Category: Education

A round of layoffs at the University of Oregon that Judaic studies professors had feared would affect their program appears to have spared them entirely. No tenured or tenure-track faculty or degree programs will be affected as part of the latest round of budget cuts intended to address a $29 million deficit, university administrators announced on Sept. 8. Around 20 unspecified “career faculty” positions will be eliminated, and vacant positions will be left unfilled, but the stated cuts... Read More

By MORIAH BALINGIT, Associated Press Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor unions representing millions of educators and school employees are suing President Donald Trump’s administration over its immigration crackdown, saying arrests near school campuses are terrorizing children and their teachers, leading some students to drop out. At the start of Trump’s second term, his Republican administration said it would allow immigration arrests at schools — long considered off limits.... Read More

By ANNIE MA, Associated Press Northwestern University President Michael Schill said Thursday that he will resign, ending a three-year tenure marked by the freeze of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding by the Trump administration and heated criticism from House Republicans over the university’s response to campus protests. The funding freeze and uncertainty over its finances contributed to Northwestern’s decision to lay off around 200 people over the summer. In a statement... Read More

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