Education

Five years since COVID, Louisiana's readers are thriving. This is their secret.

5:34pm March 13, 2025

by Jonaki Mehta

In 2019, Louisiana's fourth graders ranked 50th in the country for reading. Now, they're 16th. Here's how the state, and one rural district, pulled it off.

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How layoffs at the Education Department might affect the agency's core functions

4:13am March 13, 2025

by A Martínez

How might layoffs at the Department of Education affect its core functions? NPR speaks with education scholar Beth Akers, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

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U.S. Department of Education Staff Layoffs

The Education Department is being cut in half. Here's what's being lost

5:27pm March 12, 2025

by Cory Turner

The U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, Institute of Education Sciences and Office of Federal Student Aid were especially impacted by the cuts announced on Tuesday.

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What parents, teachers and school choice groups think of Education Department cuts

3:56pm March 12, 2025

Teacher unions and some parent groups condemned the cuts, while school choice advocates celebrated them.

What Trump's cuts to the Department of Education mean for schools and students

12:34pm March 12, 2025

by Tonya Mosley

The DoE is cutting staff, halting grants and pressuring schools on various administration priorities. Washington Post writer Laura Meckler discusses its destabilizing effect on the education system.

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Harvard University And Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Campuses

Universities across the U.S. freeze hiring as federal funding hangs in the balance

9:50am March 12, 2025

With uncertainties around federal funding for higher education, some schools are cutting back. Experts say that could hurt not only students and faculty, but ultimately make the U.S. less competitive.

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Why Alabama was the only state where math scores improved over pre-pandemic levels

4:20am March 12, 2025

by Cory Turner

In almost every state, student achievement in math is below pre-pandemic levels. Alabama was the only state where fourth-graders' average math scores surpassed 2019. What are they doing differently?

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A man walks past the U.S. Department of Education building in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 7.

U.S. Education Department says it is cutting nearly half of all staff

5:06pm March 11, 2025

According to the department, more than 1,300 positions will be cut as a result of this reduction in force. Roughly another 600 employees have accepted voluntary resignations or retired.

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ICE arrests Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University protests

2:03am March 10, 2025

Mahmoud Khalil was inside his university-owned apartment Saturday night when several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered and took him into custody.

Trump signs executive action targeting public service loan program

10:27pm March 07, 2025

The program forgives the loans of borrowers who work in public service. The executive action would exclude those who work for certain organizations.

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