7 year old this morning: "The front part of my brain does the work, and the back part does the day dreaming."

The administration has taken into custody immigrants who are medically vulnerable and whose detention threatens not only their own health but also that of their newborn children — typically U.S. citizens — by depriving them of early bonding beneficial to a baby’s lifelong wellbeing.

Teen Vogue and @hechingerreport.org, where I'm an editor, worked together on several stories over the years. @leximcmenamin.com and @allegrak.bsky.social and many others were wonderful partners and this is gutting news. A list of just a few of the stories where Teen Vogue was a valued partner:

The government shutdown has forced providers of the early learning and child care program for lower-income families to close across the country. From @the74.bsky.social:

When NYC Zohran Mamdani said he would seek to end gifted programs for kindergarteners if elected, it sent me on a quest to find out what exactly makes a 4 year old 'gifted' anyway? My latest for @hechingerreport.org @slate.com hechingerreport.org/were-testing...

Getting preemies the help they need Every year, tens of thousands of infants are born prematurely, at a low birthweight, or with other conditions that would make them automatically eligible for therapeutic services that could help them thrive. When everything goes smoothly, early intervention…

Fear of deportation is deterring people without permanent legal status from critical care. Doctors are worried for their health — and the health of their pregnancies.

Such an important and heartbreaking investigation, these professionals deserve far more recognition and support for the vital work they do.

We are so lucky: my younger son received EI services from amazingly skilled, experienced therapists. We know many families who could not find the same. I'm horrified they are not being paid for their crucial work - both for the sake of the professionals and for the sake of the kids.

My latest: Why early interventionists -- who provide critical therapies and care for developmentally disabled babies and toddlers -- may be the only professionals in America who haven't gotten an absolute pay raise in 30 years: www.the74million.org/zero2eight/3...

Writing for @hechingerreport.org, our #EarlyEd policy fellow @sarahelizcarr.bsky.social highlights state efforts to limit the expulsion of children with disabilities in #ChildCare settings. ↘️ Read how these efforts, like Ohio’s PROMISE program and Vermont’s grant initiatives, are working.

Trump regime may launch military occupation of New Orleans "According to the AP, Trump, a convicted felon with a long history of racism, said .... None of what Trump said is true, of course. Crime rates are low in New Orleans, and have been for quite some time." www.nola.com/gambit/news/...

#TheLensNola🔍 KIPP New Orleans pushed ‘college for all’ in its early years. Schools are now adding career and personal counseling, and offering technical education courses. ✍Sarah Carr Full Story 🔗: buff.ly/JouMXCI #kippschools #collegeforall #neworleans

My latest, on the "college for all" push in New Orleans...20 years after Hurricane Katrina for @npr www.npr.org/2025/08/27/n...

Props to Karen Heath, Jaclyn Vasquez, and many others whose persistent efforts and bravery in sharing their stories have been so crucial to making this happen hechingerreport.org/illinois-pas...

So many of you have been used for the business of hate in the anti-Trans movement. Don’t you know that you’re being tested for your appetite to “other” people? Seep yourself in humanity and you will never go wrong. Seek superiority and your soul will rot.

Infants and toddlers with disabilities get asked to leave child care programs far too much. In my latest piece for @hechingerreport.org @chalkbeat.org and The Columbus Dispatch, I looked at what some states are doing to try to lessen those expulsion rates. hechingerreport.org/curbing-the-...

$50 a week for 40 weeks: How no-strings cash changed the lives of teens hechingerreport.org/50-a-week-fo...

The man's arrest is the latest case of federal authorities detaining immigrants with legal status during immigration check-ins. Lawmakers call the detainment of those who helped U.S. troops at war a betrayal. [via @wbur.org]

More devastation for the most vital news outlets IMHO: local ones www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/u...

America's child care system relies on immigrants. Without them, it could collapse. Important story from @jackiemader.bsky.social on how the Trump administration's policies will make it harder for families to access care and impact kindergarten readiness over time hechingerreport.org/americas-chi...

Suddenly sacked Peggy Carr, the former commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, at her Maryland home on July 1. Carr worked for the Education Department for more than 35 years before the Trump administration placed her on administrative leave on Feb. 24. Peggy Carr's last day…

Supporters...say the cuts will refocus federal funds on children, pregnant women, ppl with disabilities..and seniors. This is akin to slicing up an umbrella w/ scissors and claiming that the cuts will help the umbrella refocus on its mission of keeping out the rain. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

These aren’t just silly characters; they’re commentary on how the U.S. education system fails to make space for joy and connection—especially for kids with learning disabilities. www.newamerica.org/the-thread/d...

Multilingual kids with speech delays were already grossly underserved. Now the group that certifies speech pathologists is considering deleting its commitment to DEI and cultural competence. hechingerreport.org/speech-thera...

In the last few days, I've fielded three reference check calls for truly great journalists in the mix for great jobs. In these dispiriting days, it's been a real bright spot.

A buried provision in the "big beautiful bill" effectively penalizes single parents who receive SNAP, or food stamps, as compared to households headed by married couples. Wrote about this today. But I shall thread for those who don't want to click! www.axios.com/2025/05/28/t...

This book written in and about the early years of the takeover by @sarahelizcarr.bsky.social is one of the great books about education for a general audience that I've read.

📚 Columbia Journalism School is proud to announce the 2025–2026 Spencer Education Journalism Fellows: Colette Coleman, Tara García Mathewson, Brandi Kellam and Eleni Schirmer.

From the "book of feelings" my 1st grader created (edited for spelling): "Some feelings are hard. Some are easy. Another way of saying that is that some are heavy and some are soft feelings. With some feelings you can't talk, they are just in your heart."

New from me via @the74.bsky.social “The history there is deeply, deeply disturbed,” says Larkin Taylor-Parker, legal director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. “It doesn’t usually end well for us. It has ended in murder — industrial-scale incarceration and murder.”

I learned a ton from Paul Tough's recent deep dive on ADHD www.nytimes.com/2025/04/13/m... One question I had...and a quibble: The piece overwhelmingly focuses on the traditional hyperactive-male-taking-stimulants profile of ADHD and I wonder how the findings and discussion might have changed...

The federal government plans to eliminate services for LGBTQ youth who call 988, the national suicide and crisis hotline, according to a Health and Human Services budget draft leaked last week.

"To qualify for Supplemental Security Income, an individual with disabilities is subject to an asset limit of $2,000... 'The moment you go over $2,000... you lose access to your whole benefit.' The asset limit has not been updated since 1989." nymag.com/intelligence...

Sandra Dill runs an Early Head Start program in her home. Some of her moms are living out of their cars. Without this federal program, what will they do? hechingerreport.org/head-start-i...

Helpful explainer

My latest, for @slate.com, looks at the Trump administration's implicit denial of the existence of kids with neurodivergence, with a focus on ADHD. In repeated statements, they have attacked the very essence and scientific understanding of neurodivergence. slate.com/life/2025/03...

Federal cuts to ED, Medicaid, and more might be catastrophic for supporting young kids with disabilities. Learn more: www.newamerica.org/education-po... #Disability #ChildDevelopment #EarlyIntervention #Education #SpecialEducation

How Oklahoma’s superintendent set off a holy war in classrooms hechingerreport.org/how-oklahoma... Writing this for @hechingerreport.org and @vanityfair.com was a journey. I spent months researching this religion/schools conflict. Thanks to the editors and those who shared their stories.

We set out to write about what the explosive rise in student surveillance means for privacy and security. We didn't expect a school district to illustrate our point by accidentally giving us almost 3,500 highly sensitive student docs. Read the investigation from @apnews.com & @seattletimes.com:

A growing number of cities, states and individual programs are pouring resources into training teachers and evaluating programs on how warm and responsive they are: hechingerreport.org/lets-talk-te... via @jackiemader.bsky.social

"In a way, there’s Trump articulating that this is a child worthy of investment, because he has a high IQ, has the right parent.” 19thnews.org/2025/02/elon...

Senate HELP takes up the nomination of Linda McMahon to be Education secretary. McMahon has been a supporter of (hard-to-come-by) #apprenticeships. This piece by @sarahelizcarr.bsky.social takes a look at some of the history, and future: hechingerreport.org/trade-union-... via @hechingerreport.org

We simply need better school-college CTE pathways, and labor union collaborations can help. Regardless of what happens here in Washington, that cat is out of the bag. Great story by Sarah Carr for @hechingerreport.org. Thanks again for interviewing me and including my thoughts in your article Sarah

I learned a ton reporting this story for @hechingerreport.org @wgbh.org on the promise of partnerships between high schools and trade unions -- and why there aren't more of them. hechingerreport.org/trade-union-...

The story I’ve been waiting for. I was just home and couldn’t help but notice the disappearance of everything city and state officials thought might upset visitors. I told my sister it looked like everything had been power-washed. It felt like Disneyland. www.nytimes.com/athletic/612...

America relies on immigrants for critical child care roles: 1 in 5 child care workers is an immigrant. In recent weeks, providers have told me that some of those teachers are too scared to come to work, and children are staying home, due to fears around raids: hechingerreport.org/1-in-5-child...

I was proud to serve as the master's project advisor for this blockbuster piece from Sarah Komar on the overuse and misuse of the non-diploma track in NYC schools for students with mild intellectual disabilities. Read it @chalkbeat.org www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...