Education category, Page 7
Former TribLive staffer stands with Hoosier student journalists as Indiana U. bids farewell to print
The adviser to the Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University’s student-run newspaper, has been fired in a dispute over content of a homecoming-themed print edition. Jim Rodenbush, director of student media at the university’s Bloomington campus, was fired Oct. 14. Rodenbush worked for TribLive about 20 years ago. Rodenbush was fired...
‘Life-changing’: Task force promotes advocacy, education for families of children with disabilities
For Shashwathee Kamalesh, resources from Local Task Force 3 on the Right to Education in Allegheny County have been a lifeline as she navigates life as a parent of a child with disabilities. “Every step of my journey, I feel like I’m supported,” said Kamalesh of Marshall, whose 12-year-old son,...
State-owned universities to recruit former students who never completed degrees
If you’re one of the 130,000 people who obtained course credits at one of the state system’s colleges but never finished your degree, you’ll be hearing from the university soon. Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education will be rolling out a program reconnecting with and recruiting former students who didn’t...
Plans for future of Penn State’s closing campus properties to be set by 2027
A second round of meetings with Penn State leadership and communities where branch campuses are closing, and what the future holds for those properties, will soon be underway, university administration said Thursday. Seven branch campuses — New Kensington, Fayette, Shenango, Mont Alto, DuBois, Wilkes-Barre and York — will close at...
Research shows annoying sounds might not be in your ears, but in your brain
The sound of someone sniffling can be irritating, but that has almost nothing to do with the sound itself, new Carnegie Mellon University research shows. “It’s not the sound, it’s how I feel about the person sitting next to me, and how it’s rude to sniffle,” said Laurie Heller, a...
Burrell School District enrollment continues to shrink
Burrell School District’s enrollment decreased by 50 students this fall, a decline on par with what the district has seen for the past 10 years, according to Superintendent Shannon Wagner. Total district enrollment this fall stands at 1,624, Wagner told the school board this week. Enrollment was 1,674 last year....
Sen. McCormick voices support for tax credit program that would further school choice movement
Supporters of a new federal program that would grant tax credits to donors funding private school scholarships say it would expand Pennsylvania’s school choice options and give parents greater control over their children’s education. Detractors say it would favor high-income families, lacks oversight and could hurt people who live in...
Penn State approves new deal to keep WPSU public media open
A month after voting down an earlier proposal, Penn State University’s board of trustees approved a plan to transfer WPSU-TV and public radio to WHYY in Philadelphia. The deal means Penn State won’t have to pay an additional $17 million subsidy over the next five years to keep WPSU operating,...
Education Department layoffs threaten special ed system, advocates warn
WASHINGTON — Families and educators across the country were plunged into a state of uncertainty over the weekend after the federal Education Department laid off practically every staffer in the government’s special education division. Nearly the entire Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, including the Office of Special Education...
Thousands of Pa. college students wait for key financial aid due to state budget impasse
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Financial aid for thousands of Pennsylvania college students is on hold as a result of the state...
Education Department lays off roughly 20% of its workforce amid shutdown
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Education on Friday laid off over 460 employees, dramatically reducing the workforce of a beleaguered agency that is already struggling to serve students on the heels of massive cuts. The number was made public in a court filing the same day from the Justice...
MIT refuses to accept White House terms for funding; other schools still mulling
Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth on Friday said she “cannot support” a memo the White House sent to nine elite U.S. universities last week detailing policies they should follow to get preferential consideration for federal funding. In an open letter to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Kornbluth said...
Greensburg Salem hires energy savings company to draft middle, high school improvement plans
As Greensburg Salem prepares to make its final debt service payment in January, the district is working with an energy savings company to create long-term improvement plans for its middle and high school buildings. The school board voted unanimously to hire TEN, The Efficiency Network, to complete conceptual design plans...
CMU cuts 75 employees in its Software Engineering Institute
Carnegie Mellon University on Wednesday cut 75 staff positions at its Software Engineering Institute. The cut represents 10% of the institute’s overall workforce, according to Cassia Crogan, CMU spokeswoman. Crogan told TribLive the cuts were a “variety of roles and titles across the institute.” She didn’t say how it would...
Retention, community college transfers highlight Pa. state system’s enrollment increase
Fall enrollment at the 10 universities that make up the state system of higher education increased for the first time in more than a decade, with the biggest gains coming from retention and community college transfers, according to data released Tuesday. Enrollment in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education...
Trump’s funding offer to colleges sparks debate in Pennsylvania
Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, fears for his academic freedom. His concerns are shared by many colleagues as the Trump administration tries to broker deals with universities for new educational goals. “The big picture is that the administration has calculated that attacking universities, especially elite universities,...
Bethel Park School District program promotes reading relatability
Many may remember receiving school reading assignments and not particularly enjoying them or being able to process the necessary content in time for the exam a few days later. Thanks to a program called Core Knowledge Language Arts, Bethel Park School District students have an opportunity to become more invested...
Shady Side Academy senior advocates for nationwide youth financial literacy
Laurence Park grew up in Los Angeles and never thought he’d end up living in Pittsburgh. But when his father was hired as a financial professor at The University of Pittsburgh in 2022, Park traded West Coast living for the hills of Western Pennsylvania. “It’s very different but there’s a...
Free speech advocates: Book censorship in schools rampant
A free speech advocacy group warned book censorship in public schools across the United States has become “rampant and common,” with book bans increasing significantly over the past few years. Though book censorship is not a new issue, the United States has seen a sharp rise in book bans and...
PennWest enrollment declines slightly but is ‘steadying,’ official says
During her first semester at Kent State University in fall 2023, Alison Jones realized she wanted to attend a smaller university where she would be able to make her mark. “Kent was a little too big for me,” said Jones, 20, of Edinboro. “Transferring to Edinboro, there’s obviously a lot...
White House pushes colleges to commit to Trump agenda to boost access to federal fundsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is encouraging leaders at nine universities to sign a compact committing their schools to adopt President Donald Trump’s policy agenda for higher education in exchange for preferential access to federal funds. Administrators at nine prominent universities, both private and public institutions, received an Oct. 1...
Ligonier Valley School Board taps McKeesport Area administrator as new superintendent
Matthew Mols, assistant superintendent at McKeesport Area School District, is set to take on the role of superintendent at Ligonier Valley School District. Ligonier Valley School Board at a special Wednesday meeting voted unanimously to hire Mols under a five-year contract, with a starting base salary of $160,000. Mols was...
Pitt’s Oakland enrollment increases 4%; numbers stable elsewhere
Enrollment at the University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland campus has increased by roughly 4%, according to data released Wednesday. Pitt reports more than 31,200 students attending the campus this fall, an increase from 29,927 last fall. Of those, about 21,380 are undergraduates, about 1,000 more than last fall; and 9,849 are...
Trump says Harvard to pay $500 million in deal with administration
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration had reached a deal with Harvard University after months of negotiations and that the Ivy League school will pay $500 million. “Linda is finishing up the final details,” Trump told reporters at an event in the Oval Office, referring...
How AI is reshaping education — from teachers to students
When Emily Sanders worked as a high school English teacher, she never imagined being tasked with teaching her colleagues how to incorporate artificial intelligence into lesson plans. “I learned how to teach Shakespeare to kids,” she said. “I didn’t learn how to teach technology to teachers.” Fast forward and Sanders...
