
  • Over the last year we've seen many for-profit colleges shutting down, merging or selling for a dollar. It will be interesting to see whether this continues despite the friendly regulatory environment from the Department of Education and Republican lawmakers.
  • Big changes may be coming to student loans, and colleges in general, with the Higher Education Act now in the House. The bill is a long way from becoming law, but right now it includes fewer loan programs, lower limits and an end to forgiveness programs such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Plus, there is support for quicker, cheaper, career programs focused on job training.

Read the full article about the biggest education stories of 2018 by Anya Kamenetz at npr.org.