Education News category, Page 5
Bethel Park School District program promotes reading relatability
Many may remember receiving school reading assignments and not particularly enjoying them or being able to process the necessary content in time for the exam a few days later. Thanks to a program called Core Knowledge Language Arts, Bethel Park School District students have an opportunity to become more invested...
Shady Side Academy senior advocates for nationwide youth financial literacy
Laurence Park grew up in Los Angeles and never thought he’d end up living in Pittsburgh. But when his father was hired as a financial professor at The University of Pittsburgh in 2022, Park traded West Coast living for the hills of Western Pennsylvania. “It’s very different but there’s a...
Free speech advocates: Book censorship in schools rampant
A free speech advocacy group warned book censorship in public schools across the United States has become “rampant and common,” with book bans increasing significantly over the past few years. Though book censorship is not a new issue, the United States has seen a sharp rise in book bans and...
PennWest enrollment declines slightly but is ‘steadying,’ official says
During her first semester at Kent State University in fall 2023, Alison Jones realized she wanted to attend a smaller university where she would be able to make her mark. “Kent was a little too big for me,” said Jones, 20, of Edinboro. “Transferring to Edinboro, there’s obviously a lot...
White House pushes colleges to commit to Trump agenda to boost access to federal fundsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is encouraging leaders at nine universities to sign a compact committing their schools to adopt President Donald Trump’s policy agenda for higher education in exchange for preferential access to federal funds. Administrators at nine prominent universities, both private and public institutions, received an Oct. 1...
Ligonier Valley School Board taps McKeesport Area administrator as new superintendent
Matthew Mols, assistant superintendent at McKeesport Area School District, is set to take on the role of superintendent at Ligonier Valley School District. Ligonier Valley School Board at a special Wednesday meeting voted unanimously to hire Mols under a five-year contract, with a starting base salary of $160,000. Mols was...
Pitt’s Oakland enrollment increases 4%; numbers stable elsewhere
Enrollment at the University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland campus has increased by roughly 4%, according to data released Wednesday. Pitt reports more than 31,200 students attending the campus this fall, an increase from 29,927 last fall. Of those, about 21,380 are undergraduates, about 1,000 more than last fall; and 9,849 are...
Trump says Harvard to pay $500 million in deal with administration
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration had reached a deal with Harvard University after months of negotiations and that the Ivy League school will pay $500 million. “Linda is finishing up the final details,” Trump told reporters at an event in the Oval Office, referring...
How AI is reshaping education — from teachers to students
When Emily Sanders worked as a high school English teacher, she never imagined being tasked with teaching her colleagues how to incorporate artificial intelligence into lesson plans. “I learned how to teach Shakespeare to kids,” she said. “I didn’t learn how to teach technology to teachers.” Fast forward and Sanders...
Educators question validity of national report claiming decline in test scores
Some Western Pennsylvania educators are pushing back on a national report indicating a decline in math and reading test scores among high school seniors. The report, released by the National Center for Education Statistics, has circulated through K-12 education sectors in recent weeks, raising concerns about seniors’ math and reading...
‘Trickle-up effect’: Administrators weigh in on improvements
As national test score reports generate concerns over student learning, an opposite pattern is unfolding at New Kensington-Arnold School District, according to Superintendent Chris Sefcheck. After hitting an all-time low in 2020, the district’s math and science scores on state tests are gradually increasing, Sefcheck said. In just two years,...
Southmoreland Middle School recognized by state for academic performance
Southmoreland Middle School was one of 13 Pennsylvania schools recognized by the state education department this week for academic performance. The initiative, Pennsylvania Blue Ribbon Schools, was launched by the state after President Donald Trump ended the 40-year-old federal version of the program in August. Schools are recognized for their...
Pitt to launch 1st-of-its-kind natural gas, renewables and oil engineering degree
University of Pittsburgh officials say a new undergraduate degree will prepare future engineers for the evolving, global energy market. The Natural Gas, Renewables and Oil Engineering (GRO) program is designed to prepare students as energy production evolves, whether it be traditional oil and natural gas to solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric...
Budget impasse leaves school districts in limbo over $4 billion in funding
The state’s nearly three-month budget impasse has cost Pennsylvania school districts almost $4 billion. That’s how much districts, technical schools and intermediate units should have received in state funding since July 1 — the day a new budget was supposed to take effect. Without a budget, the state isn’t making...
Southmoreland School Board censures director, adjusts livestream policy amid controversial comments
Southmoreland School Board voted this week to censure a member and stop livestreaming its meetings. The board removed comments made by School Director Catherine Fike from its Sept. 16 meeting recording. Fike, a retired school psychologist and veteran member of the school board, “disclosed confidential student information about a district...
Carnegie Mellon’s CS Academy brings free coding education to students worldwide
The whiteboard in Professor Mark Stehlik’s office at Carnegie Mellon University still has the details of what turned into a computer science program for high school students. Stehlik and colleague David Kosbie co-founded CMU (Carnegie Mellon University) CS (Computer Science) Academy, offering online computer science courses in 2017. Since its...
Penn State president’s raise turns heads, but some say it’s a reflection of the industry
To some Penn State faculty members, recent decisions from the university’s Board of Trustees have had a bit of a whiplash effect. In May, trustees voted to close the New Kensington and Fayette campuses in two years — as well as five others — citing enrollment and financial declines and...
Slippery Rock enrollment up 2.75% — its highest increase in 9 years
Slippery Rock University is experiencing record enrollment and retention rates this fall semester. Total enrollment at the Butler County state college is 8,625 students, a 2.75% increase from last fall, according to the university. It’s Slippery Rock’s largest single-year increase in the past nine years. There are 1,549 full-time, first-year...
PennWest, IUP partner with Google to expand AI training
When leaders in the business, manufacturing and education fields seek PennWest University students for internships and jobs, they’re not just asking if candidates are skilled in artificial intelligence. They’re also asking if the students can lead AI training and development for their potential peers, said Camille Dempsey, director of the...
Hempfield to pilot Lego-based therapy program at 2 elementaries
Two Hempfield Area elementary schools will pilot a Lego-based therapy program this school year. Carnegie Mellon University partnered with a Western Pennsylvania nonprofit called Matt’s Maker Space to bring the Brick Club program to the region’s schools. The concept comes from Play Included, a company based in Cambridge, England, that...
Pitt’s new $240M rec center is a game-changer for students — and it’s free to use
Carla Panzella says she has a different answer each time she’s asked about her favorite part of the University of Pittsburgh’s new 270,000-square-foot recreation and wellness center. There’s much to pick from at the new space, which opened to Pitt students Sunday at 3921 O’Hara St. It boasts nine stories,...
Duquesne University to offer real estate major
A college degree isn’t required to hold a real estate license, but Duquesne University officials say a new program they’ll offer will give students a leg up in that field. Duquesne will be offering an undergraduate Real Estate major, minor and certificate program beginning next fall. “There’s a lot of...
Oklahoma court stops social studies standards with 2020 election misinformation from taking effect
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Supreme Court temporarily put on hold proposed new social studies standards for K-12 public school students that include conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. The state’s high court issued a temporary stay on Monday while a lawsuit filed by a group of parents and educators...
CCAC reports 9% enrollment increase over last fall
The Community College of Allegheny County is seeing a larger student population — just over 9% more than last year — this fall, said President Quintin Bullock. “This is probably the largest increase we’ve experienced in the last five years,” Bullock told TribLive. While numbers will be finalized later in...
Trump administration boosts HBCU funding after cutting grants for Hispanic-serving colleges
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is redirecting nearly $500 million in federal funding toward historically Black colleges and tribal colleges, a one-time investment covered primarily by cuts to other colleges serving large numbers of minority students. The Education Department announced the funding boost days after cutting $350 million from other...
