Education category, Page 7
Budget busters: Western Pa. schools battle rising costs, strained finances to renovate aging facilities
Superintendent Tammy Andreyko started her tenure at Quaker Valley in August 2018 meeting with district officials to discuss the possibility of building a new high school. Seven years later, dirt has yet to be moved on the 150-acre property the district purchased in May 2017 to replace its nearly century-old...
Carnegie Mellon study exposes gaps in AI’s self-awareness
For the average person, artificial intelligence chatbots are a quick and easy way to find a trivia fact, homemade cookie recipe or even sample emails to send to your boss. But as this technology becomes widespread — infiltrating jobs and government offices — people do not realize the faults in...
Students face new cellphone restrictions in 17 states as school year begins
Jamel Bishop is seeing a big change in his classrooms as he begins his senior year at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where cellphones are now banned during instructional time. In previous years, students often weren’t paying attention and wasted class time by repeating questions, the teenager said. Now,...
Carnegie Mellon president discusses finances ahead of town halls
Carnegie Mellon University President Farnam Jahanian announced Wednesday that he will hold two town halls next month as he detailed the university’s financial status in a letter to students and faculty. “These forums will allow me and our leadership team to share more about the university’s short-term plans and long-term...
Oklahoma to screen would-be teachers from N.Y., Calif. to keep ‘leftist propaganda’ out of schools
For now, Pennsylvanians looking to land a teaching job in Oklahoma won’t have to take a test designed to weed out “woke indoctrinators” seeking classroom work in the conservative Sooner State. Oklahoma soon will begin administering what Ryan Walters, the state’s elected superintendent of public instruction, calls the “America First”...
Oklahoma to test teachers from New York, California to guard against ‘radical leftist ideology’
Oklahoma will require applicants for teacher jobs coming from California and New York to pass an exam that the Republican-dominated state’s top education official says is designed to safeguard against “radical leftist ideology,” but which opponents decry as a “MAGA loyalty test.” Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s public schools superintendent, said Monday...
Derry Area, Clairton City school district officials wary of state budget impasse
As Pennsylvania’s budget impasse approaches the two-month mark, Derry Area School District is missing out on vital state funding just days out from the start of the academic year. More than half — 55% — of the district’s $43 million budget is supported by state funding, said Business Manager Scott...
Conservative college student organizations more empowered to share views
Julia Cassidy says she has always felt confident expressing her conservative political views at the University of Pittsburgh, even though they aren’t shared by most of her peers. Since Donald Trump regained the Oval Office, though, Cassidy, president of Pitt’s College Republicans, says she has noticed more students sharing conservative...
Judge strikes down Trump administration guidance against diversity programs at schools and colleges
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday struck down two Trump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the nation’s schools and universities. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Maryland stated that the Education Department violated the law when it threatened to cut...
Edgewood Elementary to start late due to ongoing building renovations
Woodland Hills School District students are sharpening their pencils and putting together their backpacks for the first day of school, but not everyone will be back in the classroom as expected. Edgewood Elementary school students will now have late start to the 2025-26 school year. Building renovations are still underway....
Quaker Valley School District officials, staff prepare for start of 2025-26 school year
Quaker Valley School District officials and staff are eager to welcome nearly 1,830 students at the start of the 2025-26 school year. Students in kindergarten through ninth grade are expected to report Wednesday, Aug. 20, and all students will be in schools the following day. Staffers are to report Thursday,...
Fox Chapel Area School District officials and staff prepare for 2025-26 school year
Fox Chapel Area School District officials and staff are eager to welcome students for the 2025-26 school year. The first day of school is Aug. 21. Officials said there are about 355 teachers ready to educate about 4,330 students, an increase of 52 students from last school year’s 4,278 enrollment....
Morning Roundup: Penn Hills police seek info on armed robber; it’s college move-in time again
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025: Penn Hills police seek pizza shop robber Penn Hills police are seeking information on a suspect who committed an armed robbery Aug. 9 at Pasquale’s Pizzeria along Saltsburg Road. Restaurant staff turned over surveillance video...
Hempfield Area looks to bolster curriculum oversight at elementary schools
Hempfield Area School District is looking to add another layer of oversight to the curriculum at its five elementary schools. The school board will vote next week on assigning one chairperson per K-5 grade level. Each chairperson would help ensure continuity in learning at the district’s Fort Allen, West Point,...
Opponents of controversial hiring accuse Leechburg Area School Board of political bias
Leechburg Area School Board members were presented with formal complaints and questions Wednesday night following a controversial hiring decision. Neill Brady, a Leechburg resident and school board candidate, voiced his dismay and requested answers after his son-in-law, Sean Hess, was passed over for a position with the district despite receiving...
Harvard and the Trump administration are nearing a settlement including a $500 million payment
WASHINGTON — Harvard University and the Trump administration are getting close to an agreement that would require the Ivy League university to pay $500 million to regain access to federal funding and to end investigations, according to a person familiar with the matter. The framework is still being sorted out...
Point Park University partners with hotel to house 90 freshmen off campus
Point Park University has signed a contract with Wyndham Grand hotel in Downtown that will place up to 90 freshmen in off-campus housing at the start of the upcoming semester. “The location of the Wyndham is really advantageous for us, as it’s only a 5- to 6-minute walk to campus,”...
O’Hara resident has opened her home to 9 international students, seeks families to do the same
Carol Huff feels like she has seen far-flung parts of the world without ever leaving her O’Hara home. An AFS-USA volunteer, Huff has hosted international students for the past 25 years, including those from Germany, Iceland, Italy, Kuwait and Pakistan. “I’ve learned so much as a person from my students,”...
Proposed laws, school policies target cellphone use in schools
Tony Aquilio is all in favor of using technology as an educational tool. But even Aquilio, Penn-Trafford High School’s principal, admits access to personal cellphones can be bad for learning while in school. This year, Penn-Trafford School District heads into the academic year with a new cellphone policy in place,...
Penn State ramps up lobbying, but it’s difficult to tell who or what it’s trying to influence
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. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a daily newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. Penn...
Greensburg Salem slated to host Back to School Bash
Greensburg Salem students and families attending the annual Back to School Bash next week will be able to meet the district’s first assistant superintendent and support the student-run Mini-THON fundraiser. The Back to School Bash is slated for 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at Offutt Field, 109 Laird St. in...
School district to turn over student records in criminal cases against special ed teacher, aides
The Greensburg Salem School District was ordered Monday to turn over sensitive student records to prosecutors and a defense attorney in the case of alleged mistreatment of three children in a special education classroom. Teacher Brooke Stanko, classroom aide Teri Kepchia and four other employees are awaiting trial on allegations...
Greensburg Salem launches expanded online learning program to ‘compete’ with cyber charters
Greensburg Salem is revamping its online learning program in the hopes of bringing its 185 cyber charter students into the district. Western Pennsylvania’s school districts have cited cyber charter tuition expenses as a pain point in their budgets for years, and the issue has caught the attention of state legislators....
Trump executive order gives politicians control over all federal grants, alarming researchers
NEW YORK — An executive order signed by President Donald Trump late Thursday aims to give political appointees power over the billions of dollars in grants awarded by federal agencies. Scientists say it threatens to undermine the process that has helped make the U.S. the world leader in research and...
Trump orders colleges to prove they don’t consider race in admissions
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order requiring colleges to submit data to prove they do not consider race in admissions. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in admissions but said colleges may still consider how race has shaped students’...
