According to Columbia Heights Public Schools, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained a five-year-old Minnesota boy, Liam Ramos, on Tuesday as he returned home from school. Ramos, who is a preschooler, and his father were taken into custody in their driveway by ICE agents, according to Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik, at a press […]
Cheryl Adams
Cheryl is a veteran educator turned journalist turned editor. I love long walks and debating on social media about the human side of arguments.
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
AFT, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council sue U.S. Department of Education over termination of community school grants
The AFT and the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council (BPNC) filed a lawsuit ( Brighton Park Neighborhood Council et al. v. McMahon et al.) on December 29 challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to terminate millions of dollars in funding for Full-Service Community Schools that offer wrap-around services for some of the country’s most impoverished and rural communities. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
New FAFSA earnings indicator alerts students to colleges with “low earning” potential
Starting on December 7, 2025, first-time undergraduate applicants may see a new feature in the FAFSA that indicates whether the median earnings of its graduates four years after completion fall below the median earnings of high school graduates in the same state. The agency announced this week that a new earnings indicator will be incorporated […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
New student loan caps in “Big Beautiful Bill” could deepen shortages in critical professions
The Department of Education and a federal rulemaking committee have agreed on new regulations tied to H.R.1 that will significantly reshape graduate and professional student borrowing. The law caps federal loans at $100,000 for graduate students and $200,000 for professional students, while ending Grad PLUS loans in 2026. Because only “professional” programs qualify for the […]
Posted inDepartment of Education
Critics slam Trump administration for moving to dismantle Department of Education during American Education Week
In the latest move under the Trump administration’s plan, the Education Department has begun transferring its employees to other federal agencies with the goal of ultimately asking Congress to dismantle the Department of Education. In a press release sent Tuesday, the Department signed six new interagency agreements to transfer some of the largest grant programs […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Federal Judge: Education Department unlawfully used partisan messaging during shutdown
According to a federal judge, the Department of Education was unlawful in using partisan messaging on out-of-office automatic replies during the recent government shutdown. On Friday, November 8, Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia found that the Department of Education “infringed upon its employees’ First Amendment rights” […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher
The Philadelphia Eagles game that taught the teacher
Ned O’Malley lived for two things: teaching and Sunday football, specifically the Philadelphia Eagles. Monday through Friday, he was “Mr. O’Malley,” the energetic social studies teacher at Franklin Middle School in the suburbs of Philadelphia. But come Sunday, he transformed into “Coach Ned,” the ultimate Eagles fan. Every week started the same way. Monday mornings, […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Education Secretary says shutdown proves department is unnecessary
On Wednesday, the Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon said that the federal shutdown is proof that her department should be eliminated, a longtime wish of Donald Trump. “The Democrat government shutdown has forced agencies to evaluate what federal responsibilities are truly critical for the American people. Two weeks in, millions of American students are still going […]