Category: Education

By JEFF McMURRAY and LINLEY SANDERS, Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — When Elizabeth Rivera’s phone would ring during the overnight shift, it was usually because the bus didn’t show up again and one of her three kids needed a ride to school. After leaving early from her job at a Houston-area Amazon warehouse several times, Rivera was devastated — but not surprised — when she was fired. “Right now, I’m kind of depressed about it,” said Rivera, 42. “I’m depressed because of... Read More

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Public schools reopened Monday in the nation’s capital with parents on edge over the presence of thousands of National Guard troops, some armed, and federal law enforcement officers. Even as President Donald Trump again touted a drop in crime that he attributed to his extraordinary effort to take over policing in Washington, D.C., the district’s mayor was lamenting the effect of Trump’s actions on children. Armed members of the South... Read More

A new effort to grapple with dwindling enrollment in Broward schools could impact 34 schools, some of which may be recommended for closure. The School Board is scheduled to hold a workshop on Tuesday to discuss Phase 2 of “Redefining Broward County Public Schools,” an initiative created to eliminate empty seats in the district, either through increasing enrollment or closing or consolidating schools. The first phase, which took effect this school year, resulted in one elementary school... Read More

Despite an outbreak of measles last year in a Weston elementary school, Broward County saw a dramatic drop in its immunization rate for kindergartners in 2025. In Broward, only 82.2% of 2024-25 kindergartners got their required vaccinations — the lowest level in 15 years. The public health goal is a vaccination rate of 95% — the level that makes it unlikely that a single infection will spark a disease cluster or outbreak. The declining rate reflects the heated debate raging on social... Read More

Broward’s efforts to improve student performance and convert elementary schools into K-8 academies are showing no signs of reversing a decades-long trend of plummeting enrollment. The school district released preliminary data this past week that shows that enrollment in both district-run and charter schools on Aug. 11, the first day of school, fell by a whopping 9,498 students, from 249,563 to 240,065, compared to the first day of school a year ago. On last year’s first day of school,... Read More

Broward School District Superintendent Howard Hepburn greets students at Coconut Creek High School as he serves breakfast on the first day of school, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Broward School Board members Debra Hixon, left, and Sarah Leonardi, right, and District Superintendent Howard Hepburn serve breakfast on the first day of school at Coconut Creek High School on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Students... Read More

It was just recently that some South Florida teachers unions prevailed with votes to ensure that they can keep operating under state law. And yet, they’re now instantly readying for the next elections to arrive. The Palm Beach Classroom Teachers Association submitted to the state earlier this week cards from teachers that show interest for an election, said Gordan Longhofer, the group’s president. The Broward Teachers Union also has gathered interest cards from teachers and the union’s... Read More

By JULIE WATSON, Associated Press The University of California, Los Angeles, reached a $6 million settlement with three Jewish students and a Jewish professor whose suit against the university argued it violated their civil rights by allowing pro-Palestinian protesters in 2024 to block their access to classes and other areas on campus. The settlement comes nearly a year after a preliminary injunction was issued, marking the first time a U.S. judge had ruled against a university over their... Read More

By COLLIN BINKLEY, AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is pressing for a deal with Harvard University that would require the Ivy League school to pay far more than the $200 million fine agreed to by Columbia University to resolve multiple federal investigations, according to two people familiar with the matter. Harvard would be expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars as part of any settlement to end investigations into antisemitism at its campus, said the... Read More

By COLLIN BINKLEY, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration’s milestone settlement with Columbia promises to bring stability to a university in crisis. It also delivers a crucial win to President Donald Trump in his campaign to reshape higher education. And at colleges around the country, the deal clarifies the stakes for anyone weighing whether to fight the administration’s demands or concede. Columbia agreed Wednesday to pay more than $220 million to the federal... Read More