Education category, Page 22

ANAHUAC, Texas — A judge ordered Wednesday that a trial be held next month to determine whether a Black high school student in Texas can continue being punished by his district for refusing to change a hairstyle he and his family say is protected by a new state law. Darryl...

The union representing 700 state university employees who work in admissions and financial aid, residence life, career services and other student support has reached a tentative contract agreement with the State System of Higher Education. The pact involving members of the State College and University Professional Association (SCUPA) would span...

Research released Wednesday suggests fall undergraduate enrollment on college campuses across most of the nation rose for the first time since before the covid-19 pandemic, ending a slump that has strained many institutions. But while more than two-thirds of states saw overall gains, others — including Pennsylvania — continued as...

For decades, the modest hillside campus embodied the State System of Higher Education’s promise to deliver a public university education wherever needed — in this case, a small satellite location in the heart of Pennsylvania’s oil region. Students attending what was then the Venango branch of Clarion University in Oil...

Hempfield Area Superintendent Tammy Wolicki is officially retiring instead of returning to her job after an extended leave of absence. Wolicki was appointed as Hempfield’s superintendent in 2017. Her contract was renewed in 2021 and was set to run through June 2027. According to board solicitor Krisha DiMascio, Wolicki’s contract...

Plagiarism detectors powered by artificial intelligence are emerging as a new and controversial weapon in the pitched campus culture wars between the political left and right. Some say the technology has the potential to unearth academic misconduct that previously might have gone unnoticed. Others warn it could unfairly upend careers,...

Carnegie Mellon University informed about 7,300 people that their personal information may have been compromised in an August cyberattack that was quietly investigated by law enforcement and the university. The breach impacting one of the nation’s top schools for computing was acknowledged by the university as higher education in general...

Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s bid to open the state’s first college of osteopathic medicine on a public campus is getting a financial lift from IUP’s alumni association. The organization’s board of directors has authorized a $500,000 donation toward the endeavor that was first announced in December 2022, university officials said...

A refresh of building interiors, plumbing and HVAC repairs, landscaping and ADA compliance are only a few out of the many items on Greensburg Salem School District’s laundry list of potential construction projects. The list, divided up by school building and urgency, was presented to the public at a facilities...

When the weather gets bad, Mike Porembka hops in his truck and hits the road at 4 a.m. The Greater Latrobe School District superintendent drives around the district — from downtown Latrobe to Unity — gathering information and assessing road conditions and temperatures. Ultimately, he must decide whether to cancel...

Greater Latrobe School Board members who last month halted plans for at least $182 million in proposed construction and renovations are scheduled to tour the district’s five schools Saturday to look at building needs. “I feel some of the board members just need to have the opportunity to walk through...

ATLANTA — A billionaire couple is giving $100 million to Atlanta’s Spelman College, which the women’s school says is the largest-ever single donation to a historically Black college or university. The donation was announced Thursday by Ronda Stryker and her husband William Johnston. She is the billionaire granddaughter of the...

The union representing 5,000 state university faculty across Pennsylvania has reached “an agreement in principle” with leaders of the State System of Higher Education, both parties confirmed Thursday. The agreement followed a full day and night of negotiating. It comes almost seven months after the existing agreement between the Association...

Pittsburgh Public Schools district officials said three schools that share a campus will be under modified lockdown through Friday after threats were made over social media. Pittsburgh Public Schools spokesperson Ebony Pugh said the lockdown affects West Liberty PreK-5, South Brook 6-8, and Pittsburgh Pioneer Education Center. Those schools are...

Students in the inaugural class of Duquesne University’s medical college will learn the intricacies of human anatomy through the time-tested method of dissecting cadavers. But they also will slip on a high-tech headset with eyewear and instantly see before them a hologram of the human body. They can walk around...

Students in Forbes Road Career & Technology School’s diesel technology program get plenty of experience working on the massive trucks that haul goods back and forth across the country. The difficulty is those trucks are often from the mid-1990s. “There’s none of the modern controls or emissions technology, and there’s...

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. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania will need to spend at least $5.4 billion to close the gap between rich and poor school districts, according to a long-awaited...

Tamara Abney recalled going into the restroom and realizing her period started. She searched her purse multiple times — nothing. She looked through bags she was carrying and pants and jacket pockets — still nothing. “If you don’t have a tampon or a pad (when your period starts), it can...

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. BELLEFONTE — Pennsylvania’s poorest districts won’t receive $100 million in new money to help fill vacancies and reduce funding deficits after lawmakers diverted those dollars...

The excitement was palpable at the Ellis School, an all-girls private school in Shadyside, as students led the 20th annual Cultural Jam. The Student Diversity League and Culture Jam Committee planned and organized the conference, which brought out 122 students from The Ellis School’s Upper School. They were joined by...

Generations of Americans have held firm to a version of free speech that makes room for even the vilest of views. It’s girded by a belief that the good ideas rise above the bad, that no one should be punished for voicing an idea — except in rare cases where...

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will start canceling student loans for some borrowers starting in February as part of a new repayment plan that’s taking effect nearly six months ahead of schedule. Loan cancellation was originally set to begin in July under the new SAVE repayment plan, but it’s being...

HARRISBURG — A commission reviewing how Pennsylvania distributes money to public schools narrowly approved a report Thursday that suggests the state is underfunding districts by more than $5 billion and should begin immediately to close that gap. The vote on the report by the Basic Education Funding Commission was backed...

The United Negro College Fund announced a donation of $100 million from the Lilly Endowment Inc., the single largest unrestricted gift to the organization since its founding 80 years ago. The gift announced Thursday will go toward a pooled endowment for the 37 historically Black colleges and universities that form...

Republican-led state legislatures are considering a new round of bills restricting medical care for transgender youths — and in some cases, adults — returning to the issue the year after a wave of high-profile bills became law and sparked lawsuits. As legislatures begin their work for the year, lawmakers in...