Senators To DeVos On TEACH Grant Debacle: 'Urgent That These Mistakes Are Fixed'

The U.S. Department of Education is in the midst of a top-to-bottom review of a troubled federal grant program for public school teachers. The effort follows reporting by NPR that found many teachers had their grants unfairly converted to loans, leaving some with more than $20,000 in debt. In recent weeks, 19 U.S. senators signed a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, citing NPR's reporting and saying "it is urgent that these mistakes are fixed."

Now, new documents obtained by NPR reveal that a previously unreported plan to fix the program was problematic from the start and did nothing for the vast majority of people involved.

Education experts say the department should learn from these mistakes as it works to reform the program. They say the program serves a vital purpose but it has been plagued by implementation problems that have left many