CHEYANNE MUMPHREY

Austin Kissinger is seen at Gatton Student Center on the University of Kentucky's campus Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
A crackdown on diversity programs is reshaping college graduation ceremonies
Some colleges are canceling graduation ceremonies that recognize individual cultures or groups. The affinity commencement events are the latest casualties of state and federal policy rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
May 1
Family Educator Lisa Benson-Nuyen, addresses her students in a circle in the Northern Lights classroom at the Meadow Lakes CCS Early Learning, a Head Start center, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
Head Start funding lags by nearly $1 billion this year, causing some preschool closures
Federal databases show Head Start centers across the U.S. have received nearly $1 billion less in federal funding compared with this time last year.
April 17
Signs are displayed outside a tent encampment at Northwestern University April 26, 2024, in Evanston, Ill. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File)
Trump administration freezes $1.8 billion for Cornell and Northwestern
Cornell University and Northwestern University say they haven’t received any notice from the U.S. government about paused federal funding even though the White House says more than $1 billion for Cornell and about $790 million for Northwestern have been frozen.
April 10
Passersby walk past Sayles Hall on Brown University's campus in Providence, R.I., May 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
Brown University to see half a billion in federal funding halted by Trump administration
A White House official says the Trump administration is planning to halt more than half a billion dollars in contracts and grants awarded to Brown University.
April 4
President Joe Biden departs after delivering remarks on student loan debt at Madison College, Monday, April 8, 2024, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Education Department reopens applications for student loan repayment plans
The U.S. Education Department reopened online applications Wednesday for income-driven repayment plans for student loan borrowers.
March 26
Students and faculty rally at the University of California, Berkeley campus to protest the Trump administration Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Colleges cut ties with a little-known nonprofit targeted by the Trump administration over DEI
The U.S. Education Department says it is investigating dozens of universities for alleged racial discrimination, citing ties to a nonprofit organization that has helped Black and Latino students pursue business degrees.
March 21
Zoe Saldana, winner of the award for best performance by an actress in a supporting role for "Emilia Perez," poses in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Zoe Saldaña wins first Oscar, sweeping awards season as best supporting actress in ‘Emilia Pérez’
Zoe Saldaña has earned her first Academy Award for best supporting actress. The win Sunday night for her performance in “Emilia Pérez” adds to a collection of successes for the star this awards season.
March 3
From left, Gints Zilbalodis, Matiss Kaza, Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman, winners of the award for best animated feature film for "Flow," pose in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
‘Flow’ wins animated feature Academy Award, delivering Latvia its first Oscar
“Flow,″ a wordless cat parable, has won the Oscar for animated feature at Sunday’s 97th Academy Awards.
March 3
President Donald Trump throws pens used to sign executive orders to the crowd during an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
As Trump’s deadline to eliminate DEI nears, few schools openly rush to make changes
Schools and colleges across the U.S. face a Friday deadline to end diversity programs or risk having their federal money pulled by the Trump administration, yet few are openly rushing to make changes.
February 27
People walk past the John Harvard statue on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
House Republicans mull taxes on scholarships and changes to student loan programs
As Republicans in Congress look for ways to slash spending, some legislators are floating new taxes on college scholarships, an end to student loan repayment plans and a big hike in taxes on university endowments.
February 9
President Donald Trump walks from Marine One upon arrival on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Despite chaos over Trump White House’s funding pause, FAFSA forms and student loans still available
A temporary freeze imposed briefly this week by the White House on federal grants and loans left many students wondering about the impact to the FAFSA form used to apply for financial aid.
January 29
A luggage tag with a Southeastern Conference Title IX logo is viewed during an NCAA college softball game between South Carolina and Kennesaw State, March 1, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
Title IX memo throws wrench in plans for schools to pay NIL money directly to athletes
The U.S. Department of Education says plans for colleges to pay athletes directly for their name, image and likeness deals would run afoul of Title IX. The guidance issued Thursday adds more confusion to the shifting landscape of college sports.
January 17
This photo provided by Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation shows wildfire damage at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 Pasadena, Calif. (Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation via AP)
Fires burn Los Angeles schools and destroy outdoor education sanctuaries
The wildfires tearing through Los Angeles have taken lives and thousands of homes. But for many families it also has meant the loss of natural areas that had served as sanctuaries and learning spaces for local families, especially in the years since the pandemic.
January 12
Students walk on the campus of Boston College, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Boston. . (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
College tuition has fallen significantly at many schools
New research indicates students are paying significantly less to attend public universities than they were a decade ago. And tuition increases at private colleges have finally slowed after years of hefty rises.
January 8
Attendance Clerk Katrice Grant speaks to siblings Melanie Pacheco, 8, left, and Marilynn Pacheco, 5, in the hallway before heading to their classrooms, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, at Algodones Elementary School in Algodones, N.M. (AP Photo/Roberto E. Rosales)
Native American students miss school at higher rates. It only got worse during the pandemic
Years after COVID-19 disrupted American schools, nearly every state is still struggling with attendance.
December 3, 2024
FILE - People demonstrate outside the Supreme Court, June 30, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Trump’s win brings uncertainty to borrowers hoping for student loan forgiveness
President-elect Donald Trump has not said what he would do on student loan forgiveness, leaving millions of borrowers facing uncertainty over what will happen with their payments once President Joe Biden leaves office.
November 9, 2024
Northern Arizona University's Jonny Bottorff took advantage of new NIL money making opportunities and rebooted his college football career. Bottorff poses for a photo on the campus on NAU on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Flagstaff, Ariz. (AP Photo/Josh Biggs)
Money in NCAA sports has changed life for a few. For many athletes, college degree remains the prize
Money from name, image and likeness deals has changed what it means to be an NCAA athlete for some college players.
November 9, 2024
Mourners pray during a candlelight vigil for the slain students and teachers at Apalachee High School, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
How to talk with kids about school shootings and other traumatic events
The U.S. is dealing with another school shooting: Two students and two teachers were killed at a school in Georgia. A school shooting like the one on Wednesday can affect all kids, even if they didn’t know anyone involved.
September 6, 2024
18-year-old Zaire Byrd poses for a photo, Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Why Black students are still disciplined at higher rates: Takeaways from AP’s report
Racial disparities in how schools discipline students received new attention at the outset of a national reckoning with racial injustice, but the results of reform efforts have been slow to materialize.
August 30, 2024
18-year-old Zaire Byrd poses for a photo, Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Black students are still kicked out of school at higher rates despite reforms
In the decade since Black Lives Matter, a spotlight has shined on inequity in education outcomes and, in particular, how exclusionary discipline disproportionately affects Black children.
August 30, 2024
FILE - Fifth graders wearing face masks are seated at proper social distancing during a music class at the Milton Elementary School in Rye, N.Y., May 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
Got cold symptoms? Here’s when kids should take a sick day from school
School attendance tanked during the pandemic and has only started to recover. One reason? Parents are struggling to decide when it’s ok to send a child to school while sick. During the pandemic, schools had strict COVID-19 protocols.
August 19, 2024
Panelists, recruiters and attendees, network and discuss changes in the industry among other media professionals at the Hilton Chicago, Thursday, August 1, 2024, at the 2024 National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago. (AP Photo/Cheyanne Mumphrey)
After Trump’s appearance, the nation’s largest gathering of Black journalists gets back to business
The National Association of Black Journalists conference is back to business as usual after former President Donald Trump’s contentious interview. Thousands of journalists are speaking with recruiters or networking at the career fair in Chicago.
August 2, 2024
Denita Dorsey poses with her son Julian Morris, 16, in Saginaw, Mich., Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Even with school choice, some Black families find options lacking decades after Brown v. Board
The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling and desegregation orders were only the first steps toward the elusive goal of equitable education.
May 18, 2024
Scott Quinn and his 4-year-old son, Ethan, work on coloring books in a bed in Concord, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Ethan's parents are among those who have opted for a private daycare instead of a free “transitional kindergarten.” Quinn said he has been discouraged to see Ethan — one of the oldest kids in his daycare class — pick up the behavior of kids who are several years younger than him. “In retrospect, it would have been better to send him to school to be around kids his age and older,” he said. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
California is rolling out free preschool. That hasn’t solved challenges around child care
Investments in public preschool have helped many parents through a child care crisis, in which quality options for early learners are often scarce and unaffordable. But some parents say the programs don’t work for them.
April 20, 2024
Colored pencils sit around a drawing of "Bluey" the Australian kids' television program character on a sketch pad Friday, April 19, 2024, in Phoenix, Ariz. (AP Photo/Cheyanne Mumphrey)
Not a toddler, not a parent, but still love ‘Bluey’? You’re not alone
Viewers don’t have to be young or a parent to appreciate the Australian kids’ television program “Bluey,” as this week’s release of a special episode proved.
April 19, 2024
(AP Illustration/Cheyanne Mumphrey)
Schools say dress codes promote discipline. But many Black students see traces of racism
For as long as schools have policed hairstyles as part of their dress codes, some students have seen the rules as attempts to deny their cultural and religious identities.
February 22, 2024
Hannah Levy holds her daughter, Aylah, 6, at Codornices Park, a location Aylah attended as a Berkeley Forest School student, during an interview in Berkeley, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. Some parents like Levy don't see much value in traditional kindergarten. She wanted Aylah to enjoy being a kid. There is plenty of time, she reasoned, for her daughter to develop study skills. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Many kids are still skipping kindergarten. Since the pandemic, some parents don’t see the point
The number of kindergartners in public school plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerned about the virus or wanting to avoid online school, hundreds of thousands of families delayed the start of school for their young children.
December 19, 2023
FILE - Darryl George, an 18-year-old junior, looks on before walking into Barbers Hill High School after serving an in-school suspension for not cutting his hair, Sept. 18, 2023, in Mont Belvieu, Texas. The Texas high school Black student who has been disciplined and kept away from his classroom for months for refusing to change his hairstyle is not likely to be back with his regular classmates anytime soon. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke, File)
Texas high school Black student suspended over hair likely won’t return to his class anytime soon
A Texas high school Black student has been disciplined for months for refusing to change his hairstyle. He’s not likely to be back with his classmates anytime soon.
December 14, 2023
FILE - Emmitt Glynn teaches to a group of Baton Rouge Magnet High School students, Jan. 30, 2023, in Baton Rouge, La. On Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, the College Board released an updated framework for its new Advanced Placement African American Studies course, months after the non-profit testing company came under intense scrutiny for engaging with conservative critics. (AP Photo/Stephen Smith, File)
College Board revises AP Black studies class set to launch in 2024
The College Board has released an updated framework for its new Advanced Placement African American Studies course, which officially launches next academic year.
December 6, 2023
FILE - Darryl George, a 17-year-old junior, before walking across the street to go into Barbers Hill High School after serving a 5-day in-school suspension for not cutting his hair Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in Mont Belvieu. George will spend the remainder of the year in in-school suspension, extending a punishment that was first imposed in August over his hairstyle that district officials maintain violates their dress code policy. A referral given to George Tuesday, Dec. 5, said his hair is “out of compliance” with the dress code at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke, File)
Texas high school sends Black student back to in-school suspension over his locs hairstyle
A Texas high school sent a Black student back to in-school suspension for refusing to change his hairstyle, renewing a monthslong standoff over a dress code policy the teen’s family calls discriminatory.
December 5, 2023
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