Jonaki Mehta
Jonaki Mehta is an LA-based NPR correspondent covering education with a focus on students with learning differences. Mehta has covered discrimination against students with disabilities, the benefits of integrating disabled students into general education classrooms, and the integral role federal dollars play in rural school communities.
Before joining NPR's Education Desk, Mehta was a producer for All Things Considered. She has covered breaking news stories around the country about reproductive rights, hurricanes, deadly wildfires, and mass protests. She was part of the award-winning team that told stories from Taiwan, exploring issues of identity as the island faced a consequential election. She also produced stories in Ukraine in the days leading up to Russia's invasion. As the show's west-coast producer, she covered nature, culture, and music across California — including as a founding member of the show's "First-time Grammy nominees" series.
Mehta attended undergrad at UCLA where she found her love for radio stories, hosting a news and culture talk-show. She has worked for Marketplace, LAist, and a number of publications as a freelance producer and reporter. She was once a kindergarten teacher in Oakland, California, which instilled in her the utmost respect for educators.
Sign up for the NPR Ed Newsletter, sent weekly.
-
A federal judge in Boston has dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit that claimed Harvard University did not do enough to protect students on campus from antisemitism.
-
The disability community has long worried about what would happen if special education oversight moved from the Education Department to another agency. Now, those moves are becoming more real. -
All children, regardless of immigration status, have the right to a free K-12 public education. But without birthright citizenship, access to schools and colleges could get complicated. -
International students make up more than a quarter of Harvard University's student body. Harvard says the government's actions, which could cut off a major revenue stream, are "unlawful." -
President Trump has threatened to pull federal funding from Maine's public schools after a clash with the state's governor. NPR visited a rural school in Maine to see what's at stake.
-
The Education Department says millions of borrowers in default will have a chance to make a payment or sign up for a repayment plan. But on May 5, those who don't will be referred for collection. -
The Trump administration on Monday froze more than $2.2 billion in contracts and multiyear grants for Harvard after the university said it would defy government demands to change certain policies.
-
With cuts to nearly all the staff at the Department of Education's primary data agency, low-income and rural schools may not get the federal funds they rely on in coming years. -
According to the department, more than 1,300 positions will be cut as a result of this reduction in force. Roughly another 600 employees have accepted voluntary resignations or retired. -
The program forgives the loans of borrowers who work in public service. The executive action would exclude those who work for certain organizations.
