Eric Kelderman
@erickelderman.bsky.social
Senior Writer for @chronicle Baseball fan (#NATITUDE) Des Moines, IA native Trombonist He/Him/His Tell me your story: eric.kelderman@chronicle.com Signal: ekelderman.88
In this week's Teaching newsletter: Grading is one of the hardest parts of teaching. One Purdue educator says collaborative grading has made the process more transparent for students and more rewarding for him. Have you tried an alternative to points-based grading? https://chroni.cl/4hPI6yo
How Collaborative Grading Is Designed to Motivate Students
One instructor found a different approach that puts the emphasis on setting goals students want to achieve.
chroni.cl
Vassar’s proposed $5-million settlement goes beyond back pay. If approved, it would require annual independent pay-equity audits, clearer compensation criteria, and compliance reporting — changes that could resonate across faculty governance and HR offices. https://chroni.cl/4xhPSFR
Vassar Agrees to $5-Million Fund to Settle Suit Claiming Women Were Paid Less
Five female professors sued the college in 2023 alleging systemic gender-based discrimination. Under a proposed agreement, the money would be used to compensate 84 full professors.
chronicle.com
Paul Toboni and co. deserve the chance to build a foundation without the burden of what happened before they arrived. And yet fans can — should? — be tired of rooting for a team that trades some of its best players every summer. Wrote about the deadline: www.notus.org/sports/natio...
The Nationals’ Confusing Trade Deadline
Monday’s trade of pitcher Foster Griffin capped a busy deadline for the Nats, and left fans wondering where the team is headed.
notus.org
www.chronicle.com/article/what... The lawsuit claims to offer the most revealing picture yet of a flurry of policy changes at Texas A&M, which began with a November rule against advocating “race ideology,” “gender ideology,” and “topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity.
‘What Are We Even Doing Here?': New Lawsuit Challenges Ban on Race and Gender Topics at Texas A&M
Plaintiffs included four faculty members whose courses were canceled or not offered.
chronicle.com
www.chronicle.com/article/purd...
Purdue’s Mitch Daniels Warns Against Conditioning Research Grants on Reforms
Daniels, who is back at the university as its interim leader, believes higher ed should change but says government pressure can risk harming “the advantages of the world’s best research.”
chronicle.com
The Nationals haven't spent much time internally on offers for CJ Abrams, according to a person familiar with their thinking. This doesn't explicitly rule it out. But the above corroborates league-wide sentiment that Abrams is unlikely to be moved. www.nytimes.com/athletic/liv...
Nats not spending much time on CJ Abrams offers (Gift Article)
The Washington Nationals haven't spent much time internally discussing offers for CJ Abrams, according to a person familiar with their thinking who was granted anonymity to freely discuss the club’s o...
nytimes.com
www.chronicle.com/liveblog/her...
Trump Has Released a New ‘Call to Action’ for Universities. 4 College Presidents Helped Draft It.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter Monday imploring colleges to adopt a series of familiar-sounding reforms — this time, in partnership with leaders in the Association of American Univers...
chronicle.com
The Luis García trade is a clear win for an organization that needs pitching, pitching, pitching (now and in the future). But for Nats fans, what’s strategically sound can also be emotionally fraught. My latest for @notus.com: www.notus.org/sports/luis-...
So Long, Luis García Jr. (And Hello to Four New Arms.)
On Sunday, the Nats traded García, their longest-tenured player, to the Yankees for four right-handed pitchers.
notus.org
An initiative on the ballot in Washington state in November would require all athletes seeking to play girl's sports from kindergarten to high school to undergo "genetic screening, a testosterone-levels test, or an examination of their reproductive anatomy" before they can play
Rufo was "supplying policy blueprints and social-media firepower for an ambitious conservative overhaul. In return, FL became Rufo’s proving ground, elevating the up-and-coming activist into one of the movement’s most influential cheerleaders." www.chronicle.com/article/flor...
Florida’s Great Conservative Crack-Up
In the behind-the-scenes effort to install Stuart Bell as the flagship’s new president, Gov. Ron DeSantis played a starring role — to the chagrin of his onetime allies.
chronicle.com
"The legislation would block the department from transferring special education and functions of the offices of Elementary and Secondary Education, Postsecondary Education and Indian Education to other federal agencies." www.politico.com/newsletters/...
The Senate hiccup to Trump’s Education breakup
House Republicans blessed the Trump administration’s Education Department breakup. Those prayers likely won’t be answered in the Senate.
politico.com
ProPublica obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing. From the archives:
The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax
ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, ev...
propublica.org
I haven’t lived in Des Moines for 40 years, but I still expect to run into someone I know when I’m visiting
67 boat strikes 221 people killed EXCLUSIVE: Operation Southern Spear has not reduced the volume, availability, purity or price of cocaine arriving in the U.S., according to an internal DEA assessment and a closed-door Pentagon briefing for senators, and has made enforcement more difficult
67 boat strikes. 221 dead. The cocaine hasn’t slowed, officials report.
The president says Operation Southern Spear has virtually ended drug trafficking by sea. Pentagon and DEA analysts have concluded otherwise.
washingtonpost.com
NEW: In a stunning admission, the Trump administration admitted in court documents that it canceled billions in energy grants to states "based solely" on politics -- and whether that state was represented by Democrats and backed Harris in 2024. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...
Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him
Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.
nytimes.com
Somewhere in southern Wisconsin, on the way to Iowa
As students struggle, California faculty say they want the SAT back. Would that solve anything? https://chroni.cl/4gTMFHF
The Endlessly Divisive SAT
Listen to The Endlessly Divisive SAT from College Matters from The Chronicle wherever you get your podcasts!
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It's been a year since Columbia signed its historic deal with the Trump administration. What's higher ed learned from its example? (For one thing, no one else signed anything as comprehensive or expensive.) By @erickelderman.bsky.social, Shea Vance and me: www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
The Long Shadow of Columbia’s Deal With Trump
A year later, enforcement is uneven and suspicions remain.
chronicle.com
