Laura Meckler
@laurameckler.bsky.social
National Education Writer for the Washington Post and author of DREAM TOWN: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity. Reach me at laura.meckler@washpost.com or on Signal: 2024464530
Do you have questions about how to pay for college? Send 'em over.... www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Tell The Post: What questions do you have about paying for college?
The Washington Post wants to hear from parents and students who have specific questions about covering college expenses.
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Want to know how students are able to speed through college? Read this fantastic first-person account from @twallack.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
For less than $100, I clicked my way toward a college degree in days
You can’t get a diploma from these unaccredited online platforms, but many colleges’ generous transfer policies allow the credits to count toward a degree.
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A stunning story by @jonswaine.bsky.social detailing the ways in which an alleged cult leader appears to have, for years, manipulated and directed the positions taken by Tulsi Gabbard. Highly recommend. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Tulsi Gabbard, her guru and the mysterious messages that helped shape her political career
I obtained hundreds of confidential memos detailing politics and policy guidance for Gabbard from her years in Congress, then embarked on a quest to identify who was behind them.
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Across red state America, new civic centers at public universities are focused on Western civilization and America’s founding—subjects the right believes is lacking in the overly liberal humanities departments that already exist. 1/4 www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
What happened when one university set out to purge ‘woke’ classes
The University of Florida and other red-state schools are fostering a conservative vision for the humanities to compete against courses with more diverse perspectives.
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If you want kids to show up for school, it helps for them to feel connected - and to have a coach who requires attendance in order to play, research on the persistent problem of absenteeism finds. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Student-athletes more likely to attend school than peers, new research finds
Students who participate in sports are a third less likely to be chronically absent, according to a study released by the American Enterprise Institute.
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A new fed'l tax credit program is putting Dem governors in a bind. If they opt in, tax $$ will go toward private school vouchers. If they say no, their states will lose out on a new bottomless bucket of federal $$ that could help public school students, too. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Trump voucher offers new money for public school students, and pressure for Democrats
Democratic governors, under pressure, must decide whether to participate in the new federal voucher program, which offers dollars for public and private school students.
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When the Trump DEI assault began, I got wondering whether those programs had worked. Today we published the result of that wondering -- a deep dive into the ubiquitous effort to racially diversify university faculties -- and the state of play today. wapo.st/45QWLmm
Before Trump ban, universities were slowly making faculties more diverse
The number of Black and Hispanic faculty increased at large research universities after a wave of commitments. Now these pledges are being rolled back, a Post analysis found.
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NEW: Our look at one of the most important players in the school choice debate: Jeff Yass, the billionaire funding campaigns across the country and in his home state of PA. Got a chance to talk with him at length and he had lots of provocative things to say 1/x www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Meet the billionaire pushing taxpayer-funded school vouchers
How one of the richest people on the planet presses his pet issue: school choice
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A Wash Post review found instances of parents arrested near campuses in at least 10 states so far this year. Actions near campuses—which include shooting a man, releasing tear gas and engaging in a car chase—have prompted lockdowns. @justinemcdaniel.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
In cities targeted by ICE, empty desks and school disruptions follow
One in 5 students in Charlotte missed school after a recent ICE crackdown began. It’s the latest city where schools felt the impact of Trump’s deportation effort.
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In an all-staff meeting, Ed Secretary Linda McMahon said it was critical to get the "messaging" right: "We are not talking about shutting down the Department of Education. We are talking about returning education to states." www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Trump wants to ‘return education to the states.’ Is that what he’s doing?
Education Secretary Linda McMahon says the Trump administration is “returning education to the states.” But closing the Education Department is not the same thing.
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SCOOP: The Education Department is looking to move a $15 billion program supporting students with disabilities out of the agency as it works to close the agency altogether, a department official said Tuesday. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Trump administration seeks to move special education to different agency
The move would affect the $15 billion IDEA program and comes as the administration seeks to close down the federal Education Department
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NEW: Our look at the many hurdles facing Harvard despite a resounding win in court. And we tucked in some news: This week the Educ Dept quietly disclosed plan to rewrite civil rights regs to "streamline" process of denying funds to schools in violation. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Harvard beat Trump in court. Here’s what could happen next.
Harvard faces an appeal in court, the prospect of more attacks and a possible delay in restoring the more than $2 billion in frozen federal funding, experts say
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For decades, the federal government has advised schools how to comply with federal law requiring services for kids learning English, with the latest guidance dating to 2015. Suddenly it was rescinded - with no word on whether it will be replaced. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Education Department quietly removes rules for teaching English learners
The move is an acceleration of President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring English the country’s “official language.”
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Our look at huge changes to civil rights enforcement for schools: -A reversal in what's considered discrimination w/ reverse racial discrimination and transgender sports cases prioritized -Severe staff cuts leaving thousands of others unresolved. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Under Trump, the Education Dept. has flipped its civil rights mission
The administration is prioritizing allegations that transgender students and students of color are getting unfair advantages while a backlog of other cases grows.
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Arizona has embraced market competition as a central tenet of its K-12 education system, a victory for school choice but with impacts on public education. With enrollment falling, schools are closing. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Public schools are closing as Arizona’s school voucher program soars
Arizona, with a marketplace of school options and universal vouchers, offers a window into the GOP vision for K-12 education
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NEW: Our look at how the Trump antisemitism task force and how it is pressing to reshape universities on DEI and other matters unrelated to antisemitism. It is truly packed with news and tidbits from a great team of reporters 1/x wapo.st/413jE3p
How Trump’s antisemitism task force is leading an assault on DEI, colleges
The Trump administration is using antisemitism investigations as a pretext to pursue an unrelated conservative agenda, critics say.
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Big setback for the school choice movement as Senate parliamentarian nixes school voucher program from giant tax bill. Ruling says plans needs 60 votes to pass Senate-- unlikely if not straight up impossible. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Live updates: More hurdles emerge for passing Trump’s massive legislative package by July 4
Get the latest news on President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House and the Republican-led Congress.
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Public schools are facing a host of new pressures from all corners of government on a range of subjects. Check out our virtual schoolhouse to see some of the biggest headwinds. www.washingtonpost.com/education/in...
How Washington is stressing out American schools
Take a journey through our schoolhouse to see some of the headwinds facing K-12 education in America today.
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Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Wednesday she is not sure whether teaching about Ruby Bridges or the Tulsa Race Massacre would amount to illegal diversity, equity and inclusion education. “I’d have to get back to you on that," she told a House committee. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Live updates: Trump’s ‘big’ bill projected to add $2.4 trillion to national debt over coming decade
Get the latest news on President Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the Republican-led Congress.
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For decades, the fed’l gov’t used data analysis - known as disparate impact - to ferret out discrimination, winning cases and reaching settlements in housing, education, policing and more. Now the Trump admin is unwinding those cases. w/ @julez.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Discrimination cases unravel as Trump scraps core civil rights tenet
The administration is dismissing cases and unwinding settlements built on "disparate impact," which holds that even neutral policies can lead to biased outcomes.
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Reupping this story. The tax bill includes the school voucher tax credit described here -- a 100% tax credit for donations to voucher orgs - so taxpayers would essentially get their money back when they file their taxes. A huge win for school choice movement. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
GOP voucher plan would divert billions in taxes to private schools
Donations to scholarship programs would be fully reimbursed through a new tax credit, creating the largest federal tax incentive for charitable giving.
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A very personal essay about something many of us have dealt with: Dementia and grief have complicated my decades-long relationship with my stepfather. We visit a lot — and not enough. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
The hardest thing my family does each week
The most obvious thing would be to connect through shared memories, but all our shared memories involve my mom, but whenever I mention her name, Michael gets visibly upset.
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SCOOP: The Educ Dept's civil rights office has terminated an already agreed-to agreement with a SD school district regarding equal treatment of Native American students because, they said, the agreement included DEI. More reviews like this are coming. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Feds end a civil rights agreement on treatment of Native students, citing DEI
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights will review other discrimination resolutions to determine if they violate Trump’s orders.
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Head of Anti-Defamation League questions Trump’s aggressive effort to find and deport foreign students who have protested on behalf of Palestinians, suggesting admin is betraying American values, denying due process and punishing people for their views. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Leading Jewish group condemns deportations of pro-Palestinian protesters
The Anti-Defamation League’s CEO called the deportation effort against campus protesters a violation of due process and possibly punishment for “thoughtcrimes”
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NEW: In investigating universities' handling of antisemitism, the Trump admin demanded names and nationalities of protesters, according to sources + documents. The request raised questions about whether the info would be used for immigration enforcement. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
New Trump demand to colleges: Name protesters — and their nationalities
The demand for student information came after the administration promised to deport non-citizens who participated in what it called “pro-jihadist protests”
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Significant staff cuts underway at Sesame Street, as the iconic show searches for a new streaming deal. I took a short break from the news flood driven by the Trump administration to write about this today (though this too has a Trump element). www.washingtonpost.com/style/2025/0...
Layoffs to hit Sesame Workshop amid streaming woes, Trump attacks
Sesame Workshop announced layoffs at it searches for a new “Sesame Street” streamer.
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The Education Department walked back some of the most incendiary suggestions it made in its Dear Colleague letter on how race is handled in schools. Yes it’s OK to celebrate Black History Month. Still the agency signaled it is eager to launch investigations. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Education Dept. softens controversial guidance on race and schools
The agency is still eager to investigate schools and has set up a new portal inviting reports of instances of perceived discrimination.
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An unvaccinated child died of measles in Texas, the 1st confirmed death in the state’s worst outbreak in 3 decades. Measles is highly contagious, causes fever+rashes and can cause long-term neurological complications and - as we see - death @fenitn.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Texas child is first confirmed death in growing measles outbreak
The unvaccinated school-age child is the first confirmed fatality in Texas’s worst measles outbreak in three decades.
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NEW: Lawsuit filed today by AFT union accuses Trump administration of trying to radically rewrite well-established civil rights law when it issued a sweeping "Dear Colleague" letter barring colleges and K-12 schools from considering race in virtually any way www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Teachers union files lawsuit over Trump’s crackdown on race, DEI in schools
A new lawsuit accuses Trump Education Department of trying to rewrite civil rights law when it threatened to pull federal school funding over mentions of race.
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NEW: Peggy Carr, commissioner of the Nat'l Center on Education Statistics and a two-decade+ veteran at Educ Dept, was abruptly put on leave today. She runs NAEP, the national math and reading tests seen as important marker of educational progress www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Courts rule on Trump administration initiatives including DOGE, DEI
The latest news on President Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the new Congress.
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