Some colleges say education is attempted (7)
I believe the answer is:
essayed
'is attempted' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'some colleges say education' is the wordplay.
'some' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue (some parts of the word are used).
'ESSAYED' is hidden in the letters of 'colleges say education'.
(Other definitions for essayed that I've seen before include "Attempted, endeavoured" , "Attempted, strove" , "tested" , "Made formal attempt" , "Had a go" .)