Education category, Page 2
A.W. Beattie students turn Thanksgiving parade into schoolwide event benefiting North Hills Community Outreach
Giving thanks and giving back to those in need were the themes of a student-led Thanksgiving parade at A.W. Beattie Career Center in McCandless. It also was a special treat for the preschoolers of Beattie’s Kiddie Tech program, who got to march in the parade around the school. While the...
Slippery Rock to grow program that gives college, work experience to students with intellectual disabilities
Slippery Rock University is expanding its “Rock Life” program, a four-year, non-degree program for students with intellectual disabilities. The federal government awarded Slippery Rock $300,000 over the next five years for the program. The money will be used to hire more staff and grow vocational and other campus school and...
13 employees furloughed from PennWest University
Thirteen union employees at Pennsylvania Western University’s California and Clarion campuses were furloughed last week, a university spokeswoman confirmed. “Thirteen AFSCME employees were furloughed,” said Wendy Mackall, a spokeswoman for PennWest. “PennWest is proud to support 1,571 employees across our campuses and to serve as a significant economic driver for...
Pittsburgh Public Schools rejects school closure plan
A reconfiguration plan that called to shutter nine Pittsburgh Public School buildings was defeated by a 6-3 vote Tuesday night. The “Future-Ready” plan called for the closure of the Student Achievement Center (Baxter School); Friendship; Schiller, Manchester; Fulton; McKelvy (Miller PreK-5); Woolslair; Spring Hill and Morrow. Grade structures would have...
PennWest reshapes program for ‘undeclared’ students in effort to improve retention
Pennsylvania Western University has reshaped its programming for students who enter college without a major — commonly known as “undeclared” or “undecided” students. The university’s new “exploratory studies” program is tailored to give those student intentional, individual attention. “As career coaches, it’s sad to have a conversation with a junior...
How one Southwestern Pa. school district is trying to improve test scores — while on a budget
Monessen City School Superintendent Robert Motte is faced with a dilemma. Motte admits the district’s state test scores could use some improvement. On the 2024 Keystone Exams, 3% of the district’s students achieved a proficient or higher score in algebra 1. Students hitting that proficient or higher mark in biology...
Increased school funding could lead to higher test scores — but it’s often more complicated
When it comes to education spending, more isn’t always better. At least that’s what the numbers — standardized test scores and per-student spending — suggest about Southwestern Pennsylvania’s school districts. School districts that spend the most per student do not always have the highest test scores, according to data from...
See how much money your Pa. school district will receive to close adequacy, tax burden gaps
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 — Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts will each receive a slice of $565 million that lawmakers put in this...
Trump administration sues California over giving in-state tuition to immigrants in U.S. illegally
SAN DIEGO — The Trump administration has sued California for providing in-state college tuition, scholarships, and state-funded financial aid to students who do not have legal status to be in the United States. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleges the...
Tull Family Foundation awards over $2M to boost high school athletics
Augustine Hanover spent last season with the Obama Academy boys soccer team practicing on a beat-up baseball field pocked with holes. “We have 10-year-old jerseys and not enough soccer balls,” said Hanover, a Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy student. On Friday, the 16-year-old joined dozens of student-athletes in the school’s...
Education leaders applaud state budget that adds $900M in new funding for school districts
Education is the centerpiece of Pennsylvania’s 2025-26 budget. At least that’s what Laura Boyce took away from the funding plan for the state’s 500 K-12 public schools, approved last week after a 4½-month impasse. “There were a lot of hard decisions that had to be made as the governor’s original...
Pitt, Penn State get flat state funding but optimistic toward future
The state budget passed last week signals flat appropriations to the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State, but officials at those colleges are encouraged by an approved plan that establishes and outlines the state’s first performance-based funding formula. General support funding for Penn State holds at $242.1 million — the...
The Ten Commandments are up in Texas schools. They’re also being taken down
DALLAS — When it became clear to high school theater teacher Gigi Cervantes that she couldn’t ignore a new state law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in her Texas classroom, she felt she had no choice. She resigned from the job she loved. “I just was not going...
Highlands comes to tentative ‘early bird’ contract with its teachers
The Highlands School Board is moving to ensure labor peace with the district’s teachers union for the rest of the decade. The board has unanimously approved a tentative “early bird” contract with the Highlands Education Association, the district’s teachers union. “We are thrilled that this early bird has an agreement,”...
David Dausey, provost, named Duquesne University’s next president
The next president of Duquesne University credits the grit of his upbringing, the privilege of his education and the global perspective of his professional life for his readiness to fill the position come July 1. Provost David Dausey was named the school’s 14th president, succeeding Ken Gormley, school officials announced...
Point Park to acquire vacant YWCA building in Downtown Pittsburgh
In a few years, the former YWCA building along Wood Street in Downtown Pittsburgh will be a hub of activity for both the Point Park University and Downtown communities, university officials say. Point Park announced Tuesday it is moving forward with plans to acquire the vacant YWCA property, 305 Wood...
The Education Department is dismantling. Here’s what that means
WASHINGTON — The Education Department is breaking off several of its main offices and giving their responsibilities to other federal agencies, an early look at how President Donald Trump could fulfill his campaign pledge to close the department entirely. Offices that serve the nation’s schools and colleges would go to...
Local news festival Newsapalooza set to return this week
Newsapalooza, a two-day local news festival in Pittsburgh, will return for another year on Thursday and Friday. The event will take place at Point Park University and its Pittsburgh Playhouse theater. Presented by Point Park’s Center for Media Innovation, Newsapalooza saw its first edition last year. Attendees can expect numerous...
Foreign enrollment at U.S. colleges holds steady, for now, despite Trump’s visa crackdown
WASHINGTON — Foreign students enrolled at U.S. colleges in strong numbers this fall despite fears that a Trump administration crackdown would trigger a nosedive, yet there are signs of turbulence as fewer new, first-time students arrived from other countries, according to a new report. Overall, U.S. campuses saw a 1%...
Bethel Park’s William Penn ranks 9th among Pa. elementary schools
Bethel Park’s William Penn Elementary School is going out in style. A U.S. News World Report ranking of the best public elementary schools in Pennsylvania has Penn coming in at No. 9. Researchers with the media company compiled data from the U.S. Department of Education focusing on state assessments of...
Shaler Area program offers educational experience for preschoolers, older students
Editor’s note: The following story was submitted for the Shaler Area Student Section, a collaboration between TribLive and The Oracle, the student newspaper of Shaler Area High School. The preschool program at Shaler Area High School is a unique experience. High school students act as the instructors alongside child development...
U.S. students studying housing, health outcomes and sustainability win 2026 Rhodes scholarships
Five students at U.S. military academies and three each from Yale University, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are among the 32 American winners named Sunday as 2026 Rhodes scholars. The group includes students focused on housing, health outcomes, sustainability and prison reentry programs. They include: Alice L....
$30 million gift to bolster Pitt’s honors college
A $30 million gift from a University of Pittsburgh alumnus will help bolster a scholars program. Pitt officials announced Friday the donation, from 1997 graduate Michael Rees, will create an endowed fund that will expand the number of students who are part of the David C. Frederick Honors College receiving...
Penn State schedules meeting on Commonwealth Campus progress
Penn State administration will hold a virtual meeting Dec. 9 to provide updates on the seven Commonwealth Campuses that will close in two years, and also the 13 campuses that will remain open. Fotis Sotiropoulos, Penn State’s executive vice president and provost, and Renata Engel, vice president for Commonwealth Campuses...
$5 million gift to Slippery Rock, largest in university history, names business school
A $5 million gift to Slippery Rock University — the largest in its 136-year-history — will fund scholarships, faculty research and add opportunities in Slippery Rock’s business program, officials say. Slippery Rock officials announced Thursday the university had received the donation from Rhonda and Elliott Haverlack, of Estero, Fla. Elliott...
