Fascinating from @mattbarnum.bsky.social and co at @chalkbeat.org www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/27/t...

And check out this excellent write-up by @mattbarnum.bsky.social: cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/special-ed...

Pressured to exclude some high school students from career and college-credit opportunities, nearly every school district in Virginia agreed in order to keep federal money flowing. Important work here from @mattbarnum.bsky.social and @lilyalta.bsky.social www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/27/t...

NEWS— The Trump administration has made more progress than previously known chipping away at Plyler v. Doe, the decision guaranteeing public education access to undocumented students. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/27/t...

"The chain of events in Virginia shows the compromises school districts were willing to make to keep federal money flowing." Exclusive reporting from @mattbarnum.bsky.social and @lilyalta.bsky.social: www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/27/t...

I think this is a totally reasonable theory, but we should be clear it's just that — a theory. The size and direction of the effects of ed-tech and eased school-level accountability are both generally ambiguous empirically, imo. bsky.app/profile/matt...

Since this continues to be the source of a great deal of elite misinformation, it's worth noting that 4/4 polls this year, that I'm aware of, find that voters still tend to give Democrats an advantage on the issue of education.

New— The backlash to ed-tech is growing, with some prominent voices making the case that it's at the root of recent learning declines. I took a look at the evidence. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/17/j...

"There’s no smoking-gun data showing that ed-tech is at the root of, or even contributing to, recent learning declines. But Horvath’s case should still give schools and educators some pause." - by @mattbarnum.bsky.social www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/17/j...

The Tennessee House passed a bill that would collect immigration information about students. A competing version in the Senate would charge those children tuition. Both bills are intended to tee up a Plyler challenge. www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/20...

⚠️ TODAY ⚠️ How should parents, teachers, counselors, and high school students think about the costs and benefits of higher education? What explains the disconnect between the data and the vibes in higher ed? RSVP: ckbe.at/4apQCQO

@mattbarnum.bsky.social of @chalkbeat.org highlights our research about the relationship between students’ gifted and special education identification and family income. Higher income -> gifted education Lower income -> special education There’s a lot to ponder about why this happens.

Yep these numbers are incredibly striking. Full newsletter is here with additional tidbits on AI-cheating, state funding effort, and "zero-percent proficient" schools. cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/chalkbeat-...

Plus quick hits on AI cheating, strikes, gifted ID, and time in class in this Chalkbeat Ideas roundup.

New: There's a lot of enthusiasm for tough early-grade retention policies, modeled after Mississippi. And there's some good reason for this. But a new study complicates matters: In Texas, retained third graders were far less likely to finish HS as a result. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/10/t...

h/t @mattbarnum.bsky.social - you should sign up for his newsletter if you haven't already! www.chalkbeat.org/newsletters/...

Are assignments helping kids learn — or just adding stress? Take our short survey and share what you’re seeing in classrooms and at home.

California keeps getting dragged as the counter example to the Southern surge in fourth grade reading. But in reality there has been a "California climb," which, while not as impressive as Mississippi, is still notable. Many other, better states to pick on!

New @mattbarnum.bsky.social discussion with Amber Northern about her future of IES report: cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/amber-nort...

New– Because of Trump's rhetoric and efforts to close the Education Department it's easy to think there's less federal involvement in schools. And yet that's simply not the case. The Trump admin is still aggressively wielding federal power. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/03/t...

@mattbarnum.bsky.social on one of the most important developments in K-12 ed politics during the last year: - The dismantling of the U.S. Dept of Ed AND - The aggressive use of federal power to shape state and local decision-making, esp. on policies related to race and gender

Read this @mattbarnum.bsky.social piece with @vkoganpolisci.bsky.social and decided to buy the book. cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/no-adult-l...

New- I spoke with political scientist Vlad Kogan about his provocative new book "No Adult Left Behind." He argues that the politics of public education privilege the interest of adults over students. I tried to pressure test his arguments in this Q&A. cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/no-adult-l...

New: Perhaps you've seen this graph showing school staffing rising in even as enrollment has fallen. Some think that's unsustainable. But here's the same data shown as a ratio with a longer time horizon. It doesn't look quite so dramatic. I explain more here: www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/24/p...

It was 84 years ago today that FDR signed Executive Order 9066, setting in motion Japanese American incarceration. These high school students are protecting the memory of one of those incarceration sites, in a conservative part of the country, in a polarized time. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/19/s...

This evidence is consistent w/ real declines in teacher performance when teachers move to schools w/ less supportive working conditions and very different student populations. This suggests teacher effectiveness is more dynamic than often assumed & school contexts matter. 5/

Don't miss @mattbarnum.bsky.social's great @chalkbeat.org piece about our findings & how they fit within the broader context of research on teacher effectiveness and past/current policy efforts to raise achievement through reforms to teacher pay & evaluation. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/17/t... END

New– A great teacher might not stay great in schools with less supportive learning environments. This is an important wrinkle on the "teachers are the most important in-school factor" line. It's more like: teachers + context. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/17/t...

Nice @mattbarnum.bsky.social piece describing an important new study on whether really effective (85th%ile) teachers who have a big change in school context continue to be really effective. They don't: they continue to be effective (66th%ile), but not top tier. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/17/t...

New– Should top colleges only admit the very top students? Kelsey Piper, of The Argument, and I discuss this here. cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/selective-...

"Schools ... have recently touted a record share of students who receive Pell grants [for lower-income families]." But Pell rules changed. "[T]op colleges are still filled largely by students from advantaged backgrounds." @mattbarnum.bsky.social for @chalkbeat.org www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/10/t...

New: There's been some suggestion recently that top colleges are finally taking economic diversity seriously. Look at their soaring Pell numbers! Except the Pell definition has shifted. In reality, these schools are still dominated by advantaged students. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/10/t...

New– We all know that virtual instruction is not ideal, but surely it's better learning than a full snow day off, right? Actually this is less obvious than it seems. Holding class when engagement is low can set everyone back. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/01/29/s...

This oft-cited stat on is accurate but keep in mind two things. 1) the drop is almost entirely among two-year colleges. Yet inexplicably the discourse has focused on disillusionment with four-year degrees. 2) this data is now outdated after two straight years of surging college enrollment.

New: How will we know if new private school choice programs are working? This will prove difficult to answer in the short term because publicly funded private schools don't typically take the same tests as public schools. cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/are-privat...

Really nice and approachable piece from @mattbarnum.bsky.social about the challenges of evaluating new school choice programs (which I happen to especially like because I'm just finishing this chapter of my book!) www.chalkbeat.org/2026/01/27/a...

New: Rahm Emanuel has stepped into a void in the Democratic party on education — but some of his key claims are questionable. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/01/22/r...

New: Taken on its own terms, the Trump administration's case for closing US ED is a bit vexing. Officials suggest this will boost student learning by getting the feds out of the way. But they're also saying that major federal programs will be preserved. So what exactly will change for schools?

“He has not been afraid to touch the third rail and have difficult conversations." Great profile of NYC schools chancellor Kamar Samuels, who has a tough job in front of him. via @alexzimmerman.bsky.social and @amyzimmer.bsky.social www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026...

Here’s what Lindsey Burke, a top Trump administration official and Project 2025 author, told us about funding cuts, students with disabilities, and more.

Join us in about an hour for a discussion on the future of the Education Department: www.eventbrite.com/e/chalkbeat-...

New: My colleague Ann Schimke has been chronicling the creation of a "public Christian school" in Colorado. It is intended as a legal test case and could have major national implications. I spoke with Ann about what she's found and why it matters. nationally.

The next Christian public school test case is in the works. Seems to me like a much weaker case than the Oklahoma Catholic/public school, but we'll see how it plays out. Thanks to @mattbarnum.bsky.social at @chalkbeat.org and Ann Schimke for following this story so closely.

@mattbarnum.bsky.social with a sensible take on declining test scores...no one knows what's going on, and it's probably complicated. cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-expla...

New: A look at what we know and don't know about the last decade of test score declines. –They've been remarkably pervasive and started before the pandemic. –Other countries have been hit too. –Experts (and everyone else) have theories, but not definitive answers. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/01/08/w...

A new roundup from me: -Was the Mississippi miracle really debunked? -Can better schools help address affordability? -An update: Which party do voters trust on education -Higher-ed's "vibecession" continues cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/a-debunkin...?

RSVP for this upcoming conversation with Lindsey Burke, currently the Education Department's deputy chief of staff and previously of the Heritage Foundation, and let us know what questions you have.

More people are saying... bsky.app/profile/josh...

In the new year Chalkbeat Ideas will host an online event about the Education Department's future with Lindsey Burke of the Trump administration. Join @ericameltzer.bsky.social and me for what I'm sure will be a lively conversation! You can also submit questions. www.eventbrite.com/e/chalkbeat-...

New— Emails I obtained show that a top charter school advocacy group is concerned about moving education programs to the Department of Labor. cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/charter-sc...