Notes in the Margins: Recruiters, Pells and free community college

College football recruiters use Twitter to bend the rules The NCAA allows schools to confirm they're recruiting a specific unsigned prospect, but coaches can't comment on that recruit's athletic ability, how he'd contribute to their team or the likelihood that prospect might commit to a particular school. Some coaches and staffers are bending the rules, tweeting thinly veiled references to prospects without naming them. (Associated Press via Pioneer Press)

Pell Grant Surplus Still Growing, Costs Revised Lower The Congressional Budget Office provided a preliminary look at its 2014 budget estimates for the Pell Grant program today. Last year’s surprise funding surplus is still here, and it’s trending larger. (EdCentral)

College leaders unite, say no thanks to Obama college ratings They don’t like much of the proposed changes, they said in a letter to the president and Congress last week, arguing that the provisions could limit access for some low-income students and stifle efforts to innovate with a one-size-fits-all measure for college success. (Wisconsin State Journal via NAICU)

Tennessee Governor Urges 2 Free Years of Community College and Technical School Tennessee would be the only state in the country to charge no tuition or fees to incoming students under the proposal by Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, which policy analysts called a big step toward a better-educated work force. (The New York Times)

Oregon looks at free community college tuition Oregon lawmakers are back with a new idea to make college more affordable, after earning national attention with last year's proposal to allow free university tuition that would be repaid with graduates' future earnings. (Associated Press via University Business)

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