Education

The pandemic has been stressful for millions of children. If that stress isn't buffered by caring adults, it can have lifelong consequences. There's a lot schools can do to keep that from happening.

The Texas Democratic congressional delegation has asked the U.S. Education Department to block the governor from potentially diverting federal COVID-19 dollars away from public schools.

A pilot program allowed 50 students who live within two miles of the school to tap into an extended WiFi network for free, providing a connection that works better than mobile hotspots.

Educators tell NPR that the stress of teaching through the pandemic has affected their health and their personal lives. "It's like nothing I've experienced before," one teachers says.

Parents of the targeted children say the letter informing others in the district about the racial bullying lacked harsh truths that need to be told.

In an academic year scrambled by the pandemic and a deadly winter storm, Texas school students face makeup work and rounds of standardized testing. Many parents and teachers say it's unnecessary.

Some universities are urging students to get the COVID-19 vaccine while others are leaving the decision to students.

Multigenerational households and anti-Asian bullying may play a role.

Three federal stimulus packages passed during the pandemic included more than $19 billion for Texas public schools, but state leaders have yet to distribute most of the money. Local districts say they need it to cover pandemic-related costs.

With just nine weeks left in the school year, district officials fear that too many students won't graduate if seniors don't return for in-person instruction every day the rest of the way.

Colleges are leaning heavily on campus custodians. "You may not have seen us before the pandemic, but I guarantee you'll see us now," says Tanya Hughes, a campus building services head in Florida.

For a number of K-12 students, being away from the classroom and learning virtually over the past year has caused them to slip academically and fall behind with their social and emotional skills. In a virtual panel, experts talked about ways to address these challenges.