Erica Meltzer
@ericameltzer.bsky.social
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National Editor at Chalkbeat. I write about education and politics. Reach me at
[email protected]
After the Denver school board placed restrictions on public comment two years ago, the number of people signing up to address the board plummeted. Now the board may rethink its policies.
www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...
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Your 2 minutes is up: Denver school board could reconsider limits on public comment
By Chalkbeat’s count, the number of people who sign up to speak at public comment has plummeted since the school board put time limits in place.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2026/01/16/denver-school-board-could-reconsider-public-comment-limits/
5 days ago
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Erica Meltzer
Emma Epperly
5 days ago
Students took the newly designed IRI for the first time in October. Instead of selecting from provided answers students read aloud from a computer. Learn more here:
www.idahoednews.org/top-news/fal...
#standardizedtests
#literacy
#thescienceofreading
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Fall test scores show about half of young students read at or above grade level
The results are the first from the redesigned Idaho Reading Indicator and show a drop from last year.
https://www.idahoednews.org/top-news/fall-test-scores-show-about-half-of-young-students-read-at-or-above-grade-level/
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Contrast this with Polis' apparent interest in releasing Tina Peters.
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5 days ago
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Adam Weinstein
5 days ago
The *shade* Stars and Stripes is throwing with *journalism*
www.stripes.com/theaters/us/...
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Pentagon says it will ‘refocus’ Stars and Stripes content
The Pentagon suggested it would take over editorial decision making for Stars and Stripes, which has long retained independence under a congressional mandate.
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-01-15/pentagon-refocus-stars-and-stripes-content-20415816.html
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Two notable things 1) Lawmakers say this plan was developed with the White House. 2) Nine months after Tennessee asked the U.S. Education Department whether it would withhold funds if they targeted immigrant students, they still don't have an answer.
www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/20...
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Tennessee GOP wants to make K-12 students verify their immigration status
It’s not yet clear how they would do so, or if the data could be used by ICE or state immigration enforcement.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2026/01/15/republicans-want-to-track-student-immigration-status/
6 days ago
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Becky Zosia Dernbach
6 days ago
I am once again calling on people to remember the children.
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School of Renee Good’s son targeted by right-wing attacks
Threats to Southside Family Charter School in Minneapolis came after New York Post articles and a series of social media posts from right-wing commentators.
https://sahanjournal.com/education/minneapolis-southside-family-charter-school-threats/
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“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...
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‘He has not been afraid to touch the third rail’: Meet Kamar Samuels, NYC’s schools chief
Zohran Mamdani said he selected Samuels because of his knowledge of the city’s school system and track record of seeking ambitious changes.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026/01/15/zohran-mamdani-school-chancellor-kamar-samuels-reputation-for-consensus/
6 days ago
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About a year ago, a self-appointed education journalism critic made a lot of tweets about how Chalkbeat was fear mongering about immigration enforcement and the possible effects on students and schools. What it actually looks like is different than we imagined — but in many ways, it's worse.
6 days ago
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John Moe
7 days ago
Saint Paul schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare for optional online learning. I’ve seen schools close for snow, for pandemic, for natural disaster. I’ve never seen schools close because of threat from our own government.
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This is a weird thing to say about a 70-year-old woman whose crime would not have been possible if she were not an elected official. But. I worry she's at risk to re-offend.
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7 days ago
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Beth Hawkins
7 days ago
And if you need another reason to be outraged about this:
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Oglala Lakota president Frank Star Comes Out said when the tribe requested more information, leaders were told the tribe would need to enter into an immigration agreement with ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
ictnews.org/news/north-c...
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Four Oglala detainees located, three still in ICE custody - ICT
The four Lakota detainees were reportedly sent to a former concentration camp used during the Dakota Wars
https://ictnews.org/news/north-central-bureau/four-oglala-detainees-located-three-still-in-ice-custody/
7 days ago
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Erica Meltzer
Chalkbeat
7 days ago
Here’s what Lindsey Burke, a top Trump administration official and Project 2025 author, told us about funding cuts, students with disabilities, and more.
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The Trump administration still hopes to persuade Congress to close the Ed. Department
Here’s what Lindsey Burke, a top Trump administration official and Project 2025 author, told us about funding cuts, students with disabilities, and more.
https://bit.ly/4jIiBhE
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Matt Barnum
7 days ago
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.
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Inside a legal test case that could mean more funding for religious education
A Q&A with Chalkbeat reporter Ann Schimke who has chronicled what some have called Colorado's "first public Christian school"
https://cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/inside-a-legal-test-case-that-could-mean-more-funding-for-religious-education/
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Chalkbeat
9 days ago
Eva Moskowitz wants to transfer a Bronx charter school to her husband, raising eyebrows from state officials
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Success Academy CEO Eva Moskowitz seeks to transfer a NYC charter school to her husband
Eva Moskowitz wants to transfer a Bronx charter school to her husband, raising eyebrows from state officials
https://bit.ly/3YyMfw7
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Finding myself relieved this attack apparently had nothing to do with feelings about Israel, so that we don't have to endure another round of "it wasn't *actually* antisemitic."
www.mississippifreepress.org/suspect-in-b...
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Jackson Synagogue Burning Suspect Tells Judge, 'Jesus Christ Is Lord'
A suspect in the arson fire at the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi, allegedly admitted to targeting it because of its “Jewish ties.”
https://www.mississippifreepress.org/suspect-in-beth-israel-burning-called-it-a-synagogue-of-satan/
9 days ago
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www.startribune.com/ice-detainin...
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Tribal leaders say ICE is detaining American Indians during immigration sweeps
The Oglala Sioux Tribe is trying to locate four members detained by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
https://www.startribune.com/ice-detaining-american-indians-minneapolis-leaders-say/601561760
9 days ago
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Beth Hawkins
10 days ago
I heard the same. One reported 35% — “and we don’t think they’re all coming back.”
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Catherine Rampell
10 days ago
Mississippi’s largest synagogue was set on fire before dawn Saturday. Fire department ruled it arson, and a suspect has been arrested. It is the same synagogue that the Ku Klux Klan bombed in 1967 because the rabbi supported civil rights.
mississippitoday.org/2026/01/10/f...
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Predawn fire reduces parts of Mississippi's largest synagogue to charred ruins - Mississippi Today
A fire heavily damaged Jackson’s only synagogue before dawn Saturday – the same house of worship that was firebombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 because the rabbi had been an advocate for civil rights...
https://mississippitoday.org/2026/01/10/fire-damages-mississippi-largest-synagogue/
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The director of what was designed to be a test case for public funding of religious schools told local building officials they have "gotten a bit ahead of ourselves."
www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...
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Colorado’s ‘first public Christian school’ ordered to close building over safety concerns
In a Jan. 6 letter, an attorney for Pueblo County ordered Riverstone Academy to close its building because of health and safety concerns.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2026/01/10/riverstone-academy-public-christian-school-ordered-to-close-building/
10 days ago
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Matt Barnum
12 days ago
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...
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Why have test scores been going down for a decade?
Experts don’t really know. Leading theories include screens, school expectations, and the pandemic.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/01/08/what-explains-learning-loss-and-declining-test-scores-in-the-us/
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Preston Green
12 days ago
Stay tuned.
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An enraging story, carefully told. Very much worth your time.
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12 days ago
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Taniel
14 days ago
The woman killed by ICE was Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year old who was the mother of a 4-year old child whose father already died a few years ago. The Star Tribune talked to her mother.
www.startribune.com/she-was-an-a...
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The Americans.
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14 days ago
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Education Week
15 days ago
Educator Layoffs Loom as Canceled Community Schools Grants Remain in Limbo: Three legal challenges and bipartisan backlash have followed the Trump administration's funding cuts.
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Educator Layoffs Loom as Canceled Community Schools Grants Remain in Limbo
Three legal challenges and bipartisan backlash have followed the Trump administration's funding cuts.
https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/educator-layoffs-loom-as-canceled-community-schools-grants-remain-in-limbo/2026/01?utm_source=bs&utm_medium=soc&utm_campaign=edit
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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.
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16 days ago
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Failed at giving blood (blood pressure was too low) but succeeded at cleaning out the closet under the stairs. Even did battle with a few danger boxes (these are the boxes filled with fraught feelings-infected objects, typically unlabeled, catching you by surprise). Gonna call that good for 2025.
20 days ago
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Brian Stelter
23 days ago
"What Americans in a 1998 poll expected to happen by the year 2025..."
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28 days ago
Crocheted Christmas tree, Medelim, Portugal, created by 50 female textile artists who came together from all over the country for the project
#WomensArt
#ChristmasEve
🎄 ❄️
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I've lived in a country with no postal service, and it's not good. Just saying.
28 days ago
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“There were enormous differences between Jews and Christians — but when it came to fear of midwinter demons, the love of drinking, or the topsy-turvy atmosphere of Christmas Eve, the folklore overlaps are undeniable.”
www.jta.org/2025/12/14/c...
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Back in the day, Yiddish-speaking Jews had themselves a merry 'nitl' Christmas - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
A new book argues that Europe’s Jews “celebrated” Christmas in their own often playful way.
https://www.jta.org/2025/12/14/culture/back-in-the-day-yiddish-speaking-jews-had-themselves-a-merry-nitl-christmas
29 days ago
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Not me making pasta salad for dinner because it was 76 degrees today in Denver. Very seasonal.
30 days ago
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Matt Barnum
30 days ago
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-...
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Chalkbeat Ideas: The Future of the Education Department with Lindsey Burke
Join us for our next Chalkbeat Ideas event, where our journalists examine the big ideas and debates shaping American schools.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chalkbeat-ideas-the-future-of-the-education-department-with-lindsey-burke-tickets-1978431205995
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“What gets remembered is a function of who’s in the room doing the remembering." Truly an incredible life.
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30 days ago
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Kyle Clark
about 1 month ago
NEW: An autopsy finds late Colorado State Sen. Faith Winter (D) had alcohol in her system and investigators say she was at fault for her fatal crash on I-25 on November 26. The autopsy lists her blood alcohol concentration as 185 mg/dl. Colorado's DUI limit is 80 mg/dl. (1/2)
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Re-reading Project 2025 for reasons and came across this: Stopping executive overreach. Congress should set policy—not Presidents through pen-and-phone executive orders, and not agencies through regulations and guidance.
about 1 month ago
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ProPublica
about 1 month ago
NEW: A Texas district in which Black students were allegedly taunted with monkey noises. An Arizona school where students admitted saying “slavery is good.” These are some of the incidents Trump’s Education Department has ignored:
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Monkey Sounds, “White Power” and the N-Word: Racial Harassment Against Black Students Ignored Under Trump
Since Trump returned to office, the Education Department’s civil rights office has not resolved a single racial harassment investigation. It sends a message that “people impacted by racial discriminat...
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-education-department-civil-rights-racial-harassment?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=propublica-bsky
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I thought I was being paranoid when I wondered this, but there is, you know, a killer on the loose.
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about 1 month ago
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A really important story of where we've been and where we must not return.
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about 1 month ago
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Illinois quietly changed its minority teacher scholarship in the face of a lawsuit and federal threats. The scholarship is now open to all students interested in become teachers. Illinois' teacher workforce is 78% white, its study population 44% white.
www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...
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Lawsuit dismissed after Illinois opens teaching scholarship to all students, regardless of race
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law that replaces the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship, getting rid of the word “minority” and race and ethnicity eligibility requirements.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025/12/17/illinois-teacher-diversity-scholarship-changes/
about 1 month ago
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A commission has recommended a sort of super-board above the elected school board in Indianapolis. This governance change could have profound consequences for local schools.
www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2025...
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‘This is an imperfect plan’: ILEA recommends authority over charter, IPS schools
In a move with potentially big consequences for Indianapolis education, the ILEA has told lawmakers they should establish a new education agency to oversee both the city school district and charter sc...
https://www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2025/12/18/indianapolis-local-education-alliance-recommends-new-independent-authority/
about 1 month ago
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Chalkbeat
about 1 month ago
Leaked emails show a leading charter advocacy group is worried about the long-run implications of moving key education programs to the Labor Department.
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Why ending the Education Department might be bad news for charter schools
Leaked emails show a leading charter advocacy group is worried about the long-run implications of moving key education programs to the Labor Department.
https://bit.ly/48NbvEQ
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My fence survived the night. That was not a given. Maybe the second or third time in 16 years that I've been scared of the wind while safe at home.
about 1 month ago
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I wonder how much demand there will be. I grew up on whole milk, but even 20 years ago, when i was in the Peace Corps, most volunteers would buy powdered skim milk because whole milk (from your neighbor's cow) tasting like drinking heavy cream to them.
www.k12dive.com/news/congres...
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Congress passes bill allowing schools to offer whole milk, nondairy options
The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 was sent to President Donald Trump’s desk after the House approved the bipartisan legislation Monday.
https://www.k12dive.com/news/congress-passes-bill-allowing-schools-to-offer-whole-milk-nondairy-options/808059/
about 1 month ago
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ProPublica uses tax filings to document a trend most people have observed: nonprofits removing references to diversity, equity, and inclusion from the websites.
www.propublica.org/article/dele...
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Under Trump, More Than 1,000 Nonprofits Strip DEI Language From Tax Forms
As the Trump administration ordered agencies to eradicate “illegal” diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, we identified more than 1,000 nonprofits that removed such language from the mission statem...
https://www.propublica.org/article/deleting-dei-language-nonprofits-irs-forms
about 1 month ago
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This feels like a likely regular feature of our future, as it is in California. Aging infrastructure + wind + drought conditions is a nightmare scenario.
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about 1 month ago
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The dedication of a statue of Barbara Johns in place of Robert E. Lee feels so incongruent with our current moment that I checked the date on this piece three times.
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
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Statue of Black teen who fought segregation replaces Robert E. Lee at U.S. Capitol
Barbara Rose Johns was only 16 when she led a walkout in 1951 to protest horrendous conditions at her segregated high school for Black students in rural Farmville, Virginia.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/12/16/barbara-johns-segregation-capitol-lee/
about 1 month ago
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A Shakespeare for our age.
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about 1 month ago
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Erica Meltzer
Chris Jackson
about 1 month ago
This entire weekend
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