Education category, Page 23
New campus protest rules spur an outcry from college faculty
Dissent is thriving this fall at American colleges, and not just among student activists. With student protests limited by new restrictions, faculty have taken up the cause. To faculty, new protest rules threaten freedom of speech — and the freedom to think, both central to university life. This semester, some...
Exchange students contribute to fabric of Western Pennsylvania as they experience American culture
When a colleague asked Deer Lakes Spanish teacher Josh Destein if he knew anyone who could host an exchange student from Spain, he jokingly said he could. “I’m single and I have a little house,” he said. “Her face lit up. She got so excited. My little joke turned into...
Biden administration has now canceled loans for more than 1 million public workers
WASHINGTON — A student loan cancellation program for public workers has granted relief to more than 1 million Americans — up from just 7,000 who were approved before it was updated by the Biden administration two years ago. President Joe Biden announced the milestone on Thursday, saying his administration restored...
Hempfield reviews visions for high school renovation project after construction stalled last year
More than a year after halting a high school renovation that came in over budget, Hempfield Area School District is getting back on track with the project. Architect Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates laid out visions for the project during a school board meeting this week, touching on improvement priorities and...
Pittsburgh Public Schools unveils plan to consolidate, reconfigure facilities
A plan to reduce the footprint of Pittsburgh Public Schools from 54 to 42 schools was introduced Tuesday. Education Resource Strategies suggests closing 14 schools and 10 facilities, reconfiguring 12 schools and opening three new schools. The consultant was hired by the district and examined community feedback and a variety...
Nominations sought for Pennsylvania’s 2026 Teacher of the Year
The state Department of Education invites residents to nominate candidates for the state’s 2026 Teacher of the Year. The Teacher of the Year program celebrates educators who’ve made significant contributions in their field. Nominations will be taken through Dec. 16. Finalists are recognized in Harrisburg each fall. The 2025 Teacher...
Hempfield considers redoing auxiliary gym roof, following auditorium roof replacement in August
After replacing its auditorium roof this summer, Hempfield Area High School may see a new roof covering its auxiliary gym. The 7,500-square-foot section of roof is beyond its useful life and leaks into the gym, said Damion Spahr, project executive of the district’s construction manager, SitelogIQ. The gym will require...
Greensburg Salem employees slated for salary, health insurance increases in new contract
Greensburg Salem employees will receive an average annual salary increase of more than 3% across the next five years through a contract approved by the school board. The contract grants an average annual salary increase of 3.19% each year to nearly 200 teachers, nurses and psychologists in the district, Superintendent...
Westmoreland, Allegheny community colleges aim to increase graduation rates with national program
Andrew Barnette wants to spend more time reading names while standing on the stage at Westmoreland County Community College’s graduation ceremony. “I am privileged to be asked every year to read names at graduation,” said Barnette, dean of the School of Art, Humanities, Social Sciences and Public Service. “It’s the...
Point Park University faculty give initial vote of no confidence in its president
The assembly representing Point Park University faculty passed an initial vote of no confidence this week regarding President Chris Brussalis, citing issues including inadequate communication and lack of shared governance. Of the 80 faculty present during Monday’s closed session, 63 later voted in favor, 11 opposed, and six in attendance...
A couple’s passion for early childhood learning spawns hub at PennWest California
Giving children an early jump on learning is about to become a more visible endeavor on Pennsylvania Western University’s California campus thanks to the latest gift from a couple who has championed the cause. Tom Rutledge, a 1977 alumnus who headed Charter Communications, and his wife Karen Rutledge, announced a...
Greensburg Central Catholic to host open house for prospective students
Greensburg Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School will host an open house on Nov. 3 for prospective students. The open house will start at 1 p.m. Students and their parents will be able to tour the campus and classrooms, connect with members of student clubs and sports teams, meet the faculty...
Point Park University unveils proposal for sports and recreation venue
When he was named Point Park University president last year, Chris Brussalis touted his school’s potential to spark a “Downtown Renaissance 3” with targeted development including a new venue for sports and recreation. On Thursday, Brussalis unveiled a sizable part of that vision for the Golden Triangle. He and the...
Pennsylvania state system seeks $40.3M funding boost, eyeing 7th year of frozen tuition
The board governing Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities is asking for a 6.5% increase, or $40.3 million more, in next year’s state budget. This increase could allow for a seventh annual tuition freeze. The request for 2025-26, approved unanimously by the State System’s Board of Governors Thursday, would bring the state...
Carnegie Mellon reports decrease in Black and white enrollment after race admissions ruling
The portion of Black and other students of color declined in this fall’s entering class at Carnegie Mellon University, following the first recruiting cycle since the U.S. Supreme Court barred consideration of race in admissions. The share of new students who are white also slipped, but Asian student enrollment rose,...
Carnegie Mellon among 40 private universities named in federal price-fixing lawsuit
Forty of the nation’s leading private colleges and universities, including Carnegie Mellon University, are accused in a federal class-action lawsuit of conspiring with the College Board to, in effect, overcharge students. The suit was filed Monday in Chicago before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The...
Oklahoma amends request for Bibles that initially appeared to match only version backed by Trump
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma has amended its request for 55,000 Bibles to be placed in public schools that initially matched a version of the holy book endorsed by former President Donald Trump. The request was amended Monday and no longer requires the Bibles to include U.S. historical documents such as...
Pitt offloads sprawling but underused Harmar research park for $5 million
Even as it plans for growth, the University of Pittsburgh has reduced its footprint by 85 acres through the sale of a sprawling but underused research park in Harmar. The $5 million transaction of Pittsburgh Applied Research Center (U-PARC) in Harmar was completed Sept. 24, said Pitt spokesman Jared Stonesifer....
Private school vouchers opposed by more than half of Pa. voters, poll shows
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Most Pennsylvania voters don’t support using taxpayer dollars to create a private school voucher program, a new Spotlight PA poll shows, an idea...
Financier’s $4M gift helps Duquesne University create new nursing simulation lab
A nearly $4 million gift will enable Duquesne University to open a second nursing simulation lab on its campus, which also enrolled its inaugural class in osteopathic medicine this fall. The Joanne Barkett Conway Simulation Center is scheduled to open in 2026 on the sixth floor of Fisher Hall, university...
‘This isn’t the worst thing’: Western Pa. students, teachers adapt to cellphone restrictions
When Plum Senior High School announced in August it would require students to turn in their cellphones at the start of each class, Dhruv Thakkar could not have been more opposed to the change. “Me and my friends immediately jumped to the fact that our senior year was going to...
A year into the Israel-Hamas war, students say a chill on free speech has reached college classrooms
WASHINGTON — As a junior at George Washington University, Ty Lindia meets new students every day. But with the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war hanging over the Washington, D.C., campus, where everyone has a political opinion, each new encounter is fraught. “This idea that I might say the wrong thing...
2 Westmoreland schools recognized by Special Olympics for inclusive programming
Two Westmoreland County schools were recognized by the Special Olympics for offering inclusive programming for students of all abilities. Mt. Pleasant and Hempfield Area high schools are two of 11 schools in the state to receive national recognition for their Unified Champion Schools programs — where students in special and...
Exiting chancellor of Pa.’s state-owned universities encouraged by enrollment numbers
Enrollment across Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities appears essentially flat this fall versus last — an elusive milestone for a system now 30% smaller after 13 consecutive yearly declines since 2010, Chancellor Daniel Greenstein said. The State System of Higher Education expects to release official numbers early next week. Greenstein told...
Hempfield to reevaluate high school library following resignation of librarian
Hempfield Area High School is reevaluating how to use its library space, district officials said. The high school’s librarian submitted a letter of resignation a few weeks ago, working her last shift Friday. But the district is holding off on hiring a new full-time employee for the position. With sights...
