All Education
Education Department cut by half. Will Trump still try to shut it down?The cuts come after President Donald Trump promised to shut down the Education Department. Critics argue cutbacks are less about improving student outcomes and more about instituting a conservative agenda.
FocusDismantling DEI on campus is messy. Here鈥檚 how it looks at one university.The Trump administration has made ridding U.S. college campuses of diversity, equity, and inclusion a top priority. What can be learned from a university in Texas, where a state DEI ban is already in place?
FocusUniversity of Austin was founded on free speech. How鈥檚 its first year?Would being able to say whatever you want, whenever you want, make a difference in where you attend college? In Texas, the University of Austin experiments in its first year with blending radical free speech with higher education.
Pelican Bay offers a model for prison education. Its future is in doubt.Among the second chances offered in U.S. prisons is the first in-person bachelor鈥檚 program inside a maximum security yard. Early in the spring semester, its future is suddenly in doubt.
FocusNeed a job? Try majoring in the humanities, more colleges say.With survival of the humanities on the line, colleges are pivoting to make offerings like languages and philosophy more relevant to job seekers. Are students 鈥� and their parents 鈥� buying in?
鈥楾he news is not good.鈥� Nation鈥檚 report card shows US students slipping further behind.Every two years, America鈥檚 schoolchildren get a report card on math and reading. The latest results show students falling further behind. But officials say it can鈥檛 all be blamed on the pandemic.
With Trump returning to the White House, what鈥檚 next for school choice?Voters rejected a trio of school choice ballot measures in November. But momentum seems anything but stalled, especially with an advocate returning to Washington.聽
The ExplainerWhy does Trump want to dismantle the Department of Education?When Donald Trump takes office Jan. 20, his agenda includes disbanding the federal Department of Education. What is his motivation 鈥� and what would that change mean?
Small-town students can be overlooked. Colleges are now looking their way.Rural students enroll in and complete college at lower rates than their urban and suburban peers. What are colleges and universities doing to get more of them to apply?
Cover StoryReading, writing, and the Ten Commandments? Why some public schools teach the Bible.As states mandate Bible lessons and posting the Ten Commandments in public schools, religious conservatives challenge separation of church and state.
First LookIn Oklahoma, purpose and care from teachers coax Indigenous students back to schoolNationwide, Native American students miss school far more frequently than their peers, but not in Oklahoma.聽At Watonga High School, educators collaborate with several Cheyenne and Arapaho programs that aim to lower Native student absenteeism.聽
First LookAfter the pandemic, more Native American students don鈥檛 want to return to schoolWhile the pandemic caused lasting absenteeism among all schoolchildren, the problem has been most pronounced among Native American and Alaska Native students.聽Of 34 states, half had聽absenteeism rates for Indigenous children at least 9% higher than average.
In the race to attract students, historically Black colleges sprint out frontFreshman enrollment declined at colleges for the first time since 2020. But some historically Black colleges and universities are experiencing record increases. What鈥檚 behind their success?
Howard University hoped to make history. Now it鈥檚 ready for a different role.Kamala Harris hoped to declare victory at Howard University on election night. Today, students at one of America鈥檚 top HBCUs wrestle with the fallout.
Intel is coming. Ohio community colleges say the state鈥檚 workers will be ready.Intel is building two plants at a cost of $20 billion and estimates they will bring 3,000 new jobs to Ohio. To prepare for its arrival, the the company wants to be sure that it has workers ready to go when the new campus opens.
Focus鈥楾his is fun.鈥� How Zoo School helps teens prep for careers 鈥� and college.The career and technical education of today doesn鈥檛 look the same as the vocational ed of years ago. Not only have the offerings changed, but so, too, have the expectations. Part 1 of 2.
What鈥檚 engaging these high schoolers? Classes about the election.An unusual election year is providing teachers with something they need: engaged students. Here鈥檚 why some high school civics classes keep teens coming back for more.
States get bolder about banning legacy admissions. What does that mean for equity?In legislatures and on college campuses across the U.S., the issue of legacy admissions is heating up. California is the latest state to ban the practice 鈥� adding more fuel to a nationwide debate聽about how to create an even playing field for applicants.
Hurricanes and wildfires are closing schools. How can students get back on track?As the world faces more extreme weather, what should preparing for education in the aftermath of a natural disaster look like?
So, who wants to be a college president? Anyone?As colleges and universities move toward institutional neutrality policies in the wake of the war in Gaza, a new title is heading many prestigious schools: acting president.