A cyberattack targeting Canvas, one of the most widely used learning management systems in the United States, has disrupted schools and universities across the country during final exam season. The incident has raised fresh concerns about the vulnerability of digital infrastructure that millions of students and educators depend on daily. Institutions are scrambling to find alternatives as the outage continues.
The NCAA has announced plans to expand its March Madness tournaments to 76 teams beginning next season, up from the current 68-team format. The change will affect both the men's and women's basketball tournaments. The expansion represents the most significant structural change to the tournament in over a decade.
President Trump has fired the independent board that oversees the National Science Foundation, continuing his administration's efforts to reshape federal scientific and research institutions. The move removes a layer of independent governance from one of the country's primary federal agencies for scientific funding. The dismissals have drawn attention from across the political spectrum.
A federal appeals court has ruled that Texas may require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms, upholding a state law passed in 2024. The decision is expected to face further legal challenges and could ultimately reach the Supreme Court.
Jim Whittaker, the pioneering American mountaineer who became the first U.S. citizen to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1963, has died at the age of 97. Whittaker's historic climb brought international recognition and helped inspire generations of outdoor adventurers. He was also known for his long tenure as CEO of REI and his close friendship with the Kennedy family.
Michigan defeated UConn to claim the NCAA men's basketball national championship, ending a 37-year title drought for the Wolverines. The victory halted UConn's bid for continued dynasty status. Michigan's run was powered in part by transfer portal additions and a standout performance from Yaxel Lendeborg.
The Trump administration's Education Department has rescinded civil rights settlement agreements with several schools that had extended Title IX protections to transgender students. The move reverses Biden-era enforcement actions and signals a shift in how the federal government interprets Title IX's sex discrimination provisions. Schools previously covered by those agreements will no longer be required to comply with the transgender-inclusive policies.
UCLA defeated South Carolina to claim its first-ever NCAA women's basketball championship. Gabriela Jaquez was a standout performer for the Bruins in the title game. The victory caps a historic run for a program that had never previously won the national title.
UCLA defeated South Carolina to claim its first NCAA women's basketball national championship in program history. The Bruins' victory ends South Carolina's bid for continued dominance and marks a landmark moment for the UCLA program. Gabriela Jaquez was among the standout performers in the title game.
A federal judge has halted a Trump administration effort that would have required colleges and universities to certify that race is not considered in their admissions processes. The ruling temporarily blocks the administration's demand while legal challenges proceed. The order had been issued as part of the administration's broader push to enforce the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling against race-conscious admissions.
President Trump signed an executive order aimed at reforming college athletics, targeting eligibility limits and the number of transfers athletes can make. The order includes threats to federal funding as a mechanism for enforcement. Major college sports conferences have begun responding to the directive.
NASA launched the Artemis II mission on April 1, sending four astronauts on a 10-day lunar flyby — the first crewed voyage to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The crew includes the first woman, first Black astronaut, and first non-American to travel to the moon.
The Department of Education will vacate the Lyndon B. Johnson Building it has occupied for 40 years by August 2026, with the Energy Department assuming the lease. Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the relocation a 'milestone' in the administration's effort to eliminate the agency; the building has been 70% vacant since mass layoffs. The move is projected to save $4.8 million annually. Fox News confirmed the plans; NBC News reported the move's broader implications for $1.7 trillion in student loans recently transferred to Treasury.
The Kennedy Center will begin laying off workers in 'the days and weeks ahead' and close for two years of renovations beginning July 5, 2026, according to Executive Director Matt Floca. The closure follows Trump's takeover of the board, the addition of Trump's name to the institution, and dozens of artist cancellations. Two federal lawsuits are attempting to block the July 5 closure. NBC News confirmed the layoffs; the Daily Wire has covered the Kennedy Center as a culture war flashpoint.
Education watchdog Defending Education filed a new federal civil rights complaint against the Los Angeles Unified School District's $175 million Black Student Achievement Plan, citing an October 2024 hot-mic recording in which LAUSD Board President Jackie Goldberg and Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said 'nothing has changed' regarding the race-exclusive program — directly contradicting claims made to federal investigators who dismissed the 2023 complaint. Fox News confirmed the new complaint; the story implicates federal oversight of race-targeted spending.
A federal district court permanently invalidated the Trump Education Department's February 2025 'Dear Colleague' directive ordering schools to eliminate race-conscious programming, after the department conceded in February 2026 that the letter and its associated certification requirement are vacated. Fox News and higher education outlets both noted universities are not rushing to restore DEI programs, citing ongoing executive pressure despite the legal defeat.
The Department of Education issued new guidance encouraging states to use up to 3 percent of their Title I allocations to fund direct student services including private school tuition support, implementing President Trump's school choice executive order. Fox News and conservative outlets celebrated the move as expanding educational freedom; NPR and education policy researchers noted that Title I was designed for low-income public schools and raised concerns about diverting funds from the nation's most vulnerable students.
The Justice Department filed a civil rights lawsuit against Harvard University on March 20, alleging the school failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from discrimination and harassment following October 7, 2023, and seeking to recover billions in federal grants. Harvard vowed to fight the suit, calling it 'pretextual and retaliatory.' NBC News and Breitbart both confirmed the lawsuit; left- and right-leaning outlets sharply disagreed on whether it represents legitimate civil rights enforcement or executive branch retaliation.
The Education Department announced a three-phase agreement to transfer its entire $1.7 trillion student loan portfolio to the Treasury Department, starting with $180 billion in defaulted loans affecting 9.2 million borrowers. Both NPR and the Washington Times confirmed the move, which marks the single largest step yet in President Trump's effort to shut down the Department of Education. Critics warn of disruption to 40 million borrowers; supporters call it a 'hard reset' on federal bureaucracy.
A year after mass layoffs, the U.S. Department of Education has transferred most of its core K-12 programs to other federal agencies — including career and technical education to Labor, school safety grants to HHS, and international education to State — while its workforce has dropped from 4,100 to about 2,800 employees. EdWeek and Federal News Network confirmed the scale of the restructuring, while NPR and conservative outlets agree that most large K-12 funding streams were protected by Congress in the current fiscal year budget.
Inside Higher Ed and Higher Ed Dive confirm Hegseth announced the end of military education partnerships with selective universities, but even supportive outlets acknowledge the details are unclear.
By fall 2025, 22 states had enacted K-12 cellphone restrictions or bans, with both Republican and Democratic governors signing similar laws. Fox News and NPR both confirmed the bipartisan wave, attributing it to the same studies showing improved student attention and mental health outcomes.
The Supreme Court voted 6-3 to permanently block the Biden administration's SAVE income-driven repayment plan in June 2025, ruling that the executive branch lacked authority to broadly reduce student loan obligations without congressional authorization. Both Fox News and NPR confirmed the ruling, which required ~8 million borrowers to resume payments.
The Department of Education notified approximately 1,315 employees — half its workforce — of layoffs on March 11, 2025, with terminations effective March 21. Federal courts issued temporary restraining orders. Both Fox News and NPR confirmed the same staff numbers, with opposite views on whether the cuts serve students or harm them.
AP, CNN, and Fox News agreed that the Education Department began deep layoffs as the administration moved to shrink the agency. The split was over whether the cuts were overdue downsizing or a direct threat to federal education oversight.
AP, Education Week, and NBC News agreed that more states were moving toward school cellphone bans or strict classroom restrictions. The split was mostly over enforcement details rather than the basic idea that schools were tightening phone policies.
The Trump administration announced a $400 million freeze in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University on March 7, 2025, citing the university's failure to address campus antisemitism. Columbia eventually negotiated a $221 million settlement in June 2025, agreeing to new protest policies. Both Fox News and NPR confirmed the same dollar figures and terms.
Reuters, CNN, and Fox News agreed that the administration pulled or froze significant federal funding from Columbia University over its handling of antisemitism complaints. The split was over whether the action enforced accountability or politicized research funding.
AP, NPR, and Fox News agreed that President Trump's order on girls' and women's sports quickly reshaped school and governing-body policy on transgender athletes. The split was over whether the order restored fairness or targeted a small group of students for political gain.
