Ed-tech grant program aims to boost college readiness

The Next Gen Learning Challenges program, launched in late June and headed by nonprofit education technology supporter Educause, will aim to raise America's high school graduation rate - which hovers around 50 percent among Hispanic, African American, and low-income students - and ensure that college freshmen are ready for higher education without having to take non-credit-bearing remedial classes. The program's first set of goals includes combining online courses with traditional classroom curriculum, devising ways to measure students' learning progress using algorithms in real time, and expanding access to free online educational tools, according to the Next Gen web site. Next Gen's first grants, which will focus on postsecondary education, will be announced this fall and will range from tens of thousands to more than $1 million per grant, according to the site. The second wave of grants will be directed toward high schools.