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John W. Poole/NPR

Playgrounds For All Children: Here's How To Find One

September 11, 2014 • For kids with disabilities, a simple activity like going down a slide can be a challenge. An NPR crowdsourcing project maps inclusive playgrounds — fun and safe for all — across the country.

Amir Pinkney-Jengkens, 8, is learning trombone through Harmony Project, a nonprofit that provides musical instruments and instruction to children in low-income communities. Recent research suggests that such musical education may help improve kids' ability to process speech. Annie Tritt for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Annie Tritt for NPR

NPR Ed

This Is Your Brain. This Is Your Brain On Music

September 10, 2014 • A new study suggests that learning to play a musical instrument helps improve the brain's ability to process language. That means music lessons could give kids from low-income communities a big boost.

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Whitman Wilcox V, 17, stands for a portrait on Aug. 15 at his home in New Orleans. Edmund D. Fountain for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Edmund D. Fountain for NPR

NPR Ed

Q&A: One Student's Educational Saga In New Orleans

September 9, 2014 • A high school senior looks back on five schools pre- and post-Katrina.

Research News

Built In Better Times, University Labs Now Lack Research Funding

September 10, 2014 • When the National Institutes of Health budget doubled, some schools scrambled to build new laboratory buildings. But the funding has declined, leaving institutions struggling to pay for the buildings.

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Members of the 2013 Penn State football team run onto the field in State College, Pa. Gene J. Puskar/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Gene J. Puskar/AP

Sports

NCAA Lifts Penn State's Postseason Ban, Restores Scholarships

September 9, 2014 • Penn State football got out from under the most severe on-field sanctions imposed on it two years ago over the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal. The NCAA made the surprise announcement on Monday.

The Two-Way

Harvard To Get $350 Million Gift From Hong Kong Group

September 8, 2014 • The School of Public Health will be renamed in honor of H.T. Chan, whose son, a longtime university benefactor, received two degrees from Harvard in the 1970s.

Student walking on campus with a bookbag.

iStockphoto

Shots - Health News

The Start Of School Is Not The Only Risky Time For Campus Rape

September 8, 2014 • It's sometimes called "the red zone" — the first few weeks of college, when freshmen women are more vulnerable to sexual assault. But researchers say it's more complicated than that.

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Harvard Receives Largest-Ever Donation

September 8, 2014 • The $350 million gift pledged to Harvard University's School of Public Health will help bolster research in several key areas including global pandemics, officials said.

Dana Goldstein Michael Lionstar/Dana Goldstein hide caption

itoggle caption Michael Lionstar/Dana Goldstein

NPR Ed

Q&A: Dana Goldstein, Author, 'The Teacher Wars'

September 6, 2014 • Testing, tenure, pay, standards, business influence, poverty and inequality — the big education issues have been with us a long time, according to a new book.

Florida Polytechnic Library Goes Book-Free

September 6, 2014 • A university library without books? What is higher education coming to? NPR's Scott Simon talks to Kathryn Miller at Florida Polytechnic University about the school's new bookless library.

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NPR Ed

Lights, Camera, College? Goucher College Introduces Video Applications

September 5, 2014 • Soon Goucher's admissions office will plow through thousands of essays, recommendations — and, for the first time, video applications.

The Hewitt family at home in Vermont. Becky Lettenberger/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Becky Lettenberger/NPR

NPR Ed

These Kids Grew Up With The Woods As Their Only Classroom

September 4, 2014 • Ben Hewitt's sons do not follow standardized curriculum; there are no tests or grades. He is a member of the "unschooling" movement.

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LA Johnson/NPR

NPR Ed

The Myth Of The Superstar Superintendent?

September 4, 2014 • Superintendents make almost no difference when it comes to student success, according to a new report.

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LA Johnson/NPR

NPR Ed

Gentlemen, Preschool Is Calling WNYC

September 4, 2014 • New York City is scrambling to make good on its promise to provide preschool for all. That means hiring roughly 1,000 new teachers. But few will likely be men.

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North Carolina District Breaks Ties With Teach For America

September 3, 2014 • The school board in Durham, N.C., voted 6-1 to end its relationship with Teach For America, after the current crop of teachers finish out their stints. Board members cited the lack of experience and the limited commitment of these young teachers in the district's "high-needs" schools. Education reporter Reema Khrais of WUNC explains the situation.

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iStockphoto

A Closer Look At Sexual Assaults On Campus

Some Accused Of Sexual Assault On Campus Say System Works Against Them

September 3, 2014 • Young men in colleges across the country say they're being falsely accused of campus sexual assault and treated unfairly in a rush to judgment.

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LA Johnson/NPR

NPR Ed

Sounds From The First Day Of School

September 2, 2014 • Millions of children are heading back to school, and to mark the traditional start of the school year, we've asked reporters from member stations around the country to bring us the sounds.

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Cookie Monster and John Oliver anchor a special report on words. YouTube hide caption

itoggle caption YouTube

The Two-Way

John Oliver And Cookie Monster, On The News Beat

September 2, 2014 • Just in time for the back-to-school season, funny newsman John Oliver and incorrigible consumer Cookie Monster co-anchor a news special on words.

Dana Goldstein has reported on education for several years, including in The Atlantic and The Daily Beast. Michael Lionstar/Courtesy of Doubleday hide caption

itoggle caption Michael Lionstar/Courtesy of Doubleday

A Lesson In How Teachers Became 'Resented And Idealized'

September 2, 2014 • In The Teacher Wars, Dana Goldstein chronicles the history of the profession and current topics like tenure. She says the idea that teachers can help fight poverty has existed since the 19th century.

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Nathlynn Dellande waited in line for hours to get her grandchildren, Chloe Dellande, 7, and Ashton Dellande, 5, into the same charter school. Edmund D. Fountain for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Edmund D. Fountain for NPR