A sign reading “cancel student debt” is seen outside the Supreme Court, Friday, June 30, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo / Mariam Zuhaib)
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The 6-3 decision, with conservative justices in the majority, effectively killed the $400 billion plan, announced by President Joe Biden last year, and left borrowers on the hook for repayments that are expected to resume by late summer.

Activists demonstrate as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on a pair of cases that could decide the future of affirmative action in college admissions, in Washington, Oct. 31, 2022. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite, File)
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The court's conservative majority overturned admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation's oldest private and public colleges, respectively.

(WTTW News)

The district’s budget for the 2024 fiscal year will contain $4.8 billion in school-level funding, which officials said is an increase of more than $240 million over last year.

Chicago Board of Education President Miguel del Valle appears on “Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices” on May 15, 2021. (WTTW News)

Miguel del Valle, who has led Chicago’s Board of Education since 2019, announced he will be leaving his post at the end of this week.

Jones College Prep High School is pictured on Nov. 7, 2022. (WTTW News)

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez notified Jones College Prep parents and families Monday that Joseph Powers has retired after serving as the high school’s principal since 2008.

Heather Hutto, executive director of Bristow Public Library, center, along with former President of United for Libraries Skip Dye, left, and Executive Director of the Digital Public Library of America John Bracken, right, speaks during a panel discussion about understanding and combating book bans at the American Library Association's annual conference and exhibition on Friday, June 23, 2023, at McCormick Place in Chicago. (AP Photo / Erin Hooley)

Book bans and how to fight them is a major focus of this year’s American Library Association conference. Librarians may attend sessions aimed at helping them confidently counter book challenges, fight legislative censorship and ensure the freedom to read.

(Courtesy of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago)

Research shows that kids in mentorships are more likely to graduate high school and enroll in college, have lower rates of substance abuse and overall report better feelings of self-esteem and confidence.

Youth activists organized a peaceful march to then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s home on Aug. 13, 2020, to demand the removal of resource officers from Chicago Public Schools. (Matt Masterson / WTTW News)
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Austin High School will remove one of its two school resource officers, while Marshall High School has voted to remove both of its SROs. Even so, the contract total will actually increase slightly due to increased salaries for the CPD officers assigned to schools.

(WTTW News)

Classes may be finished, but beginning Tuesday, Chicago Public Schools will offer free meals to students at hundreds of school buildings throughout the city during the summer months.

(WTTW News)
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Educator Ernest Crim III believes learning Black history saved his life — and now, through anti-racism workshops and TikTok videos, he wants to do the same for others.

(WTTW News)

The state is partnering with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to mail new books to Illinois children each month. The Dollywood Foundation pays for the books, while state and education partners provide the shipping costs.

(WTTW News)

Ten years ago, the Chicago Board of Education and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel decided to close nearly 50 public schools, mainly on the South and West sides of the city. Some buildings remain vacant; others are being transformed into community assets.

(WTTW News)
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Englewood had six elementary schools close in 2013 — the most in any neighborhood that year. But in the years since that upheaval, residents have found ways to help the community.

(WTTW News)

“This is an important moment for our district, not only because of the change in mayoral leadership; but because, with the election of ten board members in November 2024, the Chicago Board of Education will begin its transition from fully appointed to fully elected,” the advocates wrote in the June 14 letter.

(WTTW News)

Chicago Public Schools unveiled its budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, which officials say will boost per-pupil spending by nearly $1,000 and reduce the number of schools that will see decreased funding, compared to spring projections.

(Alex Brandon / AP)

The pandemic-related pause on both payments and interest accumulation has been set to end later this summer, though the exact date payments would be due was a little fuzzy.