Author: Cory Turner
President Trump and his education secretary, Linda McMahon, have said repeatedly that they want to send education “back to the states.” But in recent lawsuits, the administration is accused of doing the opposite: wielding the power of the federal government to tell schools what they can and cannot teach. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption toggle caption Alex Brandon/AP Three federal judges, in Maryland, New Hampshire and Washington, D.C., ruled Thursday that the Trump administration had overstepped when it ordered the nation’s schools to stop all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs as well as classroom teaching the administration might consider discriminatory.…
New research gives a deep dive into how U.S. students are doing. Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images U.S. students were still nearly half a grade level behind in both math and reading in the spring of 2024, compared with achievement levels before the pandemic. That’s according to the latest release of the Education Recovery Scorecard, a data-rich deep dive into student learning. Today’s news arrives on the heels of The Nation’s Report Card, released at the end of January, which also found students still trying to make up for learning they missed during the pandemic.…
Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia began a recent hearing of the House education committee by addressing the “elephant in the room” — President Trump’s efforts to diminish, and eventually dissolve, the U.S. Education Department. Jose Luis Magana/AP; Getty Images; Photo collage/NPR hide caption toggle caption Jose Luis Magana/AP; Getty Images; Photo collage/NPR U.S. education policy is at a crossroads. The White House wants to close the U.S. Department of Education, and has placed dozens of employees on paid leave with little explanation. Its plan, which it confirmed to NPR, is to quickly shutter programs that are not protected by law…
In the 1970s, a landmark federal law gave children with disabilities a right to a free, public education, and offered federal money to help. Today, many schools say that money isn’t enough. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: For a long time, children with disabilities had pretty dismal prospects when it came to schooling. Many were simply forced to stay home. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of a landmark federal law that helped change that by guaranteeing all children with disabilities the right to a free public education. But today, the costs of special education have led to a crisis for many…