Author: Reporter

School (in)Security is our biweekly briefing on the latest school safety news. Subscribe here. Two recent stories by reporters here at The 74 demonstrate the ongoing ripple effects of the Trump administration’s massive deportation campaign. One deals with money, the other with home.  My colleague Linda Jacobson detailed how empty desks are adding up, whether it’s students who are absent from school, families who have been detained or others who’ve left their districts — or fled the country — on their own. The Trump administration has offered to limit immigration enforcement near schools in negotiations with Democrats, but district leaders say they’re already facing budget…

If you’ve ever looked at a college bill and thought, “There’s no way we can afford this… but we’re also not getting any aid,” you’re not alone. Millions of families fall into what feels like the worst possible gap—too rich for financial aid, but too poor to comfortably pay for college. And with costs climbing toward $300,000+ for a four-year degree, that gap is only getting wider. The good news? You’re not stuck. But you do need a better understanding of how the system really works. Why So Many Families Feel “Too Rich for Financial Aid” The financial aid system…

Alison Riddoch is a legal clerk for Campus Rights Advocacy at FIRE and a student at Duke Law School, class of 2027.“There’s much misinformation about this care,” says Shelley Sella, a longtime provider of third-trimester abortions. “It’s shrouded in secrecy and, because of that, it’s stigmatized.” Sella has made public education part of her mission, which is why Medical Students for Choice invited her to give a talk on third-trimester abortion care at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center this past January. But after a campaign by TTUHSC’s Turning Point USA chapter and off-campus pro-life activists, the school canceled the event, claiming…

The Key Podcast: Trends to Watch in Student Success sara.custer@in… Fri, 04/10/2026 – 03:00 AM Byline(s) IHE Staff

The trucking industry is one of many expected to benefit from the Pell Grant expansion, as students can use the money to pay for their commercial driver’s license certification. Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images The Education Department is another step closer to finalizing plans to expand the Pell Grant to short-term workforce-aligned programs, but colleges want the agency to first make some key changes to the draft regulations. The comment period on the proposed regulations for the expansion known as Workforce Pell closed Wednesday. The department received just over 400 comments on the proposal—a far cry from the thousands…

Dive Brief: Iowa State University leaders are looking to shut down 10 degree programs under a state-mandated review of low-enrollment programs.  University officials also recommended consolidating or merging another 13 degrees with other programs. Fifteen others received two-year extensions so university leaders can assess workforce and student demand before reviewing them again.  The proposed cuts and mergers come from a review of programs earlier this year. Deans and department chairs submitted recommendations in March to Provost Jason Keith, who plans to bring the proposals to the state’s board of regents later this month. Dive Insight: Last year, the Iowa Board…

Today, The Intercept reported that the federal government is ordering Reddit to appear before a grand jury in connection with the anonymous speech of a user who criticized the Trump administration’s deportation efforts. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tried to identify a user based in the Pacific Northwest without success. They approached Reddit, demanding identifying information on the user and refusing to specify the posts that caught ICE’s attention. Reddit has not identified the user.Reddit’s own attorneys reviewed the user’s posts for any speech not protected by the First Amendment, and found none. The following statement can be attributed to Will Creeley, FIRE legal director.Government…

On the surface, the resignation of Virginia Tech President Tim Sands seems unremarkable. Sands, who has been president of the public university for 12 years, announced Thursday that he plans to step down in the near future. A university news release touted his accomplishments and offered glowing remarks about his time at the helm of Virginia Tech. But a Thursday night message from Democratic Senator Tim Kaine has raised questions about Sands’ resignation. “I’m deeply troubled by the sudden departure of President Tim Sands at Virginia Tech,” Kaine wrote in a statement shared with Inside Higher Ed hours after the…

Listen to the article 2 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed legislation Wednesday that will prohibit the state’s public colleges from requiring students to take “DEI-CRT” courses, a move that critics warn could censor classroom instruction.  The legislation is part of a wave of bills targeting college classroom instruction related to diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory, a decades-old academic framework that in part teaches that racism is systemic.  While the legislation leaves “DEI-CRT” courses undefined, it mandates the Kansas Board of Regents to adopt a…

Listen to the article 3 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback.  The U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday announced some of the first elementary and secondary grant competitions under its new partnership with the Department of Labor. The partnership announced in November offloaded certain Elementary and Secondary Education Act education programs, including programming for low-income school districts, homeless youth, migrant students, academic supports, afterschool programs, districts receiving Impact Aid and other activities. The two grant competitions announced Wednesday include one meant to advance literacy in high-need districts and schools, and a second to…