PBS NewsHour Education

Much of the debate over higher education today centers on cost, career prospects and whether a college degree can prepare students for a rapidly changing job market. But in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, one of the oldest skills taught on college campuses may be more valuable than ever. Paul Solman reports for our higher education series, Rethinking College.

Cornell University faculty will meet Wednesday to conclude debate and begin voting on a proposed no-confidence resolution in the university's administration following widespread frustration over its response to a woman who reported she was gang raped at a campus fraternity house in 2024.

For decades, federal Pell Grants have helped millions of students from low- and middle-income families afford college. Now, for the first time, that financial aid will also be available for short-term vocational training programs designed to help students enter the workforce. Stephanie Sy reports on the rollout of Workforce Pell for our series, Rethinking College.

A lawsuit in Missouri could have implications for the nation's historically Black colleges and universities. Current and former students at Lincoln University are suing the state for $549 million, alleging it systematically underfunded the school. The case could become a model for similar legal challenges across the country. Geoff Bennett spoke with Don Calloway for our series, Rethinking College.

A new proposed $70,000 fee for international students who are seeking to work in the U.S. after graduation is the latest Trump administration policy targeting scholars from abroad.

Police in Bend, Oregon, are still investigating the motive behind the deadly shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School. Four people were killed, including three young children and a teacher. Police identified the shooter as a 16-year-old who previously attended the school. They said he attacked a special education classroom before being killed at the scene. William Brangham reports.

There are many more questions to be answered about the deadly elementary school shooting in Bend, Oregon. To explore some of them, Amna Nawaz spoke with James Densley, professor and chair of criminology and criminal justice at Metro State University. He is best known for co-creating the Violence Prevention Project, a database of mass shooters in the United States.

Police said they did not know if the shooter knew anyone at the school or whether he had attended.

Across the nation, scores of small private colleges and universities are either closing or under threat. As each school shutters, students, faculty, and the surrounding community struggle to find a way forward. Paul Solman reports on one such school and the effects of its demise. It's part of our higher education series, Rethinking College, and produced in collaboration with the Hechinger Report.

Elon Musk remains one of the more powerful and controversial figures in business, science, tech and politics. He played a central role in the early days of the second Trump administration. Now, a new documentary is chronicling Musk's rise to power and embrace of right-wing politics. William Brangham reports.

The university's police department gave her the impression that a criminal investigation was continuing, lawyer Thomas Giuffra told The Associated Press.

The original deadline was Sept. 30, but the U.S. Department of Education extended it to give borrowers more time to enroll. The rate reduction will last through June 2028.

Anger and backlash are building at Cornell University this week over the way the school handled an alleged gang rape in 2024. The case has renewed questions about how sexual assault allegations are investigated on college campuses and by law enforcement. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Deborah Tuerkheimer, a former prosecutor and author of "Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers."

Protests are continuing in France, a day after more than 250,000 people took to the streets across the country to demand education reforms. Demonstrations began in mid-September, fueled by frustrations over classroom sizes and poor building conditions. Special correspondent William Denselow reports from Paris.

More than a quarter-million people poured into the streets across France on Tuesday, a dramatic development in a student-led movement that began at a single high school. In some cities, police and protesters clashed. French officials condemned what they called "extreme violence." Deema Zein reports.

By the time that a child is preschool age, they have the ability to learn information from technology, said Lauren Girouard, a researcher at Harvard Graduate School of Education and the University of Michigan.

Their anxiety is fueling a restlessness with a national political system that they worry is no longer capable of improving their lives or no longer interested in helping.

"My heart aches when I think of what she experienced," Kotlikoff said. "It raises heartbreaking and troubling issues about sexual assault, dehumanization and aspects of party culture, alcohol and drug use."

A drug task force in Mississippi had previously urged people to avoid kratom, an herbal substance that acts as a stimulant at low doses and a sedative at high doses, after authorities found packages of kratom derivatives while investigating the deaths on Sept. 21.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday that the woman who accused members of a Cornell University fraternity of gang rape was "failed" by people obligated to protect her, including police and the county prosecutor.