Education category, Page 34
North Side woman advocates for more education and access to menstrual products
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...
Pa.’s poorest school districts were slated for a funding boost, but aid went to construction instead
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...
Ellis School celebrates activism, advocacy with 20th annual Culture Jam Conference
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...
As a new generation rises, tension between free speech and inclusivity on college campuses simmers
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...
Some Americans will get their student loans canceled in February as Biden accelerates his new plan
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...
Democrats’ education funding report says Pennsylvania owes $5B more to school districts
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...
$100 million gift from Lilly Endowment to United Negro College Fund will support HBCU endowments
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...
Efforts to restrict transgender health care endure in 2024, with more adults targeted
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...
Hempfield Area looks to other districts to research security upgrades
Hempfield Area School District’s security committee is still its weighing options to upgrade procedures and equipment. District leaders visited three Pennsylvania schools over the past several weeks to learn what security protocols and equipment work best to keep weapons off campus, interim Superintendent Kimberlie Rieffannacht said at a meeting of...
Hempfield interim superintendent to remain in role for 3 more months
Hempfield Area Superintendent Tammy Wolicki will remain on a leave for another three months for unspecified reasons, school board members said Monday. The board approved interim superintendent Kimberlie Rieffannacht to remain in her role while Wolicki is off. Rieffannacht is the assistant superintendent for elementary education in the district. Her...
Pitt names Ken Gabriel as BioForge CEO
The University of Pittsburgh‘s expansive BioForge initiative has hired its inaugural chief executive officer. Kaigham (Ken) J. Gabriel was appointed to the job, Anantha Shekhar, Pitt senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and medical school dean, announced Monday. Gabriel who already has begun his duties also will serve as...
Pittsburgh Technical College leaders mull possible sale, merger as enrollment falls
Leaders of a nearly 80-year-old technical college in Oakdale are weighing options that include selling or merging the institution amid falling enrollment and financial strains. The issues facing Pittsburgh Technical College resemble those confronting higher education generally. But they have been complicated by recent infighting over leadership, accusations of misconduct...
Poor schools prepared to return to court if Pennsylvania budget falls short on funding plan
HARRISBURG — The poor schools that won a landmark school funding court case in Pennsylvania last year are prepared to go back to court if the Legislature and governor don’t adequately address shortfalls as key junctures approach, the schools’ lawyers said Thursday. Public schools in Pennsylvania are currently underfunded by...
What to know about changes to this year’s FAFSA application for college students
NEW YORK — A new version of the federal student aid application known as the FAFSA is available for the 2024-2025 school year, but only on a limited basis as the U.S. Department of Education works on a redesign meant to make it easier to apply. That means the Free...
Harvard president Claudine Gay resigns amid plagiarism claims, backlash from antisemitism testimonyVideo
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy. Gay is the second Ivy League president...
Slippery Rock University’s marching band set to perform in London’s New Year’s Day Parade
The tubas – five in all – went first. They and other large brass and percussion instruments, plus enough band gear to fill a 26-foot box truck, had to be packed up and shipped overseas weeks before members of the Slippery Rock University Marching Pride band boarded flights for London....
Pa. education bill requires basic financial literacy for high school students
Balancing a checkbook. The basics of taking out a business loan. The impact of a home mortgage. For the average high school student, these don’t sound like exciting concepts. And in adulthood, they don’t get much more exciting. But they are essential. And state legislators want all high school students...
Penn State names chancellor for its Greater Allegheny campus
A chemist who has focused on endeavors such as student success and improved health care access in McKeesport has been chosen as Penn State Greater Allegheny’s new chancellor, the university announced Thursday. Along with her other qualifications, Megan Nagel already has been doing the job in an interim capacity since...
PennWest interim president approved for return to West Chester University
R. Lorraine “Laurie” Bernotsky will leave the interim presidency of PennWest University in June to become the 16th president of West Chester University in suburban Philadelphia. The State System of Higher Education in Harrisburg approved Bernotsky’s selection Wednesday morning at a special meeting conducted via Zoom. The vote was unanimous....
Pitt top officials to receive 4% raises
Seven senior leaders at the University of Pittsburgh will see pay increases of 4% next year, bringing their base salaries to between $271,000 and nearly $1.1 million. The new pay levels were endorsed Tuesday morning by the Pitt Board of Trustees’ Compensation Committee and then approved by the full Board...
Many kids are still skipping kindergarten. Since the pandemic, some parents don’t see the point
CONCORD, Calif. — Aylah Levy had some catching up to do this fall when she started first grade. After spending her kindergarten year at an alternative program that met exclusively outdoors, Aylah, 6, had to adjust to being inside a classroom. She knew only a handful of numbers and was...
Weighing in on social, political issues has become a minefield for college presidents
University presidents increasingly opine on the thorniest social and political issues even if they unfold beyond their campuses — from immigration policy to gender identity to war. On one level, their diverse campuses seem to demand it. A message carefully crafted with help from campus speechwriters and delivered online can...
Carnegie Mellon graduate alleges ‘cruel campaign of antisemitic abuse’
A Jewish woman and graduate of Carnegie Mellon University is suing the school in federal court, alleging she faced “a cruel campaign of antisemitic abuse” by campus faculty and administration. Yael Canaan, 23, a New Jersey resident of Israeli ancestry, filed her complaint in U.S. District Court for Western Pennsylvania...
Pa. lawmakers free up funding for community colleges, public libraries
Lawmakers in Harrisburg agreed Wednesday night to release almost $262 million for the state’s 15 community colleges that had been held up for almost six months, plus $70 million for public libraries. The breakthrough on the last scheduled day for legislators to meet this calendar year also means K-12 school...
Sensory classroom at Frick Environmental Center to create therapeutic space
Galivant through the forest, activate your desire for wonder, get in touch with nature and your transcendental side, run your hands through the leaves of the garden — this is exactly what the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy wants visitors to do when the sensory classroom at Frick Environmental Center in Squirrel...
