Education
Linda McMahon has been confirmed as Trump’s secretary of education
The White House has been clear that it intends to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, and that it will be McMahon's job to oversee that effort.
Foreign students say the threat of Trump’s executive orders is getting real
President Trump warned international students that if they support groups the U.S. deems terrorist organizations, "we will find you, and we will deport you." It's left many student activists anxious.
Trump suspends the head of ‘The Nation’s Report Card’
Peggy Carr, a federal official who leads one of the country's most extensive student testing programs, known as The Nation's Report Card, was placed on administrative leave.
Rollback of diversity efforts leaves teachers wondering about effects on Black History Month
The Education Department's efforts to keep racial diversity out of schools has left educators wondering how and when to teach students about Black history, especially during Black History Month.
A 10-year-old’s story of family immigration that spans three continents
A California fourth-grader's interview with her grandfather, who was forced out of Uganda before moving to the U.S., is one of our outstanding podcasts.
Republicans’ love/hate relationship with the Education Department
President Trump has made clear he wants to close the U.S. Department of Education, but Republicans seem torn on just how far to go.
How many fourth-graders does it take to make a podcast? Here’s what we learned
Students in an elementary school broadcasting club in California are among the youngest winners of NPR's Student Podcast Challenge.
Sweeping cuts hit recent federal hires as Trump administration slashes workforce
Employees across several agencies including the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy and the General Services Administration have all been affected this week, with many being given notice on Thursday.
Trump’s pick for secretary of education is Linda McMahon. Here’s what to know
McMahon's confirmation proceedings are likely to focus on how she would handle Donald Trump's plans to dissolve the U.S. Education Department.
A deep dive on U.S. reading and math scores, and what to do about them
New research drills down on poor student achievement, and notes some school districts that are beating the odds
Trump administration targets Education Department research arm in latest cuts
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is responsible for gathering data on a wide range of topics, including research-backed teaching practices and the state of U.S. student achievement.
Linda McMahon led WWE and the SBA. The U.S. Education Dept. may be next
McMahon has a limited background in education, and a long career as a business executive. She'd be stepping into an agency the president hopes to dissolve.
U.S. education policy is at a crossroads. This congressional hearing shows why
The House education committee is charged with forging consensus on the nation's education policy. But at a recent meeting, partisan differences were on full display.
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.
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.
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.
A books-to-prisons program creates connection behind bars
Katie Willis and Megan Lyle, founders of the local bookstore Burdock Book Collective, began their books-to-prisons program in 2020.
City OK’s $5 million to help keep Birmingham-Southern College open
BSC President Daniel Coleman said in a statement that next he’ll ask Jefferson County to meet the city’s commitment, focus on private donors and reengage with state leaders to work on getting more funding.
Birmingham-Southern hoped to borrow money. Now the school is on borrowed time
Birmingham-Southern College is running out of money and time. After the State Treasurer rejected the school’s $30 million loan application, school officials must now consider their options, including closing the 167-year-old campus on Birmingham’s west side.
Montgomery judge dismisses Birmingham-Southern College lawsuit against state
Judge James Anderson said he was “sympathetic” to the college, but said after a roughly hour-long hearing that phrasing in the law favored the treasurer.
Birmingham-Southern sues Alabama state treasurer, says college was wrongfully denied loan
The lawsuit contends Treasurer Young Boozer wrongly denied the college a loan from the program created this year to provide a financial lifeline to the institution. The 167-year-old college will likely close without emergency relief from the court, lawyers wrote in the lawsuit filed Wednesday.
How a rural Alabama school system outdid the country with gains in math
Piedmont City schools notched significant improvement in math, landing in the top spot among school districts across the country in a comparison of scores from before and during the pandemic. Nationwide, students on average fell half a year behind in math, researchers say.
Video shows high school band director shocked with stun gun, arrested after refusing to stop music
State Rep. Juandalynn Givan, who is representing band director Johnny Mims as his attorney, said Tuesday that the incident is an “alarming abuse of power” that instead “should have been should have been deescalated.”
