Education Department lifts ban on Career Education Corp., but monitoring continues.(around the nation)

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Education has lifted a ban on Career Education Corp. which had prevented the for-profit education giant from acquiring new domestic campuses since June 2005.

The department had imposed the ban because it had doubts about the company's ability to properly safeguard federal student aid money.

But based on "preliminary results of program reviews conducted at a number of CEC's schools, the department has determined that the growth restrictions imposed since June 2005 are unnecessary, at this time," the education department said in a statement.

The department is continuing to monitor the practices of the corporation, which operates …