Janaki Mehta
Appearances
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-25-2024 6PM EST
Five percent fewer 18-year-old freshmen enrolled in college this fall compared to last fall. That's according to data analysis by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Some experts say the decline has to do with the disastrous rollout of the FAFSA last year. That's the financial aid form that allows students to get money from the federal government to go to college.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-25-2024 6PM EST
Others say the Supreme Court's 2023 decision to ban affirmative action contributed. This drop in enrollment was seen widely across the country in 46 states. But the school year is only partway over, so colleges still have time to make up lost ground. Janaki Mehta, NPR News.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 04-09-2025 10AM EDT
What is taught in classrooms already is up to states, and 90 percent of school funding comes from state and local sources. But the federal government helps oversee laws and ensures funding goes where it's needed. With the U.S. Department of Education already cut in half, McMahon was asked what would happen to schools without that kind of federal oversight.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 04-09-2025 10AM EDT
Some states will do better than others, and that's a fact. So McMahon asked private sector donors, including those sitting in the room, to start doing their part to help fund education. Janaki Mehta, NPR News.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 02-11-2025 10AM EST
There's some high-quality digital tools. that are already being used in classrooms in many states to measure how kids can make up ground in math. It's part of a study that IES was conducting, and now that that contract is canceled, the study is going to be cut short and the tools could soon be pulled from classrooms.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-18-2024 7PM EST
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NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-18-2024 7PM EST
New details have emerged in an ongoing case that accuses schools of cheating students out of millions of dollars in financial aid over two decades. The motion demands $685 million in damages and accuses elite universities, including University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, and Cornell of participating in, quote, a price-fixing cartel.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-18-2024 7PM EST
The plaintiffs say the universities were meant to use a, quote, need-blind approach to admissions, and that favoring applicants because of their family's donation potential violates the law. The schools deny the allegations and have attempted to get the case dismissed. Janaki Mehta, NPR News.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-13-2025 7AM EDT
But the layoffs look to be wide-ranging. The Ed Department is set to go from 4,100 to 2,200 people in the coming days. Janaki Mehta, NPR News.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-13-2025 7AM EDT
Trump says he wants to return education to the states, which, by the way, is already largely the case. The federal government is responsible for about 10 percent of the money that goes to schools. The rest comes from state and local governments. Trump also said this about the layoffs.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-08-2025 3PM EST
The federal government's public service loan forgiveness program, known as PSLF, has been in place since 2007. It forgives a portion of loans for employees who work in the public sector or for nonprofits after they've completed 10 years of service. and 120 qualifying payments. What's left of their debt after that is forgiven by the government.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-08-2025 3PM EST
Now, President Trump's executive order is attempting to limit who qualifies for the program. The order says PSLF would exclude, quote, individuals employed by organizations whose activities have a substantial illegal purpose. Legal expert Persis Yu of the Student Borough Protection Center said, a nonprofit that advocates for student loan borrowers.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-08-2025 3PM EST
It says any steps a Trump administration takes to modify the law would require a lengthy federal rulemaking process. Janaki Mehta, NPR News.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Education Department Layoffs, Spending Bill
Yeah. So the announcement that came from the Department of Education Tuesday night said the agency was cutting nearly 50 percent of its staff. And that number includes some of the people who've already taken voluntary buyouts or decided to retire.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Education Department Layoffs, Spending Bill
And in that statement, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said these cuts reflect the department's, quote, commitment to efficiency, accountability and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most to students, parents and teachers. The announcement clearly said all divisions of the agency will be impacted.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Education Department Layoffs, Spending Bill
The Department of Ed sent union leaders a list of employees who would be laid off, and the union shared that list with NPR. The cuts are certainly wide-ranging. Hundreds of employees from the Federal Student Aid Office, just under 250 employees from the Office of Civil Rights, and another 100-plus from the Institute of Education Sciences are
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Education Department Layoffs, Spending Bill
which was already gutted by other federal cuts a few weeks ago. And many other parts of the agency were reflected in that list too.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Education Department Layoffs, Spending Bill
Yeah, I heard from multiple employees who were notified yesterday that they will be laid off in coming days. Sharia Smith is an attorney at the Department of Ed's Office for Civil Rights. She's also president of AFGE Local 252, which is a union that represents Ed Department employees.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Education Department Layoffs, Spending Bill
And Smith, along with all five of the other union officers in her chapter, were told Tuesday that they're being laid off.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Education Department Layoffs, Spending Bill
So the Office for Civil Rights where Smith works is responsible for making sure students aren't being discriminated against at school, and that includes students with disabilities.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Education Department Layoffs, Spending Bill
Yes, they are. So, for example, the Institute of Education Sciences or IES does research on all kinds of topics related to American education. It has a bunch of sub branches that were established in laws passed by Congress as well. But I saw a termination email for an employee of one of those sub branches that I'm talking about that clearly states that their entire unit is being, quote, abolished.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Education Department Layoffs, Spending Bill
Whether or not that's legal is not clear yet. Say, like, if the Ed Department has retained at least some of the employees at these offices that are protected by law, they could be leaving the door open to say that office hasn't completely been shut down. Kenneth Wong is a professor of education policy at Brown University, and here's what he said.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Education Department Layoffs, Spending Bill
So Wong says that will ultimately be up to Congress and probably the courts to decide.
Up First from NPR
Ukraine Ceasefire Talks, Education Department Layoffs, Spending Bill
Thank you, A.
Up First from NPR
Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
Good morning.
Up First from NPR
Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
Yeah, so on Monday, Elon Musk's unit, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, made severe cuts to the education department's independent research arm. I'm talking about the Institute of Education Sciences, or IES. DOGE eliminated most of the contracts the institute holds, nearly $9 million worth.
Up First from NPR
Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
And IES is responsible for collecting and sharing massive swaths of data that help shape the education system in this country. And they rely heavily on contractors to do it. Their work is on hold right now.
Up First from NPR
Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
Yeah, well, I would say the first of all, the elimination of the department would require an act of Congress. But yeah, if McMahon's confirmed her first order of business will probably be to slim the department down further. In fact, on Tuesday, President Trump said he hopes she will work herself out of a job. By the way, this is an agency that has an annual budget of $79 billion, 4,200 employees.
Up First from NPR
Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
It's one of the smallest federal agencies, and the Education Department oversees some pretty consequential programs, like one that sends money to schools and low-income communities, another to protect the civil rights of students with disabilities. So hypothetically, McMahon would be charged with overseeing these kinds of programs as long as Congress plans to keep protecting them.
Up First from NPR
Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
Yeah, so I think one clue came from a House hearing on education last week. If that's any indication, the line of questioning to McMahon is probably going to be split along party lines. Here's a taste from that hearing.
Up First from NPR
Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
That's Democratic Representative Bobby Scott of Virginia. And here's Republican Representative from Missouri, Bob Onder, arguing the Biden Education Department basically pushed liberal identity politics over learning.
Up First from NPR
Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
I should say, Michelle, the department doesn't actually play a role at all in shaping school curriculum. The law prevents it from doing just that.
Up First from NPR
Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
Yeah, I'll start by saying McMahon doesn't have much of a background in education. She did serve on the Connecticut State Board of Education for a year. She's probably best known for leading WWE for decades, World Wrestling Entertainment. So she hasn't said anything in recent days about what she'd do with the department.
Up First from NPR
Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
But in December, she said on X she would work on, quote, reforming the Department of Education. And we know she supports school choice, for example. We tried reaching her for an interview multiple times, and we haven't heard back. So we'll wait and see how she brings those skills to this department if she's confirmed. That is NPR education reporter Janaki Mehta. Janaki, thank you.
Up First from NPR
Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
Thank you, Michelle.
Up First from NPR
School Funding, Venezuelan Deportation Hearing, Key Bridge Inspection
No, that actually requires an act of Congress. The action essentially tells the Secretary of Education to take all steps towards eliminating the department to the maximum extent possible under the law. And like I said, it does require Congress. Well, we've already seen the Trump administration move towards that goal by cutting the department workforce nearly in half.
Up First from NPR
School Funding, Venezuelan Deportation Hearing, Key Bridge Inspection
Many of the department's employees are going to have their last day today before being put on administrative leave.
Up First from NPR
School Funding, Venezuelan Deportation Hearing, Key Bridge Inspection
Yeah, so the National Center for Education Statistics, or NCES, has been the central source of data about education in the U.S. for more than 150 years. At the start of this year, more than 100 people were working there, and after today, just three NCES staff will remain. That's according to multiple employees at NCES and an internal email we reviewed.
Up First from NPR
School Funding, Venezuelan Deportation Hearing, Key Bridge Inspection
And nearly all the data experts responsible for determining whether schools qualify for certain federal grants will soon be out of jobs. So this data agency being eliminated, what does it mean for schools?
Up First from NPR
School Funding, Venezuelan Deportation Hearing, Key Bridge Inspection
So part of what NCES works on are known as formula grants for schools, things like Title I, which goes to low-income schools, and also funding for rural schools through the Rural Education Achievement Program. Those are just two examples, but if there aren't data people crunching these numbers, employees tell us it's going to be really hard for schools to get that money.
Up First from NPR
School Funding, Venezuelan Deportation Hearing, Key Bridge Inspection
I talked to Amy Price-Azano, who leads the Center for Rural Education at Virginia Tech, and she said, It's important to remember the students on the other side of this money.
Up First from NPR
School Funding, Venezuelan Deportation Hearing, Key Bridge Inspection
And I should say we did reach out to the ed department for comment on all of this, and they did not reply. What kind of things do schools use that money for? Yeah. So formula grants are actually really flexible. Once states and districts get these grants from the ed department, they primarily get to choose what to do with it.
Up First from NPR
School Funding, Venezuelan Deportation Hearing, Key Bridge Inspection
Like Title I or rural school grants could be used to pay school staff salaries, transportation costs, technology, really the nuts and bolts of what makes a school a school. And that's part of why programs like Title I or these rural school grants are such bipartisan golden children. They let local leaders do what best serves the unique needs of their students.
Up First from NPR
School Funding, Venezuelan Deportation Hearing, Key Bridge Inspection
So how soon will schools feel the pain of this data being gone? Yeah, I've spoken to employees at NCS who have worked on both grants for rural schools and on Title I, and they all tell me they're pretty confident districts will get the money they expect for the next school year, but they're really worried about what's going to happen after that.
Up First from NPR
School Funding, Venezuelan Deportation Hearing, Key Bridge Inspection
Like if business was as usual, NCES staff would be hard at work right now gathering the data for the 2026-27 school year. And that is going to be a lot harder with just three employees. And I should add, Leila, NCS doesn't work alone when it comes to Title I. It works closely with the U.S. Census Bureau.
Up First from NPR
School Funding, Venezuelan Deportation Hearing, Key Bridge Inspection
But we learned earlier this week that the Trump administration is starting to shrink that agency, too. And that could certainly further complicate the distribution of Title I funding. And PR education reporter Janaki Mehta.