Main Street Independent

TAG  ·  Religion & Society

education policy

Federal judge blocks Trump rule on public service loan forgiveness

Illustration accompanying article: Federal judge blocks Trump rule on public service loan forgiveness
  • U.S. District Judge Myong Joun on June 30 blocked the Education Department's rule that would have disqualified public service workers from student loan forgiveness if their employers were found to have a "substantial illegal purpose."
  • The rule, published in October 2025 under a March 2025 executive order from President Trump, defined "substantial illegal purpose" to include aiding illegal immigration, supporting terrorism, illegal discrimination, and gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
  • Democratic-led states, cities and nonprofit groups sued in November 2025, arguing the Education Department lacked authority to create eligibility exceptions and that the rule targeted causes the administration disfavored.
  • The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, established by Congress in 2007, forgives federal student loans after 10 years of work for government or nonprofit employers.
  • The ruling marks the second legal defeat for the Trump administration's student loan overhaul in a week; another judge in Washington blocked a separate rule imposing lower loan limits for graduate degrees in healthcare fields.
 2026-06-30 · 4 MIN READ

Sweden to ban mobile phones in schools as part of global screen reversal

Illustration accompanying article: Sweden to ban mobile phones in schools as part of global screen reversal
  • Sweden's center-right coalition government plans to ban mobile phones in schools beginning in the fall of 2026, part of a policy shift since 2023 that prioritizes books and traditional learning tools over digital screens.
  • Lawmaker Joar Forsell, chairperson of the Swedish parliament's education committee, said officials have observed a decline in reading and writing ability among students, particularly younger ones.
  • In the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment, 24.3% of Swedish ninth graders did not reach a basic level of reading comprehension, slightly better than the EU average of 26.2%.
  • The government has set aside 555 million Swedish krona ($59 million) for textbooks and teachers' guides alongside the ban.
  • Not all stakeholders support the shift; the trade association Swedish Edtech Industry warned that 90% of future jobs are expected to require digital skills, and a lack of digital knowledge could cause a skills shortage.
 2026-06-09 · 3 MIN READ
Illustration accompanying article: Dutch 'no dead ends' education model yields lowest youth Neet rates in Europe