Affirmative action is on trial at the Supreme Court, again.

Plus, new permanent changes ahead for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. [View this email online]( [NPR Education]( October 30, 2022 This week, we looked affirmative action, public service loan forgiveness and the Nation's Report Card. --------------------------------------------------------------- Happy Sunday, Tomorrow the Supreme Court will hear two cases challenging the constitutionality of race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It’s an issue that’s seen plenty of litigation – including at the Supreme Court – meaning the case isn’t just about these two universities' admissions policies – it’s also about potentially reversing more than 40 years of legal precedent. In the Harvard case, the court will consider whether the central question is did the school discriminate against Asian American students in the admissions process. With UNC, the court will consider whether the school is using race-conscious admissions in a limited enough manner. The conservative activist group Students for Fair Admissions is behind both cases. SFFA is led by Edward Blum, who was also behind the 2016 case involving a white student who did not get into the University of Texas at Austin. In that case, the Supreme Court again upheld the idea of race-conscious admissions. Annelise Capossela for NPR But the court looks very different today than it did back then. “I can't think of that many people who are expecting race-conscious admissions policies to be upheld,” says Dominique Baker, a professor of education policy at Southern Methodist University. “So the question is how far do they cut it off?” A big worry from folks who study higher ed? A decision that bans race in admissions – could have a much wider effect than just who gets into college. “I am deeply worried about the end of the use of race in any educational setting,” says OiYan Poon, a visiting education professor at the University of Maryland College Park. “Will that mean the closure of Asian American cultural centers? Will that mean the end of Native American studies on college campuses? Will that mean the end of historically Black colleges and universities, the designations of minority-serving institutions?” Poon and her 7-year-old daughter will be in D.C. to hear oral arguments, which begin on October 31. [You can read the full story here.]( — Elissa Nadworny, NPR Ed Correspondent [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Now, let’s get into some news … The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program just got more flexible. Earlier this year, the federal government announced that it was temporarily loosening some eligibility requirements for the loan forgiveness program available to government and nonprofit employees. Now, the Department of Education is making some of those changes permanent – like allowing borrowers to receive credit for payments that were made late or paid in installments. Borrowers who think they qualify should still apply before Oct. 31 because not all of the changes will last. [Read more here.]( — [Sequoia Carrillo]( NPR Ed Reporter Student math scores are down from pre-COVID levels, the Nation’s Report Card finds. The test measures reading and math proficiency for fourth- and eighth-graders and the results show a slight dip in reading scores and a drop in math. It's administered every two years, but the pandemic delayed the 2021 report until now. [Read more here.]( — [Sequoia Carrillo]( NPR Ed Reporter How to bust the 'big lie' around college applications. Many high school seniors are in the thick of college application season. It's a stressful time that writer Kelly Corrigan calls a "dumpster fire." To change that she argues parents have to help less. [Read more here.]( — [Wynne Davis]( NPR Editor Across the country, children’s hospitals are dealing with a surge of RSV. In some areas, including Washington D.C. and Connecticut, hospitals are at or approaching capacity as a result of an unusually early rise in the respiratory virus. [Read more here.]( — [Vanessa Romo]( NPR Reporter --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. 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