Education

The (Long) Waiting Game to Get My Student Loans Forgiven

COMMENTARY | The student loan forgiveness process for public servants is a disaster. After almost five years, I’m still waiting to have all my loans forgiven.

  • By Tim Wolff

The Cost for States to Expand Free Pre-K Under the Biden Plan

The Build Back Better proposal provides money for free preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds. States are required to contribute a percentage and will likely incur costs for workforce development, pay increases and adjusting elementary school curriculum.

  • By Andrea Noble

Biden Releases $1.75T Social Spending Framework to Win Over Democrats

The White House scaled back the original $3.5 trillion proposal, dropping paid family and medical leave and some Medicare expansions.

  • By Andrea Noble

What Stays and Goes as Democrats Trim Biden’s Domestic Spending Bill

Funding for free community college tuition is likely to be cut and a child tax credit and paid family and medical leave could be limited.

  • By Andrea Noble

A Breakdown of the Black-White Homeownership Inequality Gap

Homeownership is less achievable for Black Americans and they live in neighborhoods with houses valued at $48,000 less than white families’ homes, a new report reveals.

  • By Andre Claudio

Census Prompts Push for More Indigenous School Lessons

The number of people listing Indigenous heritage increased by almost 4.5 million.

  • By Tim Henderson, Stateline

‘Moms for Liberty’ Group Sets Sights on Local Government 

Leaders hope to create a national ‘parental rights’ movement, starting with school board activism. The group already has 135 chapters in 35 states.

  • By Tom Shoop

Biden Signs School Cybersecurity Bill

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will study the cyber risks facing elementary and secondary schools and develop recommendations to assist schools in facing those challenges.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

More Than 500,000 Public Workers Likely to See Debt Relief Under Student Loan Forgiveness Overhaul

The U.S. Department of Education announced a host of changes Wednesday to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which guarantees debt forgiveness to qualifying public sector employees.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

As Heat Waves Intensify, Tens of Thousands of US Classrooms Will Be Too Hot for Students To Learn In

America’s public schools, which are over 40 years old on average, are not equipped to handle rising temperatures due to climate change, a new study reveals.

  • By Paul Chinowsky, The Conversation

States With the Most and Least Student Loan Debt

Utah tops the list for states with the least student loan debt while West Virginia comes in last place, according to recent report.

  • By Andre Claudio

Deploying the National Guard to Fill a School Bus Driver Shortage

Schools across the country are finding it difficult to recruit and retain school bus drivers.

  • By Andrea Noble
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State Efforts to Ban Mask Mandates in Schools Mirror Resistance to Integration

COMMENTARY | Southern states ignoring federal educational guidance is not new.

  • By Dustin Hornbeck, The Conversation

Educators Want to Leave Their Jobs More Than Other Government Workers Do

Half of teachers and staff say they feel stressed and burned out and more than a third say they want to quit, according to a new survey.

  • By Jean Dimeo

How Students Will Rely on the Vaccinated to Stay Safe

Most kids aren’t eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccination, which leaves their protection up to those around them.

  • By Amanda Luz Henning Santiago

Governor Has Oversight of Mask Decisions, A State Supreme Court Rules

Texas’ highest court issued a ruling Thursday that blocks school districts in Bexar County from enforcing mask mandates.

  • By Andrea Noble

Full FDA Approval of Pfizer Vaccine Prompts Swift Mandates for State, Local Government Workers

Following approval for the vaccine, some leaders across the country immediately tell public employees and college students to get vaccinated now.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Senate Democrats Release $3.5T Budget Framework with Affordable Housing, Climate Funding

Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has set a Sept. 15 deadline for committees to draft legislative text for the proposal, which will fund domestic initiatives.

  • By Andrea Noble

Gov. Greg Abbott’s Order Banning Mask Mandates in Texas Schools Faces Lawsuit, Defiance by Big-City Districts

Dallas Independent School District announced Monday it will require masking while Houston ISD will vote on a mandate this week. A nonprofit group has also sued to block Abbott’s order.

  • By Brian Lopez, The Texas Tribune

“I Wish It Had Not Become Law,” Says Governor Of Mask-Banning Order He Signed Into Law

Citing rising numbers of Covid-19 cases among children, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson called state lawmakers back for a special session to consider allowing school districts to implement mask mandates.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Students and Staff Should Mask Up in Schools, CDC Recommends

The CDC revised mask wearing guidance on Tuesday to help contain the spread of Covid-19. But nine states ban school districts from enacting mask mandates.

  • By Andrea Noble