Education
No soil required: New York program brings hydroponics to Birmingham students
The program aims to teach students about sustainable food practices and how to combat food deserts in their communities. It comes through a partnership with the New York-based non-profit New York Sun Works and Birmingham’s Jones Valley Teaching Farm.
The broke college student’s guide to managing money
For college students who don't have a lot of money, it can be tough to wrap your head around student loans, credit cards and a tight budget. A financial educator offers advice for first-year students.
A new Nation’s Report Card shows drops in science, math and reading scores
It's the first Nation's Report Card since the Trump administration began making cuts to the U.S. Education Department. The scores reflect the state of student achievement in early 2024.
Here they are: The best student podcasts in America
For the 2025 NPR Student Podcast Challenge, we've listened to nearly 2,000 entries from around the U.S., and narrowed them down to 11 middle school and 10 high school finalists.
20 years ago, New Orleans fired its teachers. It’s been rebuilding ever since
When New Orleans schools reopened after Katrina, most of the city's educators didn't get their jobs back. Instead, they were often replaced with young people who were new to town — and new to teaching.
How the Education Department is using civil rights laws to bring schools to heel
The Trump administration is using decades-old laws, meant to prevent discrimination, to threaten school districts and states with cuts to vital federal funding.
Trump administration illegally froze billions in Harvard funds, judge rules
The ruling is a legal victory for Harvard but the White House says it will appeal the decision.
More students head back to class without one crucial thing: their phones
This back to school season, more districts than ever have cell phone bans in place. Teachers and legislators alike say the restrictions help kids focus in class.
Colleges see significant drop in international students as fall semester begins
Delays and increased screenings for visas mean that many students didn't make it to campus on time – and that has some big implications for the economy.
A ‘college for all’ push thrived in New Orleans after Katrina. It wasn’t for everyone
After Hurricane Katrina, many New Orleans charter schools united in a mission to send more students to college. Today, some of those students, now adults, wish they'd been given more options.
20 years after Katrina, New Orleans schools are still ‘a work in progress’
The city's school system looks almost nothing like it did 20 years ago. People in New Orleans have strong opinions about whether that's good or bad, but the data is hard to argue with.
These programs help poor students with college. Trump wants to pull the funding
For 60 years, TRIO has helped millions of people along the path to a degree, but the administration says it is no longer needed.
Are ‘COVID kindergarteners’ ready for school?
More than 3.6 million children born in 2020 amid the COVID-19 global pandemic are walking into elementary schools across the country this fall.
An AI divide is growing in schools. This camp wants to level the playing field
For years, research has shown a digital divide when it comes to schools teaching about new technologies. Educators worry that this could leave some students behind in an AI-powered economy.
RushTok backlash: Why sororities aren’t letting prospects post
Citing a need to protect prospects from harassment, many sororities have issued a de facto ban on talking to the press or posting on social media during rush week at Alabama.
Judge strikes down Trump administration guidance against DEI programs at schools
A federal judge on Thursday struck down two Trump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the nation's schools and universities.
Federal judge refuses to block Alabama law banning DEI initiatives in public schools
U.S. District Judge David Proctor wrote that University of Alabama students and professors who filed a lawsuit challenging the law as unconstitutional did not meet the legal burden required for a preliminary injunction.
13 podcast episodes to make back-to-school season easier on kids and parents
The new school year can be exciting, but also stressful. Kids may be feeling anxious. Parents may be juggling new responsibilities. Experts share tips on how to manage this season of change.
Meet the judge hearing Harvard’s lawsuits against the Trump administration
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs is presiding over two Harvard cases challenging Trump's moves to cut federal funding from the university and to ban it from enrolling international students.
Trump orders colleges to share admissions data, with an eye on affirmative action
Thursday's move would compel colleges to report more data about the students they enroll and those who apply, including applicants' race and standardized test scores.
AI companies are targeting students. Here’s how that’s changing studying
Students are increasingly using AI tools to help with — and do — their homework. Here's how older online study services, students and professors are adapting.
Remember running the mile in school? The Presidential Fitness Test is coming back
The Cold War-era test was a staple of school gyms for half a century before the Obama administration replaced it. Trump says his focus on childhood fitness is for both physical and patriotic reasons.
Today is the last day for many Education Department workers. Here’s what they did
Employees across multiple divisions agree: They can't imagine how the department will fulfill its legal obligations with roughly half its staff gone.
Alaska ignored budget crisis signs. Now, it doesn’t have money to fix schools.
Alaska has long ignored warning signs of a budget crisis. Now, it has no money to fix something that is posing serious health and safety risks to students and staff: crumbling rural schools.
Brown University strikes agreement with White House to restore lost federal funding
Brown University will pay $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations in a deal with the Trump administration that restores lost federal research funding, officials said Wednesday.
UCLA reaches $6 million settlement with Jewish students over campus protests
The settlement comes after Jewish students and a professor argued their civil rights were violated when pro-Palestinian protesters blocked access to campus buildings during 2024 demonstrations.
Mental health warnings on social media? Minnesota will require them next year
Supporters say the pop-up messages could encourage Minnesotans, especially kids, to think twice about how much time they spend on sites. Social media companies argue that the law is heavy-handed.
Education Department says it’s releasing more than $5 billion in frozen grants
The grants fund a wide range of education programs, including migrant education, services for English language learners and adult education.
What we know about Columbia’s $221 million settlement with the Trump administration
The complex settlement allowed both sides to claim victory. It gives the university access to federal funds that had been frozen, and restores some terminated contracts.
President Trump takes aim at college sports with a new executive order
The order aims to ban "pay-for-play" NIL deals, mandates scholarships for women's and Olympic sports and threatens to withhold funds from schools who don't comply. But its legality is in question.
What borrowers should know about student loan changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill
Now that President Trump has signed Republicans' massive overhaul of the federal student loan program, we explain what's set to change.
In praise of the humble recorder — a gateway instrument for millions of schoolchildren
The small plastic instrument has long been the go-to instrument in elementary schools. But it is capable of so much more than "Hot Cross Buns."
