Nurses checked on a patient in a Jonesboro, Ark., ICU in August., as the delta variant sparked yet another surge of serious COVID-19 cases in the region. The pandemic has only added to a longstanding nursing shortage in the U.S., statistics show. Houston Cofield/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
Wellesley high schooler Andrew Song plays baritone sax in the jazz band. Craig LeMoult/GBH hide caption
Howard University students are entering their second week of protests demanding better housing on campus. Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty hide caption
Karen Watkins is vice chair of the school board of Gwinnett County, a suburban county north of Atlanta. She is surprised that she has become a target for a political culture war. "I just didn't realize that it would impact the local school board," Watkins says. "Our main focus is towards student achievement and ensuring that we are producing children that are thriving." Johnathon Kelso for NPR hide caption
Students walk out of Johnson Chapel at Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., April 24, 2019. Amherst College will no longer give admissions preference to the children of alumni, the school announced Wednesday. Jessica Hill/AP hide caption
New graduates line up before the start of a community college commencement in East Rutherford, N.J., on May 17, 2018. Seth Wenig/AP hide caption
The Montalto and Hoyer families hold hands inside the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, during Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz's guilty plea in the 2018 shootings. The Montalto's daughter, Gina Montalto, 14, and the Hoyer's son, Luke Hoyer, 15, were both killed in the massacre. Amy Beth Bennett/AP hide caption
Zahra Nealy (left) and Victoria Chamberlin both stand to benefit from recent changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Roxanne Turpen and Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for NPR hide caption
A campaign sign for a slate of candidates challenging three incumbent board members in Centerville, Ohio. If they win, they would control the five member board. It is a non-partisan position, but national political hot buttons have infused the race. Tamara Keith/NPR hide caption
Zac Wyrick, 28, is training to become a firefighter in Dayton after a long delay. The city didn't think it would have enough money for a new training class, and pressed for funding in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Tamara Keith/NPR hide caption
Students at Patterson High School in Patterson, Calif., are participating in the one of the first truck-driving programs for students at a non-vocational high school in the country. Dave Dein/Patterson High School hide caption
From left to right: Teachers Mark Sujak, Sarah Lorraine, Jeremy Robinson and Sophia Faridi pose with students and podcast finalists Julian Fausto and Eric Guadarrama for portraits in front of Morton East High School, in Cicero, Ill. Olivia Obineme for NPR hide caption
The Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, Texas, is in the spotlight after an administrator reportedly instructed teachers to provide students with "opposing" views of the Holocaust when the subject of recent statewide legislation came up. PeopleImages/Getty Images hide caption
Usha Lee McFarling from STAT reports that an increase in funding and attention to health disparity research means some researchers of color who've long been in the field are being pushed aside. PeopleImages/Getty Images hide caption
In federal lawsuits, parents in Wisconsin are blaming school districts for coronavirus infections, saying they should not have ended mask requirements during a pandemic. Here, a student in Michigan is seen arriving at school in late August. Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images hide caption
A wall of Lego minifigures is encased inside the lobby of the Legoland Hotel in Goshen, N.Y. on Aug. 6. The Danish company is pledging to remove harmful stereotypes from its products and marketing. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images hide caption
California public schools and colleges must stock their restrooms with free menstrual products under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday. Rich Pedroncelli/AP hide caption
Gamal Abdelaziz arrives at federal court on Thursday in Boston. Josh Reynolds /AP hide caption
School buses depart after dropping off Timberview High School students at the Mansfield ISD Center For The Performing Arts on Wednesday in Mansfield, Texas, following a school shooting at Timberview in nearby Arlington. Tony Gutierrez/AP hide caption
