Education

The future of student loan repayment, explained

A Republican overhaul would reduce borrowers' repayments options from several plans to just two.

More states are allowing community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees

Diminishing access to four-year universities and majors has been holding rural students back. Community colleges say they can bridge the gap.

International students in Alabama fearful after researcher with no political ties is detained

Alireza Doroudi has been detained in an immigration facility in Louisiana for nearly six weeks. Doroudi’s detention has instilled fear in the small Iranian community in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he and his fiancee are doctoral students

UA graduates take in the opportunity to hear a sitting president speak

Despite being introduced by beloved former University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban, President Donald Trump received the loudest welcome of the night when he took the stage at Coleman Coliseum on the university campus Thursday night. He spoke at a special ceremony ahead of the UA commencement ceremonies. 

Trump again threatens Harvard’s tax-exempt status, saying, ‘It’s what they deserve!’

Trump's comments on social media marked the latest volley in a battle between the administration and the wealthiest college in the world.

Education Department stops $1 billion in funding for school mental health

Congress created the grants in the aftermath of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The goal was to help schools hire mental health professionals, including counselors and social workers.

Republicans say they will still push education based on legal status

The Tennessee Legislature aimed to challenge a 1982 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that established a right to education for all students. Republican lawmakers still hope to overturn that.

Supreme Court seems poised to require state-funded charter schools to include religious schools

The case is from Oklahoma, which like 45 other states, has laws that say charter schools must be public schools funded by the state, closely supervised by the state, and be non-sectarian.

Former Birmingham-Southern College students enjoy a graduation tradition for the last time

A year after Birmingham-Southern College closed, having succumbed to financial mismanagement, former students who are graduating this spring from Samford University visited the campus to capture a bit of tradition.

Can charter schools be religious? If so, what does that mean for public education?

The case could transform public education in the Unites States.

Supreme Court to hear school disability discrimination case

At issue is a case testing the reach of federal laws that promise special help for children with disabilities in public schools. Specifically: What do parents have to prove in order to get that specialized help?

Why judges blocked the Trump admin’s school DEI crackdown

On Thursday, three federal judges in Maryland, New Hampshire and Washington, D.C., said Trump's anti-DEI efforts were on shaky legal ground.

Trump signs executive actions on education, including efforts to rein in DEI

The directives include new efforts to curtail DEI programs at colleges, and discipline guidance for public schools.

What to know as the government begins collections on defaulted student debt

The Department of Education says it will resume collections on May 5 and send wage garnishment notices "later this summer." Here's how to know — and what to do — if you'll be affected.

Supreme Court leans toward parents who object to LGBTQ books in public schools

At the center of the case is the school system in Montgomery County, Md., the most religiously diverse county in the U.S., with 160,000 students of almost all faiths.

Inside Harvard’s lawsuit against the Trump administration

Harvard's lawsuit questions how freezing research funds will further the administration's goal of eliminating antisemitism on campus.

Supreme Court weighs who should decide public school curriculum: Judges or school boards?

At issue is whether school systems are required to allow parents to opt their kids out of classes because of religious objections to classroom materials.

Harvard sues Trump administration to stop a freeze of more than $2 billion in grants

Harvard University announced Monday that it has filed suit to halt a federal freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants after the institution said it would defy the Trump administration's demands to limit activism on campus.

Trump Administration to resume collections on student loan borrowers in default

The Education Department says millions of borrowers in default will have a chance to make a payment or sign up for a repayment plan. But on May 5, those who don't will be referred for collection.

Head Start advocates brace for possibility of Trump eliminating funding

A Trump administration document, cited by news reports, proposes eliminating funding for Head Start, which is dedicated to early child care services. An advocate says the move would be "catastrophic."

History shows revoking Harvard’s tax status won’t be easy — or fast

A presidential effort to revoke Harvard University's tax-exempt status could run up against a number of challenges, including violating federal law.

Nearly 300 scientists apply for French academic program amid Trump cuts in U.S.

Nearly 300 U.S.-based researchers have applied to one program that promises "scientific refugee status" for those fleeing Trump's academic funding rollbacks.

LA schools superintendent says he’ll protect undocumented students ‘to the very end’

DHS said it was conducting wellness checks on students who arrived unaccompanied to the border. The head of the Los Angeles Unified School District has a different account.

With federal funding on the line, school leaders weigh Trump DEI order

The Trump administration has told states they have until April 24 to promise to end DEI programs in K-12 schools, or risk losing federal dollars.

Harvard professor gives perspective on the Trump administration clash with university

What does the clash between Harvard and the Trump administration look like from the perspective of its faculty? NPR's Michel Martin akss Harvard Law School professor Nikolas Bowie.

Families say school civil rights investigations have stalled after federal cuts

The U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights investigates discrimination in schools. It recently lost more than 40% of its staff.

Higher ed war heats up as Trump threatens Harvard’s tax-exempt status

The president's comments came after the administration froze $2 billion in federal grants for Harvard after the university rejected what it saw as illegal government demands.

As special ed students are integrated more at school, teacher training is evolving

General education teachers are more likely than ever to be working with students who have special needs.

Harvard rejects Trump administration’s demands for deep changes

The university refused to make changes it said would "dictate what private universities can teach" and "whom they can admit and hire," among other things.

DOGE abruptly cut a program for teens with disabilities. This student is ‘devastated’

The program, Charting My Path for Future Success, aimed to help teens with disabilities transition from high school to the real world. It abruptly ended when DOGE terminated its federal contract.

Federal judge orders USDA to unfreeze funds to Maine

The funds had been initially withheld following President Trump's clash with Maine Gov. Janet Mills over the issue of transgender athletes.

Most of the families applying for Alabama’s new school vouchers have kids in non-public schools

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s office released application figures Tuesday for the CHOOSE Act, the new program which will help eligible families tap state dollars to help pay for private school or home-schooling costs.