Workers in public service have a federal program at their disposal which could help wipe away student debt, but many struggle to apply. A bill in the Washington state Legislature aims to fix it. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program erases student debt for public servants after they make 10 years of payments, and was streamlined by the Biden administration last year. .
Gov. Tom Wolf is calling for sweeping investments to make higher education more affordable with a focus on programs with workforce needs. The average student debt for Pennsylvanians now stands at $39,000, one of the highest in the country. .
The pandemic caused kids screen time to soar, some of it spent playing video games and using social media. Now, the National Parent Teachers Association has introduced a "Smart Talk" tool to address the issue. Carrie Neill, the NPTA s Connected Ambassador, said the tool is designed to help parents start a meaningful conversation with their kids and lay out ground rules for being online and using mobile devices. .