Education category, Page 8
Point Park University partners with hotel to house 90 freshmen off campus
Point Park University has signed a contract with Wyndham Grand hotel in Downtown that will place up to 90 freshmen in off-campus housing at the start of the upcoming semester. “The location of the Wyndham is really advantageous for us, as it’s only a 5- to 6-minute walk to campus,”...
O’Hara resident has opened her home to 9 international students, seeks families to do the same
Carol Huff feels like she has seen far-flung parts of the world without ever leaving her O’Hara home. An AFS-USA volunteer, Huff has hosted international students for the past 25 years, including those from Germany, Iceland, Italy, Kuwait and Pakistan. “I’ve learned so much as a person from my students,”...
Proposed laws, school policies target cellphone use in schools
Tony Aquilio is all in favor of using technology as an educational tool. But even Aquilio, Penn-Trafford High School’s principal, admits access to personal cellphones can be bad for learning while in school. This year, Penn-Trafford School District heads into the academic year with a new cellphone policy in place,...
Penn State ramps up lobbying, but it’s difficult to tell who or what it’s trying to influence
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a daily newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. Penn...
Greensburg Salem slated to host Back to School Bash
Greensburg Salem students and families attending the annual Back to School Bash next week will be able to meet the district’s first assistant superintendent and support the student-run Mini-THON fundraiser. The Back to School Bash is slated for 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at Offutt Field, 109 Laird St. in...
School district to turn over student records in criminal cases against special ed teacher, aides
The Greensburg Salem School District was ordered Monday to turn over sensitive student records to prosecutors and a defense attorney in the case of alleged mistreatment of three children in a special education classroom. Teacher Brooke Stanko, classroom aide Teri Kepchia and four other employees are awaiting trial on allegations...
Greensburg Salem launches expanded online learning program to ‘compete’ with cyber charters
Greensburg Salem is revamping its online learning program in the hopes of bringing its 185 cyber charter students into the district. Western Pennsylvania’s school districts have cited cyber charter tuition expenses as a pain point in their budgets for years, and the issue has caught the attention of state legislators....
Trump executive order gives politicians control over all federal grants, alarming researchers
NEW YORK — An executive order signed by President Donald Trump late Thursday aims to give political appointees power over the billions of dollars in grants awarded by federal agencies. Scientists say it threatens to undermine the process that has helped make the U.S. the world leader in research and...
Trump orders colleges to prove they don’t consider race in admissions
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order requiring colleges to submit data to prove they do not consider race in admissions. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in admissions but said colleges may still consider how race has shaped students’...
Carnegie Mellon announces layoffs in computer science school
Eighteen employees were laid off this week from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science, officials said. In an email from Martial Hebert, the dean of the school, stated that staff positions in several departments, academic support function and administrative positions had been eliminated, “including marketing and communications, program support,...
Harvard scientists say research could be set back years after funding freeze
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard University professor Alberto Ascherio’s research is literally frozen. Collected from millions of U.S. soldiers over two decades using millions of dollars from taxpayers, the epidemiology and nutrition scientist has blood samples stored in liquid nitrogen freezers within the university’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The...
Carnegie Mellon students invent AI pet that merges virtual reality with the physical world
When Carnegie Mellon University graduate student Brian He proposed developing a fully virtual pet, the idea was rejected for lacking innovation. Despite the setback, the Physical Presence Pet team took the idea a step further and roughly 14 weeks later, He and five other Entertainment Technology Center students had created...
Students for Justice in Palestine fights suspension imposed by Pitt
Attorneys for Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Pittsburgh are urging a federal judge to find in their favor and lift a six-month suspension imposed on the club by Pitt officials before the start of the school year. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which represents...
Nicely Elementary fire alarm should be up and running for 1st day of school, superintendent says
Greensburg Salem aims to have a working fire alarm system at its Nicely Elementary School before students return to its halls Aug. 26. The school’s fire alarm stopped working in mid-April when a power surge — prompted by nearby line replacement work by West Penn Power — damaged the alarm...
What to know if you’re at risk of having your wages garnished over student loan debt
NEW YORK — Millions of student borrowers could begin having their wages garnished as soon as this summer, according to estimates from credit bureau TransUnion. The company predicts that by August roughly 3 million borrowers could move into default, meaning they’re 270 days past due on payments. At that point,...
Bethel Park students entering last school year in 6 district buildings
When students report to Bethel Park schools on Aug. 21 for the first day of classes, it will mark the end of an era as the final year for education at six of the district’s buildings. Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Memorial and William Penn elementary schools are scheduled...
Thomas Jefferson students receive iPads for start of school year
When classes start Aug. 26, Thomas Jefferson High School students will have new iPads. Over the past few years, the West Jefferson Hills School District has distributed Apple-branded tablet computers to its other academic buildings. Supplying ninth through 12th graders completes the transition from Google Chromebooks. Jennifer Kassimer, district director...
Brown University strikes agreement to resolve discrimination complaints and restore federal funding
WASHINGTON — Brown University will pay $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations in a deal with the Trump administration that restores lost federal research funding and ends investigations into alleged discrimination, officials said Wednesday. The university also agreed to several concessions in line with President Donald Trump’s political...
Trump administration freezes $108M at Duke amid inquiry into alleged racial preferences
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is freezing $108 million in research funding to Duke University as the federal government accuses the school of racial discrimination in the form of affirmative action, according to a person familiar with the matter. The National Institutes of Health halted the funding to the private...
Woodland Hills administration to move operations to high school building in Churchill
The Woodland Hills School District administration is moving its operations from North Braddock to the Woodland Hills High School on Greensburg Pike in Churchill. The new administration is set to be in place at the start of the school year. The move comes after the Woodland Hills School District approved...
Back-to-school season kicks off with donation drives for students
The back-to-school season is approaching as summer heat still lingers. As students transition from July to August, many families are still struggling to secure the supplies needed for a successful school year. Here are some ways you can help support students as they head back to the classroom for another...
Groups forming to plan futures of Penn State Fayette, New Kensington campuses
Officials in Fayette and Westmoreland counties are in the early stages of figuring out how they can best repurpose the closing Penn State campuses in their communities. Scott Dunn, chairman of the Fayette County commissioners, has been leading the charge to establish a team — branded the Eberly Campus Transition...
With Columbia as a model, White House seeks fines in potential deals with Harvard and others
WASHINGTON — The White House is pursuing heavy fines from Harvard and other universities as part of potential settlements to end investigations into campus antisemitism, using the deal it struck with Columbia University as a template, according to an administration official familiar with the matter. Fines have become a staple...
Pitt dining hall named best in nation. Do students agree?
The University of Pittsburgh was recently recognized for having the best dining hall food in the country — but do students agree? The National Association of College and University Food Services awarded The Eatery, Pitt’s largest dining facility, the Loyal E. Horton grand prize, naming it the best residential dining...
Columbia University agrees to pay more than $220M in deal with Trump to restore federal funding
NEW YORK — Columbia University has reached a deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $220 million to the federal government to restore federal research money that was canceled in the name of combating antisemitism on campus, the university announced Wednesday. Under the agreement, the Ivy League school...
