Talk Education
Discussion about important education topics happening all over the country.
Episodes
1201 episodes
The U.S. Department of Education has recently moved to terminate a federal grant that previously sustained community school programs throughout Idaho
What happens when federal funding for community schools suddenly goes away? The U.S. Department of Education has canceled an Idaho grant that paid for staff who help connect students and families with local services, though the state may ...
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9:58
the growing push to implement paid student teaching in Connecticut
Why are future teachers expected to work full time without pay? Education leaders in Connecticut are pushing to end unpaid student teaching placements, arguing that the financial burden discourages people from entering the profession and ...
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10:18
Indiana public universities must demonstrate their degree programs uphold "American values."?
Should the state decide what values college degrees are meant to promote? Indiana’s new higher-education requirement asks public colleges to show that their programs advance “American values,” a move supporters say increases accountabilit...
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11:26
D.O.E. is reallocating $208 million to enhance student mental health services.
How should schools respond as student mental health needs continue to grow nationwide? The U.S. Department of Education is redirecting $208 million to expand access to counselors, psychologists, and mental health programs without waiting ...
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12:08
Federal education policy under the Trump administration, moving its focus from a traditional "college-for-all" emphasis toward job-focused training.
Is the future of education shifting away from traditional four-year degrees toward faster, job-focused training? The Trump administration has promoted expanded Pell Grant access for workforce and certification programs, reflecting a growi...
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14:16
Reclassifying Nursing Degrees for Federal Loan Reform
Lawmakers are pushing to classify nursing as a professional degree so students can access higher federal loan limits. They argue nursing programs are costly and demanding, more comparable to law or medical training than a typical undergra...
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14:19
West Virginia School Consolidation: Rural Community Impact
What happens when shrinking enrollment and tight budgets force a state to rethink how many schools it can sustain? West Virginia’s Board of Education voted to close 15 rural schools, saying consolidation is needed to improve efficiency an...
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11:45
Federal Higher Education Accreditation Overhaul Proposal
What is good caption for this that is only 70 characters long or less? What is the U.S. Department of Education trying to fix with its new proposal to update the Accreditation Handbook? The plan aims to make college accreditation more tra...
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12:34
The End of the SAVE Student Loan Plan
What does it mean now that the U.S. Department of Education has agreed to end the SAVE income-driven repayment plan? Under a legal settlement, the department must stop offering SAVE and will shift all borrowers into other repayment plans ...
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11:06
Consolidating School Board Elections for Higher Turnout
What would happen if school-board elections were held during November general elections instead of on their own? Experts say turnout would rise sharply, giving parents and community members a stronger voice in decisions about budgets, pol...
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11:27
Appeals Court Affirms School Mental Health Grants
What does it mean for schools now that a federal court has allowed mental-health funding to continue? An appeals court rejected an effort to block grants that help schools hire counselors, psychologists, and other support staff, especiall...
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12:19
Advocacy Challenge: Education Outsourcing of Disability Programs
What happens when the U.S. Department of Education outsources key disability programs to private contractors? Disability-rights advocates argue in a new lawsuit that the move could weaken oversight and reduce the quality of services stude...
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10:53
Redefining Federal Education Oversight Through Interagency Transfer
What happens when the U.S. Department of Education begins transferring many of its key responsibilities to other federal agencies? The department has signed agreements to shift oversight of major K–12 and higher-education programs as part...
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11:07
Texas A&M Faculty Surge: Investing in Excellence
Texas A&M is investing $25 million to hire 167 new tenure and tenure-track professors to keep up with its growing student population. The university hopes the added faculty will lower student-to-teacher ratios and improve course avail...
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10:13
Promise and Peril of the Four-Day School Week
What’s driving the rise of four-day school weeks across rural and smaller districts? Many schools are adopting the shorter schedule to help attract teachers and reduce absences, though early benefits vary by community. Researchers caution...
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11:11
Defining Professional Degrees: The Loan Cap Controversy
What happens if the federal government starts capping loans for graduate and professional programs like nursing? The proposed rule would narrow which degrees qualify as “professional,” limiting how much students can borrow and potentially...
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9:45
The American Decline in International Student Enrollment
Why are international student numbers falling at Texas universities? Recent visa and immigration policy changes are making it harder for students abroad to secure approval, contributing to a 17% nationwide decline in new international enr...
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11:56
Federal Restructuring of K-12 Education and State Control
What does it really mean when the Department of Education says it wants to “return education to the states”? Critics argue that shifting offices to other agencies and merging federal grants may reduce oversight rather than increase state ...
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11:51
Tennessee School Voucher Lawsuit
What happens when a state diverts public-school money into private schools? In Tennessee, a group of parents is suing to block the new voucher program, arguing it violates the state constitution by pulling funds away from the public syste...
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14:44
Federal K-12 Funding Shifts to Department of Labor
What does it mean now that more than $20 billion in K–12 funding is being moved from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor? The shift is part of a federal restructuring that redistributes major education programs t...
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14:31
Education Department Restructuring: Oversight and Advocacy Concerns
What happens if the U.S. Department of Education shifts major programs like special education, school safety, and Native American services into other federal agencies? Supporters say the move could streamline operations, while critics wor...
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11:58
Declining International Student Enrollment and College Finances
Why are U.S. colleges seeing such a big drop in new international students this fall? Enrollment from abroad fell by 17%, creating financial strain for many schools that depend on full-tuition international students to support thei...
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10:43
Alabama Weighs Dropping PBS Educational Network Affiliation
Why is Alabama considering becoming the first state to cut ties with PBS? The state’s Educational Television Commission is reviewing the move after federal funding changes put new pressure on public broadcasting, raising concerns about co...
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9:47
Federal Education Policy After Shutdown
What happens now that the 43-day government shutdown has ended and federal education agencies are reopening? The restart has cleared the way for delayed work to resume, but it also left schools with backlogs and missing guidance. Major un...
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12:19
The Steep Decline in Education Satisfaction
Why are fewer Americans confident in the nation’s schools? A new Gallup poll shows only 35% of Americans are satisfied with K-12 education—the lowest ever recorded—reflecting growing concern over how well schools prepare students for col...
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11:58
Yale’s Quiet Autonomy and Federal Relations
How did Yale University manage to avoid the federal crackdowns that hit other elite schools? By keeping a low profile and quietly aligning with federal expectations, Yale has maintained stability while others faced funding freezes and pol...
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9:31
Federal Special Education Oversight Transfer Considered
Is the U.S. Department of Education planning to hand off control of special education to other agencies? The department is reportedly exploring such a move to give states more authority, but advocates warn it could weaken federal oversigh...
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13:08
Alamo Colleges Centralizes Online Learning for Growth
How are community colleges adapting to the surge in online learning? Alamo Colleges District is uniting 160+ online programs under a new “School for Online Learning,” growing from 7,100 online students in 2018 to nearly 18,500 in 2025, wi...
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11:26
PSLF Redefined: Legal Challenges and Policy Impact
What happens when the federal government changes who qualifies for student loan forgiveness? More than 20 states and several cities are suing the U.S. Department of Education over a new rule that could disqualify certain nonprofits and public-s...
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11:35
Wisconsin Enacts Statewide School Cellphone Restriction Law
Should students have to give up their phones during class? Wisconsin just became the 36th state to require schools to limit cellphone use during instructional time, with all districts expected to enforce the rule by July 1. Supporters say it wi...
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12:42