Education 22 October 2025 - 5 May 2026

Compass Group Just Won a Major U.S. Campus Deal. Investors Are Watching the Bigger Test
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Compass Group Just Won a Major U.S. Campus Deal. Investors Are Watching the Bigger Test

Compass Group PLC scored a new U.S. outsourcing contract, with the University of Kentucky tapping the caterer’s North American division as its preferred provider for an extensive mix of campus, healthcare, and athletics services. Timing here isn’t random. The award lands just days after Compass, the world’s top caterer, bumped up its 2026 profit outlook—pointing to steady demand from clients across companies, hospitals, and universities fueling fresh contract wins. What’s more, this Kentucky deal isn’t simply about food; it’s exactly the type of bundled campus contract Compass now seeks out, spanning multiple services.
May 15, 2026
IISER Mohali Recruitment 2026: 40 Non-Teaching Jobs Open, Pune JRF Walk-In Deadline Nears
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IISER Mohali Recruitment 2026: 40 Non-Teaching Jobs Open, Pune JRF Walk-In Deadline Nears

Applications are open for 40 non-teaching positions at IISER Mohali, with candidates facing a June 15 cut-off if they’re eyeing administrative, technical, or support roles at the national science institute. According to recruitment summaries, the online portal went live May 3 and will shut at 5 p.m. on June 15. Timing’s crucial here: applicants are watching two IISER deadlines overlap. Mohali’s got a broader regular hiring round underway. Meanwhile, IISER Pune is lining up a walk-in interview for a single Junior Research Fellow on May 7—a common entry-level role for scientists just starting out.
May 5, 2026
Microsoft Targets Apple’s MacBook Neo With Free Xbox Controller, 365 Offer for Students
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Microsoft Targets Apple’s MacBook Neo With Free Xbox Controller, 365 Offer for Students

REDMOND, Washington, April 16, 2026, 08:42 Microsoft launched a new U.S. college deal Wednesday, offering students a year of Microsoft 365 Premium, a year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, plus a custom Xbox Wireless Controller with the purchase of select Windows 11 PCs. The company is looking to counter Apple’s recent push into affordable laptops for students. Consumer chief marketing officer Yusuf Mehdi called the promotion “more than $500 in added value” in a blog post, emphasizing there’s no additional cost for buyers.
April 16, 2026
Bermuda Draws Fresh Bets as Report Says Arcadian Lines Up Ex-Hamilton Re’s Gavin Davis, Virgin Voyages Adds Podcast Cruise
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Bermuda Draws Fresh Bets as Report Says Arcadian Lines Up Ex-Hamilton Re’s Gavin Davis, Virgin Voyages Adds Podcast Cruise

HAMILTON, Bermuda, March 27, 2026, 15:13 ADT. On Friday, The Insurer said Arcadian Risk Capital is bringing in ex-Hamilton Re exec Gavin Davis for a Bermuda property direct-and-facultative push—single-risk commercial covers. Virgin Voyages, for its part, plans an October cruise from New York to Bermuda with a podcast twist. The initiatives are unrelated, but both point to new capital and interest flowing into Bermuda's insurance and travel sectors.
March 27, 2026
BHP Group Ltd says Queensland coal returns are zero, shuts Mackay FutureFit Academy
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BHP Group Ltd says Queensland coal returns are zero, shuts Mackay FutureFit Academy

BHP Group Ltd’s coal joint venture told employees in a March 2 email, seen by Platts on March 4, that Queensland operations can’t “compete for investment”—returns are down to zero, the message said, pointing to steep royalties, higher costs, and unstable coal prices. The company is shutting down its FutureFit Academy in Mackay in its current form, planning to consolidate training out in Western Australia instead. Chair Ross McEwan spelled it out: “zero investment into Queensland.” For Queensland Resources Council chief Janette Hewson, coal royalties remain among the sector’s top worries. BHP’s half-year numbers are in: the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance posted an underlying return on capital employed of 0% for the six months to Dec. 31, 2025 — essentially flat
March 5, 2026
Pearson share price ends week higher — what PSON investors watch ahead of Feb 27 results
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Pearson share price ends week higher — what PSON investors watch ahead of Feb 27 results

London, February 15, 2026, 15:58 GMT — The market has closed. Pearson PLC finished Friday at 920 pence, gaining 1.75% for the session as the education stock wrapped up the week on a stronger note. Still, shares have slumped 31.6% over the last year and remain 12.4% lower since the start of the year. The 14-day RSI sat at 42.9, a reading some traders watch for signals on whether a stock’s overbought or oversold.
February 15, 2026
Which U.S. states really ban phones at school? A new report card ranks them as UK tightens rules
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Which U.S. states really ban phones at school? A new report card ranks them as UK tightens rules

A coalition of child wellbeing groups unveiled a national “report card” Tuesday, grading all 50 U.S. states on their school cellphone policies. Only North Dakota and Rhode Island earned the top mark for keeping phones out of students’ hands throughout the day. “We are making clear which states are setting students up to thrive,” said Lina Nealon from the Institute for Families and Technology. The pace of change is striking. What began as patchwork policies has evolved into statewide mandates, driven by concerns over distraction and school environment—and fueled by increasing political pressure to act on kids’ screen time.
January 21, 2026
Kansas could ban student cellphones bell-to-bell — here’s what SB 302 would do
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Kansas could ban student cellphones bell-to-bell — here’s what SB 302 would do

TOPEKA, Kan., Jan 17, 2026, 02:18 This week, Kansas lawmakers received mixed testimony on a bill aimed at tightening regulations around student cellphone use in K-12 schools across the state. Supporters argue the measure would reduce distractions, while opponents caution it enforces a rigid, one-size-fits-all rule. The Kansas Board of Education stayed neutral but expressed a preference for allowing districts to set their own policies.
January 17, 2026
Pennsylvania ‘Phone-Free Schools’ Bill Heads to Senate Floor: What SB 1014 Would Change for Students, Parents, and Teachers (Dec. 12, 2025)
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Pennsylvania ‘Phone-Free Schools’ Bill Heads to Senate Floor: What SB 1014 Would Change for Students, Parents, and Teachers (Dec. 12, 2025)

Pennsylvania lawmakers are moving closer to a statewide “bell-to-bell” school cellphone restriction after the Senate Education Committee unanimously advanced Senate Bill 1014, a bipartisan proposal that would require every school entity to adopt a policy limiting student mobile device use during the school day. CBS News+2Senator Robinson+2 Supporters say the aim is simple: reclaim attention in the classroom and reduce the social and emotional fallout of constant notifications. Critics and skeptics don’t always disagree with the goal — but they raise questions about enforcement, local control, and how parents can reliably reach their children in emergencies.
December 12, 2025
School Phone Bans in 2025: Do They Really Help Kids — Or Is “Age‑Appropriate Design” the Missing Piece?
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School Phone Bans in 2025: Do They Really Help Kids — Or Is “Age‑Appropriate Design” the Missing Piece?

New research from Florida, the UK and Georgia shows school cellphone bans can boost test scores and behavior — but experts warn that age‑appropriate design and digital education matter just as much as “no phones” rules. On November 14, a local letter in The Concord Bridge crystallized what many parents and educators are feeling this fall: computer use has become wild, phones feel out of control, and schools are moving too slowly compared with how fast students’ digital lives have changed. The Concord Bridge
November 14, 2025
Shocking: Students’ Test Scores Rise When Cell Phones Are Banned, New Study Finds
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Shocking: Students’ Test Scores Rise When Cell Phones Are Banned, New Study Finds

A new working paper from economists David Figlio and Umut Özek analyzed one large Florida district and found that a strict schoolwide ban did modestly boost performance abcnews.go.com chalkbeat.org. In the second year of the ban, average test scores in math and reading rose about 2–3 percentile points compared to the pre-ban year abcnews.go.com. “We’re observing kids attending school more, and they’re performing a bit better on tests,” Figlio told reporters hechingerreport.org. Chalkbeat quotes him calling the gains “meaningful but not game-changing.” chalkbeat.org The researchers caution that the benefits came after a difficult transition. In the first year of enforcement, suspension and referral rates spiked dramatically as administrators began confiscating phones and punishing violators abcnews.go.com hechingerreport.org. During the first month,
October 22, 2025