October 26, 2025

President Trump, accompanied by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, speaks on Sept. 19 after signing an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House. Trump signed two executive orders, establishing the "Trump Gold Card" and introducing a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Happy Sunday, all! This is Sequoia Carrillo, I’m one of our reporters here on the Education Team.

This week, I want to take you to Hardin, Montana – a town of 4,000 – about an hour east of Billings and just off the Crow Indian Reservation. It’s a rural place that’s had trouble attracting teachers.

"We don't have candidates," says Tobin Novasio, the district's superintendent. Earlier in his career, he says that if he posted an elementary teacher position, at least 20 people would apply. Now, "if we get two, we're ecstatic."

Hardin, like many rural districts, relies on international teachers to fill out its staff. People like Maria Cristina Tomimbang, who has taught middle school math for 22 years — 18 years in the Philippines and four years in Montana.

"It's really such a blessing," she says of her job in the Hardin Public Schools. "I love the community."

Out of 150 teachers in the district, about 30 are in the U.S. on teaching visas. Many are on short-term J1 visas, with hopes to one day graduate to the longer-term H-1B visa.

Last month, President Trump unveiled a plan that requires employers pay a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas. In his announcement, Trump specifically called out high-paying tech jobs that he said were filled by too many foreign workers.

However, the impact on schools and educators will be significant. According to data from the Department of Homeland Security, more than 20,000 educators are in the country on H-1B visas — the third most common occupation group for the program.

"I don't have a teacher in my district that makes $100,000 a year," Novasio says. For school districts, "to pay that fee on top of a salary is just gonna kill the H-1B for education."

Read the full story here. And thanks for reading this week! Keep scrolling for a round up of this week’s education headlines and a bit of joy.

— Sequoia Carrillo, Reporter, NPR Ed

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In other news...

As the deadline for Trump's colleges compact looms, schools signal dissent. Monday is the deadline for a handful of universities to agree to a list of commitments that align with the Trump administration's political priorities, in exchange for preferential access to federal funds. Read the story.

— Elissa Nadworny, Correspondent, NPR

'Uncharted territory': Ongoing shutdown threatens food aid for 42 million people In just over a week, nearly 42 million people in the U.S. who get federal food assistance are in danger of seeing their benefits disappear because of the ongoing federal shutdown. About 1 in 8 U.S. residents get an average of $187 a month through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. "The vast majority are children, working people, older Americans, veterans and people with disabilities," Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, says of food stamp recipients. Read the story.

– Jennifer Ludden, Correspondent, NPR

Books about race and gender to be returned to school libraries on some military bases. The order is to be implemented at school libraries on military bases in Kentucky, Virginia, Italy and Japan. Students and their families claimed their First Amendment rights had been violated when officials removed the books to comply with President Trump's executive orders. Read the story.

— Elizabeth Blair, Correspondent, NPR

new calls with clack! same lousy advice.

Save the date: Public Radio Music Day is October 29!

Public Radio Music Day is more than a celebration — it’s a reminder that public media amplifies voices in your community. In a hyper-commercialized music landscape, the NPR Network is a refuge from the algorithms, connecting you with music and artists you might never discover otherwise.

Support this destination for music discovery, community and creativity by making a donation today.

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From the Student Podcast Challenge ...

Calling all college students! The fifth (!!!) annual College Podcast Challenge is now open. That means you have a chance to share your story on NPR, and take home the $5,000 cash prize. Deadline is Jan. 16, so you have plenty of time to make something you can feel proud of sharing with us. Learn more about the contest, and check out our podcasting guide!

Before you go, for some spooky season inspiration: One of our finalists in last year’s college competition made a podcast all about Spirit Halloween. It’s a really nice example of good reporting, smart use of sound – and it’s tight! Just under five minutes. Listen to The Spirit of Spirit Halloween by Isabel Jacobson and Adam Sanders from Princeton University.

And here's something to make you smile...

Just because she won a Nobel doesn't mean Malala didn't break some rules in college.

When the Taliban closed schools and banned women from public life in Pakistan's Swat Valley, a schoolgirl named Malala Yousafzai spoke out. But activism nearly cost Yousafzai her life; in 2012, when she was 15, she was shot in the head while riding home on a school bus.

Yousafzai survived the assassination attempt, but her life changed completely. Suddenly she was a symbol of resistance to the Taliban — praised, politicized and picked apart. When she was 17, she became the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, an honor that weighed on her as she went off to Oxford University a few years later.

"I always have felt that now I need to live up to the expectation [of the Nobel]," Yousafzai says. "It was given for the work I had done, but it was also given for the work that is ahead of us. ... I have to work for the rest of my life to prove that it was well deserved." Read/listen to the interview from Fresh Air.

As always, thank you for reading and listening!

— The NPR Education Team

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