Education

 NPR -  Yesterday, Trump signed a sweeping list of executive actions targeting higher education and K-12 schools. The actions include proposals to eliminate college DEI programs and new discipline guidance for public schools. One of the higher education orders directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “overhaul” the college accreditation system. Another action threatens to revoke federal university grants if schools don’t complete "full and timely disclosure of foreign funding."

NPR’s Elissa Nadworny says the Trump administration is trying to create ways to hold colleges accountable for “ideological overreach” and to increase “intellectual diversity” on campus. An action targeting K-12 schools calls for revoking previous policies aimed at reducing racial disparities in discipline practices like suspensions and expulsions, Nadworny says. Some other executive actions focus on bolstering workforce training and improving AI in schools. The collection of actions focuses on cementing Trump’s conservative agenda regarding education in the U.S.

 

NPR - For the first time in five years, the Department of Education says it will resume collections on defaulted student loans. Starting May 5, the department can start taking funds from borrowers’ tax refunds, Social Security benefits and eventually wages. The change will impact 5.3 million borrowers who went into default before the pandemic. NPR spoke with experts on the topic. Here’s what they say you should know:

🎓 The department says it will reach out to the borrowers who are in default before May 5, via emails and social media posts, “reminding them of their obligations.”
🎓 People can check their status by logging into StudentAid.gov. The dashboard should show how much you owe. If you are in default, there should be a warning message.
🎓The three primary ways to get out of default are to repay the loans in full, loan consolidation and rehabilitation. The consolidation option involves paying off the defaulted loans with new repayment terms. Rehabilitation requires the borrower to make multiple consecutive on-time payments of an amount based on income.