The Hechinger Report

The Hechinger Report We cover inequality and innovation in education with in-depth journalism that uses research, data and stories from classrooms and campuses.

We cover inequality and innovation in education with in-depth journalism that uses research, data and stories from classrooms and campuses to show the public how education can be improved and why it matters.

PITTSBURGH — Stephen Wells was trained in the Air Force to work on F-16 fighter jets, including critical radar, navigati...
07/10/2025

PITTSBURGH — Stephen Wells was trained in the Air Force to work on F-16 fighter jets, including critical radar, navigation and weapons systems whose proper functioning meant life or death for pilots. Yet when he left the service and tried to apply that expertise toward an education at Pittsburgh’s Community College of Allegheny County, or CCAC, he was given just three credits toward a required class in physical education. Wells moved forward anyway, going on to get his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees. Now he’s CCAC’s provost and involved in a citywide project to help other people transform their military and work experience into academic credit....

There’s new momentum behind letting students cash in their life skills toward degrees, saving them time and money and helping colleges recruit new customers by giving what’s called credit for prior learning.

Scores of speech therapists across the country erupted last month when their leading professional association said it wa...
07/09/2025

Scores of speech therapists across the country erupted last month when their leading professional association said it was considering dropping language calling for diversity, equity and inclusion and “cultural competence” in their certification standards. Those values could be replaced in some standards with a much more amorphous emphasis on “person-centered care.” “The decision to propose these modifications was not made lightly,” wrote officials of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in a June letter to members. They noted that due to recent executive orders related to DEI, even terminology that “is lawfully applied and considered essential for clinical practice … could put ASHA’s certification programs at risk.” …...

As the Trump administration issues executive orders related to DEI, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is considering dropping references to DEI in favor of “person-centered care.

This story about high school speech and debate was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organ...
07/08/2025

This story about high school speech and debate was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter. DES MOINES, Iowa — Macon Smith stood in front of a nearly empty classroom 1,000 miles from home. He asked his opponent and the two judges in the room if they were ready to start, then he set a six-minute timer and took a deep breath. “When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty,” he began. In front of Macon, a 17-year-old high school junior, was a daunting task: to outline and defend the argument that violent revolution is a just response to political oppression....

In a time when respectful debate seems impossible, high school speech and debate clubs have persevered. Debate team members and sponsors see the activity as even more important in a fracturing society.

The repercussions from the decimation of staff at the Education Department keep coming. Last week, the fallout led to a ...
07/07/2025

The repercussions from the decimation of staff at the Education Department keep coming. Last week, the fallout led to a delay in releasing results from a national science test. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is best known for tests that track reading and math achievement but includes other subjects too. In early 2024, when the main reading and math tests were administered, there was also a science section for eighth graders. The board that oversees NAEP had announced at its May meeting that it planned to release the…...

But administration relents on yanking data from researchers

I recently stood before hundreds of young people in California’s Central Valley; more than 60 percent were on that day b...
07/07/2025

I recently stood before hundreds of young people in California’s Central Valley; more than 60 percent were on that day becoming the first in their family to earn a bachelor’s degree. Their very presence at University of California, Merced’s spring commencement ceremony disrupted a major narrative in our nation about who college is for — and the value of a degree. Many of these young people arrived already balancing jobs, caregiving responsibilities and family obligations. Many were Pell Grant-eligible and came from communities that are constantly underestimated and where a higher education experience is a rarity....

An affordable bachelor’s degree remains the No. 1 lever for financial, professional and social mobility in America — and we need more college graduates. Yet supports for first-generation college students are eroding. This needs to change.

This story is part of Hechinger’s ongoing coverage about rethinking high school. See our articles about a new diploma in...
07/06/2025

This story is part of Hechinger’s ongoing coverage about rethinking high school. See our articles about a new diploma in Alabama and a “career education for all” model in Kentucky. ELKHART, Ind. — Ever since Ty Zartman was little, people told him he had to go to college to be successful. “It was engraved on my brain,” he said. But despite earning straight A’s, qualifying for the National Honor Society, being voted prom king and playing on the high school football and baseball teams, the teen never relished the idea of spending another four years in school....

High school apprenticeships are slowly spreading, as young people become more disillusioned with four-year college and well-paying jobs that don’t require bachelor’s degrees go begging.

NEW YORK — Willow is a city kid who loves her neighborhood’s tiny “pocket” park, especially the giant tree, Oakie, whose...
07/06/2025

NEW YORK — Willow is a city kid who loves her neighborhood’s tiny “pocket” park, especially the giant tree, Oakie, whose branches stretch across it. But she has a problem: The park is slated for redevelopment. And her friends and fellow park visitors — Rio, Kai, Ashe and Frankie — all have different ideas for what the park should become. Willow wants it restored to a nature-filled haven, while Rio hopes for a splash pad, Ashe a basketball court, Kai a vegetable garden and Frankie a quiet spot for accessing free Wi-Fi....

‘The Pocket Park Kids,’ which my 4-year-old and I saw together, intends to make it fun for kids to learn how to save the planet.

This story was published by The 19th and reprinted with permission. State officials and teacher union leaders are reeli...
07/03/2025

This story was published by The 19th and reprinted with permission. State officials and teacher union leaders are reeling after President Donald Trump’s decision Tuesday to freeze over $6 billion in federal K-12 education funding for the upcoming school year — a move critics say will further kneecap schools after mass cuts and layoffs at the Department of Education earlier this year raised widespread fears about the future of public education in the United States. The Trump administration told school officials that it is withholding funding typically released July 1 for services such as reading and math support, summer and after-school programs and assistance for migrant students and English learners....

Education leaders warn of layoffs, larger classes and slashed services as the Trump administration withholds federal K-12 funding — hitting California and Texas hardest.

As the Trump administration announces sweeping changes to make it more difficult for colleges and universities to welcom...
07/01/2025

As the Trump administration announces sweeping changes to make it more difficult for colleges and universities to welcome international students, some schools are more vulnerable than others to the drops in enrollment that could result. About 1 million international students with visas were enrolled in U.S. institutions as of fall 2023, according to The Hechinger Report’s analysis of U.S. Department of Education data. These students typically pay the full cost of attendance, helping to boost colleges’ budgets and subsidize tuition for American students. Many schools enroll thousands of foreign students, and some smaller colleges rely on them to fill their seats....

As the Trump administration announces sweeping steps to make it more difficult for colleges and universities to welcome international students, some schools are more vulnerable than others to potential drops in enrollment.

The University of Virginia describes itself as a place where “differing perspectives not only coexist, they co-create.” ...
06/30/2025

The University of Virginia describes itself as a place where “differing perspectives not only coexist, they co-create.” It’s a sentiment that may no longer ring true at the prestigious public university, and, potentially, all of higher education. Today, the venerable research institution created by Thomas Jefferson suddenly finds itself in big trouble, its mission and independence threatened by the Trump administration’s demands to weaken its diversity, equity and inclusion programs or risk losing millions of dollars in federal funding. James E. Ryan, the university’s ninth president, resigned under pressure last week, part of a settlement with the Justice Department into ending the school’s diversity practices....

The blows keeping coming, from the end of affirmative action to outright interference in who leads college campuses.

OPINION: Black youth believe in their ability to make change, but our schools aren’t helping them
06/30/2025

OPINION: Black youth believe in their ability to make change, but our schools aren’t helping them

Black youth are frequently among the most civically engaged young people in the country, yet they are too often absent from conversations about civic excellence and receive too little civic education.

When Black youth appear in public conversations about civics, it’s usually in the context of disparities: whether it’s l...
06/30/2025

When Black youth appear in public conversations about civics, it’s usually in the context of disparities: whether it’s lower scores on the NAEP Civics assessment, underfunded schools or limited access to high-quality civic education. These are real, urgent issues. But they are only half the story. Black youth are frequently among the most civically engaged young people in the country, yet they are too often absent from conversations about civic excellence. While it is true that only about 10 percent of Black eighth graders scored at or above proficiency on the…...

Black youth are frequently among the most civically engaged young people in the country, yet they are too often absent from conversations about civic excellence and receive too little civic education.

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