Education News
Butler County Community College to launch radiologic technology program
Butler County Community College officials say a new radiologic technology program will prepare students for a high-demand career. The college plans to launch a radiologic technology program in August 2027. “We saw, across the board, a need for radiological technologists,” said Julia Carney, Butler County Community College’s dean of nursing...
Legislation would boost tech school capacity as enrollment spikes
Jason Lucia took over in late 2020 as administrative director at Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center in New Stanton, beginning the school year with 990 students. When the doors opened last fall, that number had shot up about 50% to 1,500. Direct paths to high-demand jobs have skyrocketed enrollment...
Pittsburgh colleges expand their footprint to meet demand
Ted Black admits the former YWCA on Wood Street — right in the thick of Point Park University’s campus — is “quite frankly a bit of an eyesore.” But Black, Point Park’s senior vice president of institutional advancement and strategy, also notes the opportunity the property represents. The Downtown school...
State studying future of Duquesne City School District
The state’s Department of Education is studying the future of the Duquesne City School District, which could include a consolidation with a nearby district. Duquesne schools spokesman Jeremy Tepper said the district is “actively cooperating” in the study. “The district remains committed to providing a high-quality educational experience for its...
Greensburg Salem aims to open latest comprehensive plan for public review next week
Early-level literacy, student engagement, work-based learning experiences and student mental health could be Greensburg Salem’s primary focuses for the next three years. The school board will vote next week on whether to release a proposed comprehensive plan — a guide for district operations — for a monthlong review by parents...
Western Pa. colleges get boost to combat students’ food insecurity
Food insecurity among college students is often overlooked by the general public, but it is a real issue. “College is expensive, and people don’t realize that students — especially at private schools — can struggle to afford basic necessities,” said Heather Starr Fiedler, managing director of Point Park University’s center...
Eye on the prize: Pitt researchers study how bacteria could heal corneal wounds
Bacteria live throughout the human body. The eye was long thought to be an exception. Dr. Anthony St. Leger, a professor of ophthalmology and immunology at the University of Pittsburgh, shattered that notion in 2017 by discovering microbe C. mast lives in the eye — and even helps it stay...
Greensburg Salem discusses adjustment to board meeting schedule
Greensburg Salem school board could streamline its monthly meeting schedule. The board meets twice a month — once to discuss agenda items and again to vote while three committees — facilities, finance and education — each have their own meetings, typically once a month. Under a proposal by Superintendent Ken...
New literacy program at Pittsburgh Weil targets economically disadvantaged students
Educators at Pittsburgh Weil PreK-5 say a new literacy initiative will improve academics at the Hill District school. Weil teachers have implemented the enhanced core reading instruction program for students in kindergarten through second grades. “It takes a curriculum and enhances it,” said Principal Kira Henderson. “It provides teachers with...
Woodland Hills places superintendent on unpaid leave
Woodland Hills Superintendent Joe Maluchnik was placed on unpaid leave Wednesday following an internal district investigation, the latest in ongoing controversy in the district. The decision comes as the district has faced allegations of misuse of funds and questions surrounding Maluchnik’s leave. School board members Karen Lyons, Melanie Timbers, Laura...
Demand for student teacher stipends outstrips supply as Shapiro proposes boosting program
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 — A stipend aimed at getting more student teachers into Pennsylvania schools and easing the commonwealth’s educator shortage...
Don’t go there: Independence Health thoracic surgeon warns Hempfield Area students about vaping
Independence Health thoracic surgeon Michael Szwerc asked Hempfield Area’s ninth grade students to raise their hand if they believe vaping is dangerous. Nearly all 360 students seated in the Harrold School auditorium Wednesday afternoon shot a hand into the air. Szwerc, who has practiced thoracic surgery for 26 years, has...
‘Brilliant, bold and unapologetically proud’: Senior at Pittsburgh Obama leads, gives back to community
Zaire Howze-Jetter had previously told people he’d study veterinary sciences upon his graduation this spring from Pittsburgh’s Obama Academy. “That was just something I told people, because I didn’t really know,” said Howze-Jetter, 17. But as he progressed at the East Liberty magnet school, excelling in academics, he began to...
Reading nooks surface across Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh locations
The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh launched a new initiative designed to support language skills and emotional regulation in children. The Early Literacy Initiative — launched during National Read Across America week and led by pediatrician Johanna Vidal-Phelan, who is The Children’s Institute’s president and CEO — added nine reading nooks...
Penn-Trafford to spend nearly $667K to purchase tablets for middle school students
Penn-Trafford will spend nearly $667,000 in the next four years to buy iPads for its middle school students. The school board voted unanimously Monday night to purchase the 1,300 devices. It will cost about $166,700 per year through the 2029-30 academic year. The vote comes nearly a year after the...
Where does Pitt rank in federal medical research funding?
A tumultuous time for federal research funding didn’t stop the University of Pittsburgh from increasing its annual haul through the National Institutes of Health. For the year ending Sept. 30, Pitt received roughly $670 million from the country’s top funder of medical research, up from $661 million the year prior....
Western Pa. school districts tally expected savings from cyber charter tuition reform
Three months after the state approved changes to the cyber charter tuition formula, administrators from Western Pennsylvania’s K-12 public schools are beginning to tally the expected savings. The state’s latest budget, approved in November after a 4½-month impasse, allows school districts to reduce their tuition payments for students to attend...
‘It’s a calling’: PennWest helps prepare sexual assault nursing examiners such as the one highlighted on ‘The Pitt’
One of Sierra Roman’s first cases as an emergency room nurse at ACMH Hospital — and one she’ll never forget — involved a victim of a sexual assault. Roman, who started at the hospital in August 2023, needed to perform a rape kit exam on her patient. “I’m nervous because...
Kennedy Aderogba to be Pitt marching band’s first Black woman drum major
Kennedy Aderogba had simple goals when she joined Pitt’s marching band two years ago: to have fun, learn more, and grow as a person and musician. She grew up playing instruments, but joined Pitt’s marching band with no prior marching band experience: her high school, The Ensworth School in Nashville,...
Bethel Park teacher continues deep delve into Holocaust education
Photographs posted in Leigh Ann Totty’s Bethel Park High School classroom portray some of her travel destinations in Europe. Among them is Terezín, a small Czech Republic town about 50 miles north of the capital city, Prague, and once was home to the Theresienstadt Ghetto, a Nazi transit hub for...
Gov. Shapiro discusses AI regulation in schools during Carnegie visit
High school students are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence for homework help, advice and even companionship — leaving school administrators wondering where to draw the line. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro brought that discussion to the Carnegie Clubhouse at Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania on Friday, meeting with students...
Carnegie Mellon’s $100M Hazelwood Green robotics center will build the future, officials say
Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood community has always been a place for builders, says Sonya Tilghman. “For generations, families have worked in the mills and powered the region,” said Tilghman, executive director of the Hazelwood Institute. “We know what it means to build things that matter and take pride in skilled work. “So...
Slippery Rock to offer bachelor’s degree in nursing
For years, prospective students interested in attending Slippery Rock University would ask if the school offered a bachelor’s degree in nursing. For a long time, the answer was no, said Christine Karshin, dean of SRU’s College of Health Professions. Starting in the fall, that no longer will be the case,...
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...
