USA | Education
Why Harvard and other colleges are fighting for ‘essential freedom’The oldest university in the United States is now leading a charge to protect not just research but also the First Amendment, with other colleges and universities lining up behind it.
After Gaza protests, more colleges try out an old-fashioned ideal: CivilityEveryone has read about the protests and encampments on campuses in response to the war in Gaza. What hasn’t gotten headlines are the more than 100 universities that have launched civility initiatives in their wake.
AI vs. human connection: Which do schools most need to thwart threats?As more schools use technology to monitor student threats, educators weigh how to balance it with human-led solutions. Part 2 in a series.
They came to the US for degrees. They fear being deported without them.“We are in survival mode,” international students say of the landscape under the Trump administration. A Tufts University student’s arrest has had a chilling effect.
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US children are struggling with reading. Can communities help?Volunteers in West Virginia are on a mission to reengage struggling readers. They are among those modeling the idea that it takes a community, and a cultural shift, to develop strong readers.
What will happen to grad school? Research universities face tough choices.Universities are reckoning with cuts of billions of dollars of in grants. Their research can lay the groundwork for what the private sector delivers to the marketplace – and its loss could have lasting consequences.
Schools use AI to monitor kids, hoping to prevent harm. An investigation found security risks.Schools are turning to AI-powered surveillance technology to monitor students on school-issued devices to help keep them safe. But that is raising questions about privacy and security.
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’s 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’s 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’s 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 – and their parents – buying in?
‘The news is not good.’ Nation’s report card shows US students slipping further behind.Every two years, America’s schoolchildren get a report card on math and reading. The latest results show students falling further behind. But officials say it can’t all be blamed on the pandemic.
With Trump returning to the White House, what’s 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.
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In Florida, vouchers win ground, but courts may have ultimate sayLegal challenges to Florida’s new voucher law are already looming. What role will an increasingly conservative judiciary play in school funding?
When counselors are in short supply, students step in to helpSchool districts interested in addressing mental health issues are recruiting savvy students to help supplement the work of counselors.
Tulsa experiment tests how tightly woven a safety net has to beBillionaire George Kaiser's child-centered philanthropy could provide a beacon of hope for other cities grappling with deep inequities.
Q&A: Sociologist takes on myths about wealth and moralityWhat does the college admissions scandal tell us about the morals of the rich? Sociologist Rachel Sherman looks at the ethics of America's wealthy.
For state schools, diversity isn’t just about fairness. It’s also about the bottom line.Louisiana’s flagship public university, LSU, has a checkered past on integration. A black student president helps students of color find a home.
The end of amateurism? What’s behind calls to pay NCAA athletes.Many student athletes serve a key role as ambassadors for universities. But how the players benefit educationally or financially isn’t aways clear. A growing coalition is rethinking that relationship.
America to elite colleges: Shape up (but please let us in).Analyzing what’s wrong with college admissions became a pastime for Americans this week. At the heart of the discussion is a desire for fair opportunities to get ahead.
This city is short of teachers. It’s tapping immigrants to help.A path to certification for foreign-born teachers is intended to help diversify Portland’s teaching staff as well as reduce ‘brain waste.’
We asked. You answered. Did a teacher change the way you saw yourself?We asked our readers to send in their stories of incredible teaching. And they delivered.
Schools help teachers with a new kind of homework: finding a place to liveA year of teacher walkouts in the US has been forcing communities to face school underfunding and low pay. But some school districts are offering housing to attract and retain new teachers.
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Hate chased a Holocaust survivor off TikTok. His message is still: Seek hope.
Why Harvard and other colleges are fighting for ‘essential freedom’
Russia and the US seem near a Ukraine peace deal. Kyiv’s role may be moot.
Panama accepted asylum-seekers the US didn’t want. Then its troubles began.
The ExplainerThe European Union has wealth and people. Why isn’t it more competitive?
