The schools under scrutiny include dozens of state schools and two Ivy Leagues. A number of private schools are also being targeted, including Georgetown, Rice, Vanderbilt, and New York University.

The move will impact education-related civil rights investigations being conducted throughout Ohio and Michigan and affects almost 50 employees at the department's Office for Civil Rights in Cleveland.

Teacher unions and some parent groups condemned the cuts, while school choice advocates celebrated them.

The community college in Kirtland says this will hopefully be its final round of cuts on its way to financial sustainability, after two previous rounds of layoffs.

Northeast Ohio Medical University announced in late February that its interpretation of a U.S. Department of Education letter was that it can no longer provide funding to race-based campus student organizations and celebrations like Black History Month.

The Cleveland nonprofit Seeds of Literacy offers free tutoring to help adults who struggle with reading comprehension and basic math. Many students go on to get their GED and some pursue college.

The number of adults in Cleveland facing challenges with literacy has been the subject of debate lately after Cleveland City Councilmember Kris Harsh raised concerns about the veracity of a 2004 study.

The number of adults scoring at the lowest level of literacy and numeracy in the U.S. has increased in recent years, and Cleveland in particular struggles with high rates of adults struggling on that front. Seeds of Literacy, a local nonprofit, is among the organizations trying to address that with one-on-one tutoring available on demand.

Officials say federal and state actions threaten a long-standing tradition of support for public education in Ohio and the U.S.

CMSD student Sana Bahadur reflects on how changes to cellphone policies are potentially benefiting students at her school and across Ohio.