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Universities across the country are facing declining enrollment and increasing financial challenges. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Lawmakers call for special session on WVU's budget crisis

A group of West Virginia Democratic delegates is calling for a special session to address West Virginia University's budget shortfall. Del. Evan …

Residents, alumni and stakeholders voiced concerns and input about recently announced West Virginia University budget cuts at a series of community sessions. (West Virginia Create/Facebook)

Residents Voice Input on West Virginia University’s Future

Mountain State residents are reacting and coming up with solutions and ideas to deal with recent budget cuts announced by West Virginia University Pre…

In 2021, some 53% of working adults ages 25 to 54 were parents, and more than a third of those parents had young children, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. (Adobe stock)<br />

Report: More West Virginia Parents Not Working due to Childcare Issues

Thirteen percent of young children in West Virginia lived in families in which someone quit their job or refused a job because of responsibilities wit…

Bachelor's degree attainment for Black people aged 25 to 29 has increased more slowly than among white people, according to the Postsecondary National Policy Institute. (Adobe Stock)

West Virginia's Black College Student Population on Decline

Amid declining enrollment at colleges in the Mountain State, new research showed Black students are disappearing from classrooms at higher rates…

Montgomery Mayor Greg Ingram looks out over the old library of WVU Tech, which the city is slowly attempting to repurpose. (Photo/Nick Fouriezos)

What Happens When a College Town Loses Its College?

By Nick Fouriezos for Open Campus via The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for West Virginia News Service Service for the Public News…

As of 2023, 11 states have passed legislation permitting concealed carry firearms on school campuses in some form, according to BillTrack50. (Adobe Stock)

Educators: 'We Weren’t Heard' on WV Campus-Carry Bill

West Virginia educators say they are dismayed at Gov. Jim Justice's signing of legislation allowing concealed guns on college campuses. The Campus …

More than half of U.S. adults (51%) now consider a college education to be

Report: More West Virginians Completing College Degrees

West Virginia is among a handful of states with the highest increases in educational attainment between 2019 and 2021, according to a new report from …

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around 8.5% of funding for K-12 public schools, according to the Congressional Budget Office. (Adobe Stock)">

Survey Reveals Sinking Confidence in Public Schools Among Voters

Five in 10 voters say their confidence in the public school system has decreased since the start of the Covid crisis and over the past year, …

For the academic year 2020-2021, more than 139,000 students enrolled in West Virginia colleges, according to 'collegeevaluator.com.' (Adobe Stock)

College Rankings: WV Schools Highlight Low Tuition, Specialized Programs

Each year, a number of publications release their rankings of top colleges and universities. While rankings can help folks understand a school's …

The American Psychological Association reports 81% of Gen Z teens (ages 13-17) have experienced more intense stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.(Adobe Stock)

ARP Funds Could Help WV Schools Address Mental-Health Needs

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Degrading mental health among the nation's K-12 students over the past year and a half has alarmed health professionals. Experts …

Nearly 40% of West Virginia students in grades 3 through 8 did not meet grade-level standards in math. (Kostiantyn/Adobe Stock)

Nonprofit Aims to Help Kids Get Caught Up After COVID Year

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - American kids are returning to school an average of four to five months behind in their learning, according to a new study…

The newest edition of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Data Book explores how America's child population fared during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Poverty Continues to Stall Progress on WV Kids' Well-Being

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- New survey data offer a clear picture of how West Virginia kids and families are faring. The Mountain State ranks 44th in the …

West Virginia is looking for more federal funding to support the shift to online learning in schools. (Adobe Stock)

WV Educators See Dire Need for More Federal Funding for Schools

CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- Even before the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns, West Virginia's state government was facing a serious budget shortfall. Now…

A new Public Library Association survey shows 76% of libraries have extended their online renewal policies during the pandemic. (Adobe Stock)

WV Libraries Innovate to Support Patrons in Pandemic

CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- Even though libraries across the nation are closed and many will face budget cuts as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, branches …

The West Virginia public school system has been searching for ways to fund more counseling and support services for students. (Pixabay)

Federal Changes to Medicaid Could Fund Behavioral Health in WV Schools

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – Federal funds could help pay for badly needed behavioral-health support services in public schools, advocates say…

The American Heart Association and others are confirming that, yes, people learn better and think more clearly after a good night's sleep. (engin akyurt/Pixabay)

Mom is Right: ‘Get to Bed, It's a School Night’

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With school back in session, doctors are saying, “your mom is right - time to turn the phone off and get to bed…

In most states, school districts where families are primarily poor or minority populations tend to have less money to spend on infrastructure. (Giovannacco/Pixabay)

UCLA Study: Climate Change Overheats Classrooms, Slowing Learning

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – Climate change is overheating classrooms and in the process, hurting education, especially for poor and minority students…

The day after Fathers' Day, Kids Count is releasing its 30th annual Data Book. (Pezibear/Pixabay)

Kids Count: WV Better in Areas, But U.S. Improves More

CHARLESTON, W. Va. — The 30th annual Kids Count Data Book shows West Virginia making strong gains in some areas, but overall just treading …

Nationwide, almost 300,000 elementary and secondary students attend school entirely online. (April Bryant/Pixabay)

Virtual Charter Schools Get Failing Grade in Study

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia lawmakers are debating a controversial plan to allow charter schools, and in other states that has included …

When the West Virginia Senate goes back into special session today, the leadership probably will have the votes to pass a nearly 150-page education bill. (Dan Heyman)

Big Ed Bill Likely to be Broken Up After It Passes WV Senate

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Stiff opposition looks likely to force the breakup of the big education bill now in the West Virginia state Senate. Gov…

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice told striking teachers Tuesday that he wants a pay-raise bill that does not include any more than a pilot program for charter schools. (Dan Heyman)

Teacher Strikes Boost Ed Funding in WV, Other States

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The wave of school strikes that started in West Virginia a year ago seems to be moving more funding into public education…

Sissonville English teacher Katrina Minney is not an officer with a teachers' union, but she did take part in last year's walkout. (Dan Heyman)

A "Focused Attack on Teachers’ Unions" in WV Education Bill?

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - What critics call a union-busting provision in a huge, fast-moving education bill in the West Virginia Legislature has many …

In some parts of West Virginia, the demand for foster parents is so high the system is being forced to turn to the classroom. (wokandapix/Pixabay)

Ohio County Teachers Step into Foster Care Emergency

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – In Ohio County, W.Va., the drug crisis is breaking up so many homes that the public schools are forced to ask teachers and …

West Virginia has the second highest rate of student loan defaults, and the average debt for graduates has grown by 70 percent since 2005. (bitnovosti)

Student-Loan Debts a "Loss of Freedom" for Some in WV

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Some West Virginians fighting student loan debt say they feel they've been given a life sentence - a debt sentence…

Former miner Jared Blalock is 12 weeks from finishing a two-year degree he says he may transfer to Marshall University. (Dan Heyman)

Former Coal Miner: “Fighting Through the Struggle” to Change Careers

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A former miner from Mingo County says the hardest part of starting a new career in southern West Virginia is believing that …

During the teachers' strike, the West Virginia State Senate was widely viewed as the main obstacle to meeting strikers' demands. (Dan Heyman)

Carmichael Claims Credit for Teacher Pay Raises He Tried to Kill

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Senate President Mitch Carmichael now appears to be taking credit for the teacher pay raises he failed to …

West Virginia counties with a lot of Marcellus drilling have come to depend on property taxes from the wells. (Pixabay)

Suits Over Marcellus Property Taxes Could Clobber Schools, Counties

CHARLESTON, W. Va. — A pair of cases before the West Virginia Supreme Court over gas well property taxes could be "devastating" to local …

West Virginia spends about 20 percent less on school workers as a proportion of the state's Gross Domestic Product than it did eight years ago. (W. Va. Center on Budget and Policy)

What Would a Real PEIA Fix Look Like?

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Striking teachers are angry about rising health care premiums and eroding benefits from West Virginia's Public Employee …

According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, a proposed business tax cut would have cost the same as an 11-percent raise for teachers and school service workers. (Sean O'Leary/WV COBP)

How Much of a Teacher Pay Raise Can WV Afford?

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – West Virginia Senate President Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson County, says the state can only afford a 4-percent pay raise …

Thousands of teachers and school employees faced a cold rain to rally for better pay and insurance outside the West Virginia Capitol on Saturday. (Dan Heyman)

Lawmakers’ Proposals Unlikely to Calm WV Teachers, School Workers

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia teachers say they'll strike Thursday and Friday over pay and health insurance, and bills likely to pass the …

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has just issued an important study of children's well-being in West Virginia and around the country. (Pixabay)

Study Finds Too Many WV Kids Growing Up in Poverty

CHARLESTON, W. Va. - A high proportion of West Virginia children are living in stubbornly persistent poverty, according to a major new study…

About a quarter million West Virginia students are fed in part through the farm-to-school program. (Pixibay)

Farms to School Food Links Growing Like a Weed

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Almost all West Virginia school districts get - or plan to get - food from local farms, and Congress may further boost the …

Could teens be the key to cracking the cyber attacks that expose personal information and sometimes shut down entire systems? (Pixabay)

Online Battle Aims to Spot Young Cyber-Security Talent

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – In response to more cyber attacks, an online contest is spotting talent among high-school students. Seven states have …

Medicaid supports much of the health-care provided in West Virginia schools. (Mary Kuhlman)

Medicaid Cuts' Impact on WV School Health Care Cited

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Health care providers say a Republican bill that includes Medicaid cuts would threaten West Virginia's school health …

The end of the regular legislative session has set the stage for a fight over West Virginia's state budget � a battle organizers say might be settled by public opinion. (W. Va. Legislature)

Public Called to Weigh In on WV State Budget

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- At the last moment, the State Legislature passed a budget with deep cuts to to Medicaid and to K-12 and higher education…

A new study suggests the disproportionate number of African Americans behind bars in West Virginia is feeding the state's educational achievement gap. (Prison Policy Initiative)

Does Incarceration Feed the Achievement Gap?

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Mass incarceration of African Americans from the war on drugs feeds the achievement gap in U.S. schools, according to a new …

Report: "Pervasive" Threats of Lead in School Drinking Water

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In the wake of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, a new report says lead in schools' drinking water is a pervasive problem…

Budget watchers say priorities such as road repairs could go underfunded if the state closes its budget gap entirely or mostly through cuts. (Protect WV)

More Cuts or More Revenue to Address WV Budget Crisis

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy is warning against trying to close the state's $600 million budget gap …

New mother Sarah Starks says the Promise Scholarship kept her in the state and shouldn't be cut. (Dan Heyman)

Child Advocates' Agenda Includes Protecting Promise, Changing Benefits Rules

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The children's advocacy group Our Children Our Future is releasing its annual legislative priority list. Some items focus …

West Virginia is one of only a few states with rising levels of young people behind bars, and advocates say part of the issue is a lack of behavioral health care. (WV Virginia Center on Budget and Policy)

Lack of Behavioral Health Care for Young People Limiting State Progress

CHARLESTON, W. Va. – Lack of behavioral health care for children may be undermining West Virginia's efforts to reduce truancy, cut juvenile …

Almost 200 ITT Tech students are joining a

National Debt Strike By Former ITT Students Grows

CHARLESTON, W.V. — More than 175 former students and graduates of ITT Technical Institute, which had a campus in Huntington, are joining a …

The Community Eligibility Provision, a program that makes it easier for low-income students to get free breakfast and lunch at school, is under threat in Congress. (FRAC)

School Food Program Popular in WV Under Threat

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A bill in Congress could cut a program West Virginia has used to dramatically increase the number of students eating …

West Virginia lawmakers have passed a budget, but it may not resolve the state's fiscal crisis. (West Virginia State Legislature)

WV Legislature Passes Budget, But Veto Possible

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The state Legislature has passed a budget, but it may be headed for a veto. A contentious special session resulted Thursday in …

The head of the state Senate Budget Committee says he's exasperated by the situation West Virginia lawmakers have put themselves in. (West Virginia State Legislature)

An Exasperated WV Senate Budget-Writer Speaks His Mind

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - West Virginia lawmakers have boxed themselves into a budget crisis, and the head of a legislative budget-writing committee says …

West Virginia author Laurie Helgoe wants people to appreciate the power in being an introvert. (L. Helgoe)

Introvert Power and “The Right to Pursue Peace and Quiet”

CHARLESTON, W. Va. - A West Virginia author says more people need to see the power in being an introvert. Davis and Elkins College psychology …

Health officials want parents to try behavior therapy for young children with ADHD, instead of giving them medications. (Lorie Gelwick Tuter)

Report Touts Alternatives to Medications for Children with ADHD

CHARLESTON, W. Va. - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging parents of preschoolers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder…

Marshall University counseling professor Carol Smith says new research about how trauma can change the brain shows a lot of practical promise. (Dan Heyman)

Why We Should Understand How Trauma Changes the Brain

CHARLESTON, W. Va. - A new understanding of how trauma changes the brain shows promise of helping with crime, education, health care, even parenting…

New numbers from the CDC show autism affects about 1 in 68 U.S. children, and that rate is steady. But doctors say more testing is needed. (Wikipedia)

Rate of Autism Holds Steady, But Testing Needed

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - April is National Autism Awareness Month and the numbers are holding steady in the U.S., according to the latest snapshot of …

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WV: Education