Education
This Virginia program helps former foster youth get degrees, at any age
Great Expectations was designed to help people who grew up in foster care get their two-year degrees. And unlike many programs for former foster youth, there are no age limits.
More teens say they’re using ChatGPT for schoolwork, a new study finds
According to the survey, 26% of students ages 13-17 are using the artificial intelligence bot to help them with their assignments.
A California fifth grader interviews his firefighter father
Cian Lawlor's father was dispatched to the Palisades Fire just over a week ago and he's been working it ever since. The 11-year-old had some questions for his dad.
We asked experts to grade Biden’s job on education. They gave it a C average
We asked more than a dozen educators, researchers, advocates and experts how they would grade Biden's education legacy. He got two F's, no A's and lots of votes in the middle.
Lawsuit by college professors and students challenges Alabama’s anti-DEI law
The complaint asserts the new law violates the First Amendment by placing viewpoint-based restrictions on educators’ speech and classroom lessons.
More than half a million students were out of school because of LA fires this week
School districts in and around Los Angeles shut down because of the fires. That includes LAUSD, the second largest school district in the country.
Special ed students benefit from being integrated at school. It doesn’t always happen
Research shows including students with and without disabilities in the same classroom can benefit everyone. Two students with Down syndrome show what can be gained when that happens.
A looming ‘demographic cliff’: Fewer college students and ultimately fewer graduates
The long-predicted downturn in the number of 18-year-olds is almost here. And it isn't just a problem for higher education. It's a looming crisis for the economy.
College students get emotional about climate change. Some are finding help in class
A recent survey finds that more than half of young people aged 16-25 are highly worried about climate change. Some universities are now trying to help them navigate those emotions in class.
Calling all students! NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge returns for 2025
For it's seventh year, our national podcasting competition will invite students from around the country, in grades four through 12, to bring us their best audio stories.
Apprenticeships are a trending alternative to college — but there’s a hitch
Apprenticeships are becoming a popular alternative to college as a career path. But demand is outpacing the supply of employers who offer them.
How D.C. tackled a child care crunch through a tax hike on the rich
In Washington, D.C., a tax on residents earning more than $250,000 a year is boosting the wages of child care workers. Two years in, it's proving to be a great investment.
Alabama lawmakers eye change to school funding formula
Lawmakers have no plans to increase taxes but are looking to revamp the formula that divvies out state funds.
Supreme Court rejects challenge to Boston’s school admissions policy
The court's action was the second time the justices declined to intervene in an admissions program based on geography since their 2023 ruling invalidating affirmative action in higher education.
Cancer interrupted their school lives, but also set them on a mission
Pediatric cancer survival rates are a crowning medical achievement. But the impact of missing school is a less-discussed side effect children then face.
How a staffing shortage can make special education jobs more dangerous
Special educators are more likely to experience violence or aggression from students. That can make hiring a challenge, at a time when schools nationwide are struggling to fill these positions.
With a record number of international students in the U.S., Trump brings uncertainty
Some schools and international students in the U.S. worry about what's to come in the incoming Trump administration. Meanwhile, a new report finds more international students in the U.S. than ever.
University of Texas, MIT and others announce free tuition for some undergraduates
Nearly half a dozen institutions of higher education announced plans this week to make tuition free for undergraduates whose families make below a certain income threshold, starting in fall 2025.
This year’s FAFSA is officially open. Early review says it’s ‘a piece of cake’
The FAFSA form is now open to students hoping to get help paying for college in the 2025-26 academic year. Students can expect a much smoother process compared to the last cycle.
Trump picks business executive Linda McMahon to lead the Education Department
McMahon is a professional wrestling business magnate and co-chair of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team. She has limited experience working with K-12 public schools.
What a Trump presidency might mean for student loan forgiveness
Several of President Biden's efforts at loan relief are in jeopardy, including a repayment plan with millions of borrowers waiting in limbo.
University of Rochester investigates ‘Wanted’ posters accusing staff of Gaza war crimes
The posters, which appeared across campus, accuse university faculty of being complicit in war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza. The university president condemned the posters as antisemitic.
Gunshots at Tuskegee University sent terrified students running for their lives
The shooting left one man dead and injured at least 16 other people early Sunday, a dozen of them by gunfire, authorities said. An arrest was announced hours later. Many of the injured were students.
Jill Biden and Lloyd Austin visit an Alabama base to tout expanded military benefits
Biden and Austin visited a pre-kindergarten program the first lady has championed that funds universal preschool for children aged 3 and 4. The administration plans to expand it beyond military facilities and into education systems nationwide.
Alabama anti-DEI law shuts Black Student Union office, queer resource center at flagship university
Under the bill signed by Gov. Kay Ivey in March, DEI is defined as classes, training, programs and events where attendance is based on a person’s race, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin or sexual orientation.
Community effort boosts reading scores at BCS
Results from the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program released last month showed 81% of third graders in the district are now reading at or above grade level. This is up from just 53% on the previous year’s standardized test.
Pro-Palestinian demonstration draws counter-protest at University of Alabama
Students gathered demanding the school call for a permanent and immediate ceasefire and to push the school to sever ties with defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
‘A bad day to be a panther’: Students react to BSC’s closure
Birmingham-Southern College students learned about their school's closure while on Spring Break. When they returned to campus, their emotions ranged from frustrated to angry to sad.
BSC’s Daniel Coleman talks about his years-long effort to save the school and what happens next.
After the news that Birmingham-Southern College is closing, we sat down with the school’s president, Daniel Coleman.
Struggling Birmingham-Southern College says it will close at end of May
The College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to close the longtime institution, officials announced in a news release. The announcement came after legislation, aimed at securing a taxpayer-backed loan for the 168-year-old private college, had recently stalled in the Alabama Statehouse.
SATs are going all digital, and students have mixed reviews of the new format
As SAT season kicks off this weekend, students across the U.S. for the first time will take it with computers and tablets — and not the pencils they've used since the college admissions test was introduced nearly a century ago.
What’s special about historically Black colleges and universities
What do Oprah Winfrey, Roy Wood Jr. and Stacey Abrams have in common? They all received diplomas from historically Black colleges or universities. They’re also 3 contributing writers for NPR Weekend Edition Sunday host Ayesha Rascoe’s new essay collection.
