Carlow, Promise Center launch literacy tutoring initiative in Homewood
Carlow University and the Promise Center of Homewood have launched a joint literacy tutoring initiative for children in Homewood. The after-school program was developed over several months by Carlow’s College of Education and Social Work in partnership with The Promise Center, Carlow officials said. It will focus on reading skills,...
9 Greensburg Salem High School students vie for ‘Mr. GS’ title in annual pageant fundraiser
Nine Greensburg Salem High School students will compete next month in a pageant raising money for the district’s student activities fund. This is the eighth year the district has held the “Mr. GS” competition. The show will open with an introduction video and a group dance before competitors face off...
Town hall about proposed Pennsylvania cellphone ban in schools draws crowd
Momentum is growing for a push to ban cellphones in the state’s public schools. State Reps. Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel, and Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville, are among those spearheading House Bill 1814 to restrict cellphones in classrooms. It’s a proposed bell-to-bell ban, meaning students would secure their cellphones in a lockbox...
Larry Summers will resign from teaching at Harvard during review of Epstein ties, university says
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers will resign from teaching at Harvard University as the campus reviews his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the university announced Wednesday. Summers, who has been on leave since November and whose name appeared hundreds of times in newly released Epstein...
Justice Department suit accuses UCLA of failing to protect Jewish employees from campus hostility
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is suing the University of California over allegations that UCLA failed to protect Jewish employees from antisemitic harassment amid pro-Palestinian protests that roiled the campus in 2023 and 2024. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in California, is the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign to...
For Pitt’s 10th annual Day of Giving, it’s all about engagement
Tuesday marks the University of Pittsburgh’s 10th annual Day of Giving. The 24-hour fundraising challenge, which began at midnight, encourages Pitt community members to support the university through monetary commitments. It has become “quite the tradition,” said Jake Strang, associate vice chancellor for individual giving and university programs. “Our goal...
Hempfield Area will replace 4 grass fields with synthetic turf following split vote by school board
Hempfield Area School District will spend nearly
$5.4 million to replace four of its grass fields with synthetic turf following a divided vote by the school board Monday night. The district will place turf on its high school baseball, softball and multipurpose grass fields this summer. District officials cited rainy...
Spring break plans scrapped as violence erupts in Mexico
Rising tensions in Mexico are forcing students to rethink their spring break getaways. Tina Devita, a mother of a Penn State University student, was already uneasy about her 19-year-old son’s planned trip to Puerto Vallarta. After watching political tensions escalate this week, she decided to tell him to cancel it....
Computer science majors and professors grapple with AI advancements
These are not your father’s computer science students. And for good reason. To find a job in the fast-growing, fast-moving field, college graduates are required to possess more than simple coding skills and the ability to troubleshoot. Artificial intelligence is driving a demand for a more advanced, polished graduate who...
State audit to investigate Woodland Hills School District’s finances
Tensions surrounding the Woodland Hills School District’s finances are escalating after the state Department of Education announced plans to audit the district. The announcement came Wednesday evening in a Facebook post from state Rep. Abigail Salisbury, D-Swissvale, during a packed school board meeting to select a new board president. Last...
More than 100 state lawmakers support Penn State faculty union efforts
More than 100 state lawmakers are supporting a unionization attempt for Penn State University faculty, as a vote to unionize could come this spring. Minority Leader Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, sent a letter to Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi on behalf of 102 state legislators from the House and...
PennWest lags behind IUP, Slippery Rock in enrollment gains
A simple glance at the headlines paints a drastically different picture among the three Western Pennsylvania universities in the State System of Higher Education. Slippery Rock’s enrollment last fall increased 2.75%, its largest gain in nearly a decade; and its retention rate of 86.4% is the best in university history...
Dual enrollment surging at PennWest; top high school is in York County
Pennsylvania Western University officials are optimistic with spring enrollment trends, particularly with dual enrollment students. Total headcount at PennWest — which includes the California, Clarion and Edinboro campuses — is at 10,121 students, 2.43% above its target of 9,881. But that’s still less than its fall enrollment of 10,548. Dual...
Pitt’s spring graduation to be held at Acrisure Stadium
A larger graduation class means a larger venue for the University of Pittsburgh’s spring commencement. Pitt’s universitywide undergraduate spring commencement ceremony will be held May 3 at Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. “This venue change will ensure every eligible graduate can participate and receive an appropriate number of tickets...
Woodland Hills board president resigns after felony charges
Woodland Hills School Board President Terri Lawson has resigned following controversy surrounding suspected misuse of nearly $10,000 in unauthorized purchases on a borough credit card. Lawson, former Rankin borough manager, was charged with felony counts of theft and fraud as well as misdemeanor counts of forgery and tampering with records...
Hempfield Area considers replacing 4 high school grass fields with turf
Hempfield Area High School may replace four grass athletic fields with synthetic turf, Superintendent Mark Holtzman said. The district is eyeing its baseball, softball and multipurpose grass fields for replacement, Holtzman said. The school board will vote on the matter next week. Because of snowmelt and spring rainfall, the district’s...
Local teachers benefit from Seton Hill program on Holocaust, genocide education
For Leticia Fournier, the religious affiliation of Christ the Divine Teacher School in Latrobe makes education on the Holocaust even more important. Fournier has taught the school’s Holocaust studies course for eight years. First launched in 2004, the class was a partnership with nearby Beth Israel synagogue, which closed in...
Some schools cancel class pictures after online claims surrounding links to Epstein
MALAKOFF, Texas — Some school districts in the U.S. dropped plans for class pictures after widespread social media posts linked a billionaire with ties to Jeffrey Epstein to the photography giant Lifetouch, which on Friday called the claims “completely false.” The disruption to school picture plans in Texas and elsewhere...
Teachers describe immigration enforcement’s impact on classrooms in challenge of Trump policy
In one testimonial after another, teachers detailed all the ways President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has shaped their work and the lives of their students. In a court filing Thursday, educators around the country described rumors of immigration raids that scared away students, immigrant parents who stopped sending their children...
Feds: Carnegie Mellon receives 2nd most foreign funding of any U.S. college
Federal data released this week shows Carnegie Mellon University receives the second-highest amount of foreign funding among U.S. universities. The data, which spans 1986 to 2025, shows CMU disclosed $3.9 billion in foreign gifts and contracts, according to the U.S. Department of Education. CMU trailed only Harvard University, which received...
‘Game jam’ puts Westmoreland County gifted students’ creativity to the testVideo
Cameron Yourema’s method to create a board game was literally mayhem. “We were trying to follow the mayhem rule as much as we could,” said Yourema, a Valley High School sophomore, of the “Game Jam” board game design competition held Tuesday. “We tried to make a more chaotic game. “What...
Building the Valley: STEM Academy planned for New Kensington
A planned after-school STEM academy in New Kensington aims to put the city on the map. The nonprofit, R&D Impact Foundation plans to open the SparX Academy at 1250 Fifth Ave., said Nicole Roberts, the foundation’s director of program management. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. “It’s going...
With flat state funding, it’s ‘too soon to tell’ if state-owned institutions will increase tuition
It’s too soon to tell if tuition will increase next year for undergraduate students attending one of the 10 colleges in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget keeps the funding allocation flat at $625 million for the system. zAmong the colleges affected are Slippery...
Pitt purchases property on Atwood Street; plans not yet announced
It’s unclear what the University of Pittsburgh’s plans are for a recently-purchased property in Oakland. Pitt purchased 251-253 Atwood St. for just under $1.37 million last month, according to Allegheny County real estate records. University officials wouldn’t disclose plans for the 4,436-square-foot property. “The university is always looking for opportunities...
State budget plan includes $30M performance-based fund for Pitt, Penn State
The state’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year includes $30 million in performance-based grants to be distributed among the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University and Temple University, through a new state-related university performance fund. General support appropriations, however, remain flat for Pitt, at $151.5 million, and Penn State,...
