Jackie Valley

U.S. 12th graders’ reading and math scores fell to their lowest levels on record in 2024, according to the test dubbed “the nation’s report card.”

The shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis was the third such tragedy involving a Christian school in as many years. Security has long been top of mind at Jewish and Muslim schools; now there are growing efforts within Christian school communities to fortify their institutions.

Student lunch debt has been rapidly increasing. Now, changes to SNAP and Medicaid could reduce automatic eligibility for free and reduced-price meals. How are schools responding to prevent hunger and save their budgets?

Volunteer-led efforts to support immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are similar to those happening around the United States. For many of the people stepping up, it’s a way to help fellow community members have some control over their lives.

For a club of women walkers in Las Vegas, even the desert heat doesn’t deter their weekly gathering. Many of them have sought out the conversation and companionship – a sneaker-clad effort to strengthen the social fabric of the area.

States are now more involved in tracking student data, but with the extent of a federal role increasingly less clear, the door is opening for talk of reform.

Today’s eighth graders are shaped by pandemic learning and issues with student engagement that followed school shutdowns. What do they have to say about their education – and how it looks moving forward?

Wildfire turned vibrant Altadena to rubble. The Monitor is following what comes next on one block. How neighbors rebuild, how communities change, and how resilience appears in the aftermath of disaster. This is the first installment.

The cuts come after President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to shutter the Education Department. Critics argue cutbacks are less about improving student outcomes and more about instituting a conservative agenda.

Every two years, America’s schoolchildren get a report card on math and reading. The latest results show students falling further behind. But officials say it can’t all be blamed on the pandemic.