All articles tagged with #education
Federal agents executed search warrants at the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters and at Superintendent Alberto Carvalho's home as part of an ongoing white-collar investigation; the case is sealed and not related to immigration, with the district cooperating and providing no further details at this time.
A Pew survey finds about half of U.S. teens use AI for schoolwork, and a majority believe their peers are using AI to cheat; more than 10% of teens use AI for emotional support or advice, and teens are more hopeful about AI than adults.
A Pew Research Center survey of 1,458 U.S. teens (and parents) finds most teens have heard of and use AI chatbots, with 57% using them to search for information, 54% for schoolwork help, and 47% for fun; about 16% chat casually and 12% seek emotional support, while 10% do all or most schoolwork with chatbot help. About 59% say AI-enabled cheating is a regular occurrence at their school. Teens view AI’s impact as more positive for themselves (36% positive, 15% negative) than for society (31% positive, 26% negative). Parents’ reports lag teens’ use (roughly 50% of parents say their teen uses chatbots vs. 64% of teens). Confidence in using chatbots varies, with about a quarter very/extremely confident and roughly 30% somewhat confident.
A Pew Research Center survey finds that 54% of U.S. teens aged 13–17 have used AI chatbots (e.g., OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot) for schoolwork, up from 26% in 2024 and 13% in 2023, signaling chatbot-assisted help is becoming a regular part of student life and raising questions about cheating.
As Russia’s invasion enters its fifth year, Ukraine has rolled out a mandatory “Protecting Ukraine” program training more than 385,000 teenagers in weapons handling, battlefield tactics, emergency medicine, mine safety, and radio communication, alongside lessons on defense and resilience. The Education Ministry says the aim is to form a defense-minded civilian population as the country awaits potential peace talks while facing ongoing attacks.
The Education Department announced two interagency agreements with the State Department and HHS to streamline federal education activities, enhance reporting under Section 117 on foreign gifts, and bolster school safety and family engagement as part of returning education governance to the states, building on prior partnerships.
A UK doctor says his student loan debt has grown from £55,000 to about £80,000 due to roughly £25,000 in interest, with around £3,000 added this tax year and only half of that paid off. Interest accrues immediately and can reach up to 6.2%, delaying plans like buying a home. Loans are written off after 25–40 years depending on the region, and while the government defends the system as fair, graduates and policymakers are pushing for reform.
A federal appeals court (the Fifth Circuit) lifted a preliminary injunction blocking Louisiana’s 2024 law that requires Ten Commandments posters in every public classroom and in colleges, allowing enforcement to proceed while the court noted the law’s constitutionality remains undecided since it never went into effect. The posters must be at least 11 by 14 inches and include a three‑paragraph note about the Commandments’ historical role in American education. The ruling does not affect Texas’ similar law. Dissenters warned the policy improperly elevates religion in public schools, while a concurring judge praised it as a tradition‑based expression of faith in the public square.
Rumors claim Apple is prepping a budget MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, a 12.9– or 13-inch colorful aluminum chassis, USB-C connectivity only (no Thunderbolt), and a price around $599–$799 aimed at students, possibly shipping in four colors (yellow, silver, blue, pink) with 8–16GB RAM and 128–256GB storage; launch anticipated around Apple’s March 4 event.
The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved a policy to curb 'controversial topics' in courses, requiring faculty to avoid coercion, not include unrelated controversial matters in syllabi, and to follow the syllabus while promoting balanced discussion and academic integrity. While officials say the goal is to foster trust and expose students to multiple viewpoints, critics warn it could curb responses to current events, hamper inquiry, and lead to censorship, with enforcement details still unclear across 14 UT institutions. The move follows broader Texas higher-ed restrictions on curricula related to race and gender, and comes as UT Austin consolidates several ethnic- and gender-studies departments.
A UCSF study shows the brain learns more efficiently when rewards are rare and spaced apart, with dopamine responses driven by the time between cue and reward rather than the number of repetitions. This challenges Pavlovian practice-as-learning and explains why cramming is less effective, while suggesting educational strategies and potential faster, sparse-learning approaches for AI.
Leon Botstein, Bard College’s long‑time president who rebuilt the school from debt to a sprawling, multi‑billion‑dollar enterprise, comes under renewed scrutiny after Justice Department documents reveal years of contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including fundraising discussions and efforts tied to young musicians. Botstein says the relationship was for fundraising, while critics warn the ties could harm Bard’s reputation; protests have been limited and the board has largely stood by him, with Botstein apologizing for his involvement as he marks decades at Bard.
AI is expanding in India, powering autonomous farming equipment that plants, fertilizes and harvests crops, and AI-driven grading and content-creation tools at civil-services coaching centers that speed up evaluating tens of thousands of answer sheets and shaping study material. Government initiatives and major investments aim to scale AI, but challenges like chip supply, data centers, and multilingual learning persist, requiring firms and workers to adapt to an AI-driven productivity push.
LAUSD's board approved issuing preliminary layoff notices to 657 staff (primarily in central office) as part of a $1.4 billion fiscal stabilization plan to close a multi-year deficit, while signaling additional reductions to positions including hundreds of teachers next year due to enrollment declines; teacher layoffs for 2026-27 are not planned. Notices must go out by March 15, with a hiring freeze and final decisions expected in May or June. The district also plans to move up to 800 certificated positions to other roles and has redirected $50–60 million to restore some classified position cuts, all aimed at protecting schools and frontline staff while balancing the budget.
A long-form piece ties Les Wexner to Jeffrey Epstein, detailing Epstein’s control over parts of Wexner’s wealth, Wexner’s substantial donations to Ohio State University (including naming rights on OSU facilities and a new hospital), and renewed pressure as lawmakers seek his deposition and as survivors and critics push to remove his name; Wexner denies knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and says he cut ties in 2007, while OSU faces lawsuits and scrutiny over past donors.