This week, Education Dive took a deeper look at higher ed retention in a special spotlight issue. Among those pieces were looks at the role of mobile apps in retaining students, as well as nine charts detailing the current state of retention and completion. Also in higher ed: Could Amazon have its eyes on the growing alternative credentialing business?

And with potential implications for all levels of the educational spectrum, President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address included a call for expanded vocational education opportunities.

Be sure to check out a quick look at how this year's flu season is hitting schools and districts in at least a dozen states and more in this week's most-read posts from Education Dive!

• Is Amazon dipping into higher ed? : Candace Thille, an expert in the science of learning from Stanford University, has been hired by the giant online retailer to train workers and potentially more.
• Are mobile apps a key to online student retention success? : Mobile applications could be the right mix of convenience and classroom quality — but only if designed well.
• The state of retention and completion in higher education in 9 charts: Overall, the retention and graduation numbers aren't pretty.
• Trump calls for vocational ed expansion in State of the Union: The call comes amid Senate committee hearings on Higher Education Act reauthorization, and it's an area of focus for Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in both K-12 and higher education.
• Flu season causes widespread school closings in at least 12 states: With this year’s flu season on track to be one of the worst in recent years, school administrators need to plan ahead for outbreaks.

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