Education

The School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington said the district faces potentially falling off a financial cliff without increased funding.

The Philadelphia School District superintendent made his case to the Board of Education on Thursday afternoon as the district faces potentially falling off a fiscal cliff. NBC10’s Lauren Mayk explains. 

While big questions about the agency’s future remain unanswered, here is everything to know about its history, and some of the plans conservatives have pushed for dismantling it.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to close the Department of Education.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Education Department.

President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Thursday calling for the shutdown of the U.S. Education Department.

Federal cuts are raising questions about what programs for people with special needs will be available in the future. These are changes some parents are navigating. NBC10 political reporter Lauren Mayk talked to a mom worried about what her son will have access to.

The University of Delaware is celebrating its largest donation in its 282-year history. Proud alumni Rob and Kathy Siegfried — who graduated from the university in 1981 and 1985 — along with The Siegfried Group, LLP, committed $71.5 million to benefit UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. According to the university, the Siegfrieds’ generous gift will help create…

Robert L. Siegfried, Jr. and Kathleen Marie Siegfried are giving the University of Delaware $71.5 million. The largest gift in UDel’s 282-year history will help transform the business school, officials say.

For parents of kids with disabilities, advocating for their child can be complicated, time-consuming — and expensive.

Twenty states and the District of Columbia announced a lawsuit against the Trump administration Thursday over its mass firings at the Department of Education.

Massive layoffs initiated this week at the Education Department could hamstring the federal government’s efforts to assist students with disabilities, former officials and education experts said, citing blows to the agency’s civil rights and research divisions.  On Tuesday, the department began laying off around 1,300 employees, cutting nearly half the staff in its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and over 100 from the Institute...

The lawsuit claims the layoffs are so severe that the department “can no longer function, and cannot comply with its statutory requirements.”

Massive layoffs hit the Education Department after President Trump vowed to close it down.

The Department of Education distributes billions in federal money to colleges and schools and manages the federal student loan portfolio. Closing the department would mean redistributing each of those duties to another agency.

The Trump administration announced a dramatic funding cut on Friday, saying it would cut federal grants and contracts worth $400 million from Columbia University for “inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”

While some see the Department of Education as vital to ensure education access and quality, others say it’s a bureaucracy that must be abolished.

Districts across the Philadelphia region and the nation are working against a deadline set by the U.S. Department of Education. It’s warning schools about what it calls “Race-Based Preferences,” and federal leaders say if districts let these programs continue, consequences will follow. NBC10’s Deanna Durante reports. 

Meet Sahli Negassi, a high school student in New Jersey who has accomplished an extraordinary academic feat.

Sahli Negassi is quite the student as the West Orange High Schooler scored a 1600 on the SAT among his many other accomplishments.