Faculty, advocates react to Texas A&M University's new race and gender approval system The new Texas A&M University System, which requires professors to obtain approval from the school president to discuss certain race and gender topics, has been met with opposition from faculty and freedom of speech advocates. Kyle B. McClenagan
Are college students getting too many A's? Harvard University officials have recently raised the alarm on grade inflation. More than 60% of grades awarded to students have been A's. That's up 25% from two decades ago. Kai McNamee
Federal special education staff may get their jobs back. But for how long? A new deal to end the government shutdown may briefly restore staff to U.S. Education Department offices that had been gutted by layoffs. Cory Turner
Former Microsoft CEO’s philanthropy will donate up to $170M a year for free preschool in WA The Ballmer Group on Wednesday committed hundreds of millions of dollars for free preschool in Washington, a massive philanthropic contribution amid state budget cuts and federal rollbacks. Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard
For students who rely on SNAP, school food pantries offer some relief A school in Pittsburgh has set up a food pantry for students and their families whose SNAP benefits have been cut or delayed because of the government shutdown. Jillian Forstadt
Pittsburgh school opens food pantry to support students who rely on SNAP benefits A school food pantry in Pittsburgh aims to help fill the gap for families whose SNAP benefits have been disrupted by the shutdown. Jillian Forstadt
Sniffs, scratches, sights and sounds: Ed Yong on how animals sense the world Chris Morgan talks with Pulitzer Prize winning author Ed Yong about the astonishing ways animals sense the world around us: from birds that navigate the open ocean by smell, to penguins that sense vibrations underground. Jim Gates
UW loses federal funding for migrant students A federal program that helps young people from migrant families attend colleges, including the University of Washington, is not operating this year after the Trump administration eliminated funding for migrant education. Ann Dornfeld
Alaska's public schools can serve as emergency shelters. The buildings are in crisis Alaska's public schools are being used as emergency shelters, though many of the buildings are crumbling. Emily Schwing
Judge says Education Dept. partisan out-of-office emails violated First Amendment A federal judge says the Trump administration "overplayed its hand" by inserting partisan language into workers' out-of-office autoreplies. Cory Turner
