Cory Turner

Miguel Cardona, President Biden's education nominee, appeared before lawmakers on Wednesday for a mostly tame confirmation hearing. His opening message: In unity there is strength.

President Biden's education nominee has spent most of his professional career as a public school educator in the city where he grew up: Meriden, Conn.

Federal researchers say, with proper safety precautions, schools don't seem to fuel outbreaks, with some exceptions such as indoor sports practices.

President Biden pledged to reopen most of the nation's K-12 schools during his first 100 days. When asked if that goal was "too optimistic," Cardona said, "No, I think it's strong leadership."

When schools closed last spring, children with severe mental illnesses were cut off from the services they'd come to rely on. Many have since spiraled into emergency rooms and even police custody.

Here's a primer from our Life Kit parenting team.

The U.S. education secretary sent a letter to President Trump, announcing her resignation effective Friday.

A new study suggests reopening schools may be safer than previously thought, at least in communities where the coronavirus is not already spreading out of control.

Cardona is a former teacher and has spent much of the pandemic pushing to reopen schools. President-elect Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate him on Tuesday evening.

In a bipartisan effort, Congress is close to a deal to simplify the federal financial aid form, or FAFSA, a major policy goal of retiring Republican senator Lamar Alexander.

The coronavirus pandemic has tested people's relationships this year — with family, significant others and friends. NPR answers listeners' questions on how to navigate changing relationships.

A handful of new studies paint the clearest picture yet of students' learning loss from the pandemic and suggest lack of access to technology and in-person teaching may be exacerbating inequality.

A new report offers the clearest picture yet of pandemic learning loss among U.S. students. But researchers warn that many of the nation's most vulnerable children aren't represented in the new data.

DeVos has been a loyal lieutenant to President Trump, a hero to school choice advocates and a villain to defrauded student loan borrowers.

It's been months of the pandemic and you might be feeling frustrated or upset. But there are lots of different ways to deal with your worries — like giving yourself a big hug!

A zine and comic guide on how kids can protect themselves from COVID-19. Wear a mask. Stay 6 feet apart. And try not to pick your nose.

With many Americans focused on the election, NPR's Life Kit team offers tips to parents and caregivers on how to talk about the election — and civics more broadly — with children.

Budget cuts + rising pandemic costs + zero federal relief = a school funding crisis.

The pandemic-driven recession has forced states to slash their education budgets. School funding experts worry districts will have to make devastating cuts if the federal government doesn't help soon.

Parents and caregivers who are homeless face a difficult decision: Work to try to escape homelessness, or quit their jobs to help their kids with online learning.