Education
Student loan borrowers in default may soon see their wages garnished
About 5.5 million borrowers are currently in default. They haven't risked wage garnishment since the beginning of the pandemic, when policymakers paused the practice.
Student loan borrowers in default may soon see their wages garnished
About 5.5 million borrowers are currently in default. They haven't risked wage garnishment since the beginning of the pandemic, when policymakers paused the practice.
Federal student loans are changing. Here’s what to expect in 2026
The SAVE Plan is ending and repayment options will change dramatically in the new year.
Hundreds mourn Brown University sophomore Ella Cook, killed in campus shooting
Hundreds gathered at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in downtown Birmingham to remember Ella Cook. She and freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov were killed Dec. 13 when a gunman entered a study session in a Brown academic building and opened fire on students. Nine other students were wounded.
Islamic school’s effort to expand draws anti-Muslim backlash
The Islamic Academy of Alabama is a K-12 school that has been in Homewood since 1996. They applied to rezone an office park space in Hoover to expand. The issue has sparked anti-Islamic rhetoric, notably from U.S. Tommy Tuberville.
Teachers are using software to see if students used AI. What happens when it’s wrong?
School districts from Utah to Ohio to Alabama are spending thousands of dollars on these tools, despite research showing the technology is far from reliable.
An Alabama woman is among two who died in the Brown campus shooting
Mountain Brook-native Ella Cook's life was cut short Saturday when a gunman opened fire inside a classroom in the engineering building.
Professors, students appeal ruling on Alabama law banning DEI initiatives at public universities
The Alabama measure, which took effect in October 2024, is part of a wave of proposals from Republican lawmakers across the country taking aim at DEI programs on college campuses.
Head Start centers told to avoid ‘disability,’ ‘women’ and more in funding requests
New court documents reveal a list of nearly 200 words or phrases the Trump administration told Head Start programs it does not want to see in their funding requests.
Education Department recalls fired attorneys amid civil rights complaint backlog
The department said recalling these fired staffers would "bolster and refocus" civil rights enforcement "in a way that serves and benefits parents, students, and families."
1 student dead, 1 critically injured in shooting at Kentucky State University
Classes and campus activities were canceled for the rest of the week after a shooting that police said left one student dead and another in critical condition. Police said a suspect who is not a KSU student was in custody.
Millions of borrowers in Biden’s SAVE plan would start paying under new settlement
Legal challenges put SAVE borrowers in limbo for months, a time during which they were not required to make payments on their loans. That would change if the proposed settlement is approved.
University of Alabama shutters Black, female student magazines
The editors of Nineteen Fifty-Six and Alice magazines were informed Monday that the university was stopping the magazines immediately. A university official cited July guidance from Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
Announcing the NPR Student Podcast Challenge for 2026 — and a very special prize!
The annual contest for students in grades four through 12 is back for its eighth year — this time with a special prize for a podcast that marks the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Alabama Public Television meeting draws protesters in Birmingham over discussion of disaffiliating from PBS
Some members of the Alabama Educational Television Commission, which oversees APT, said disaffiliation is needed because the network has to cut costs after the Trump administration eliminated all funding for public media this summer.
Breaking down Alabama’s CHOOSE Act
It’s been a year since Alabama legislators passed the CHOOSE Act allowing families to apply for state funds to use towards homeschool expenses and tuition for participating private schools. The Alabama Daily News’ education reporter Trisha Powell Crain has been diving into how the funds are being used. WBHM’s Andrew Gelderman sat down with her to talk about what we’re seeing so far.
Books about race and gender to be returned to school libraries on some military bases
The order is to be implemented at school libraries on military bases in Kentucky, Virginia, Italy and Japan. Students and their families claimed their First Amendment rights had been violated when officials removed the books to comply with President Trump's executive orders.
As deadline for Trump’s colleges compact looms, schools signal dissent
Of the original nine schools that received the Trump administration's Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, the majority have indicated they are not planning on signing.
Many rural schools rely on international teachers. Trump’s visa changes threaten that
The Trump administration announced a $100,000 fee to accompany each H1-B visa. The fine could wreak havoc on rural school districts that rely on them to bring in teachers.
In reading, the nation’s students are still stuck in a pandemic slump
New 2025 testing data shows third- through eighth-graders scored far below 2019 levels in reading. In math, some grades have made gains, but all are lagging compared to before the pandemic.
Amid shutdown, Trump administration guts department overseeing special education
Multiple sources tell NPR that, as part of the Trump administration's latest reduction-in-force, the U.S. Department of Education has gutted the office that handles special education.
This museum immerses students in U.S. history: ‘You can smell it, touch it, see it’
At New York City's Tenement Museum, high schoolers explore the American experience through the eyes of one 1860s-era Black family.
This 4-year-old’s heart is failing. A federal grant that might help him was canceled
A Cornell University researcher has been developing an artificial heart for children for more than 20 years. Now, his research is on hold and his lab is shut down.
1 in 5 high schoolers has had a romantic AI relationship, or knows someone who has
A national survey of students, teachers and parents shines a light on how the AI revolution is playing out in schools – including when it comes to bullying and a community's trust in schools.
The government has long researched high school experiences. Then DOGE cut the effort
The federal government has long surveyed high schoolers to help track how their academic choices may have influenced the course of their lives. The Trump administration put an end to that effort.
NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge: Here are our fourth grade winners!
We heard fun and engaging podcasts on topics including how math teaching has evolved, what its like to disengage from technology, and, who has it better: kids or grownups?
Take a look! ‘Reading Rainbow’ is back
Mychal Threets, a social media star librarian, is hosting the new iteration of the series. It's back for four episodes starting on Saturday.
Research, curriculum and grading: new data sheds light on how professors are using AI
It's not just students, more professors are using AI in the classroom. But they say more guidance is needed on how to use the technology.
PEN America warns of rise in books ‘systematically removed from school libraries’
A new report says that the number of books being challenged or removed from public schools across the country has risen exponentially in the past two years. A Clockwork Orange tops their list.
‘We survived, we are resilient’: Remembering U.S. Indian boarding schools
Tuesday is Orange Shirt Day, when communities honor the survivors of U.S. Indian boarding schools and their descendants.
What schools stand to lose in the battle over the next federal education budget
Education researchers warn budget proposals from the White House and House Republicans would impose steep cuts on some of the nation's most vulnerable students and disadvantaged school communities.
Strict rules can foster calm classrooms. But some students pay the price
An Indiana charter school network has won praise for its strong academics. But some students with disabilities struggle to follow the school system's discipline policies.
