As enrollments dwindle and colleges close, towns hope developers will revive abandoned campuses

Jun 1, 2023
It isn't easy to find buyers for typical cinder-block campus buildings.
Southern Vermont College called this mansion in Bennington, Vermont home for 40 years, until it closed in 2019. Now, a real estate developer wants to turn it into a luxury resort.
Henry Epp/Marketplace

Public spending on preschool hasn’t gone up in two decades

May 18, 2023
A new report finds that funding has stagnated in the last two decades. Some states are trying to buck the trend.
Public funding for preschools has stagnated in the last 20 years. Some states like New Jersey are looking to change that.
Daria Nipot / Getty Images

Why a Massachusetts school district is recruiting teachers from Brazil

May 8, 2023
As a nationwide educator shortage persists, some districts are sponsoring immigrant work visas to attract and retain staff.
Teacher Juliana Santos listens to a student in a Massachusetts elementary school.
Robin Lubbock/WBUR

Another small college closes as declining enrollment and a hot job market bite

Apr 12, 2023
More than half a dozen have announced they're closing over the past year or so.
A hot job market and other factors have driven a record decline in college enrollment starting in 2019, which particularly affects small colleges.
Getty Images

State funding for homeschooling is on the rise. Not everyone wants it.

Mar 29, 2023
At least 12 states now have laws allowing families to use public funds for homeschooling expenses.
Anna Fulbright (right) instructs her daughter, 10-year-old Natalie Fulbright, on how to make a geographical landscape with Play-Doh.
Stephanie Hughes / Marketplace

If retirement isn't your thing just yet, what about ... college?

Mar 24, 2023
Some schools are creating college programs for adults who've finished one career — and may want to use their past experience to give back to their communities.
Students in CU Denver's Change Makers program during an evening class.
Nell Salzman

The job market is hot. But who's hiring?

Mar 22, 2023
The sectors hit hardest during the pandemic, including hospitality and retail, are coming back.
Even if they're not the most well-paying gigs, people are still taking jobs in the restaurant industry.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

How a tight labor market has made way for educators to strike

Mar 22, 2023
The ongoing strike by Los Angeles educators is being fueled largely by high demand for workers.
Los Angeles Unified School District workers and supporters rally outside LAUSD headquarters on the first day of a strike over a new contract on March 21.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Teachers are underpaid. Is that changing?

Mar 3, 2023
At least two dozen states — and Congress — have either proposed or enacted laws to increase teacher pay in the past couple of years.
At least two dozen states, plus Congress, have proposed or enacted laws to boost teacher pay in recent years.
Olivier Touron/AFP via Getty Images

Why are more and more public school principals quitting their jobs?

Feb 22, 2023
A Rand survey finds that 16% of public school principals retired or quit in the 2021-22 school year, more than double the rate from the year before.
School principals have increasingly been at the center of polarizing debates over issues like masking.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images