Graduation rates are up. So is the use of credit recovery @lilyalta.bsky.social reports. Got thoughts? We have a survey at the end of this story and especially want to hear from educators to work in this space. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/09/08/c...

More high schoolers are taking credit recovery post-pandemic. Is it helping them graduate or hurting learning?

Enrollment in credit recovery grew 13% nationwide in the years following the pandemic, according to a Chalkbeat analysis. While the courses keep students on track to graduate, experts warn they may sa...

chalkbeat.org

Is everybody OK at Chalkbeat?

Puff puff class

Legal marijuana has some schools offering weed-ing, writing, and 'rithmetic.

cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org

Want to put up a motivational poster in this school district? You'll have to pick from one of 32 pre-approved phrases, or else there's a 4-step process that might include a lawyer's eyes. The reason? It's probably not hard to guess. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/07/08/s... via @lilyalta.bsky.social

The most heated school debate isn't curriculum. It's what's hanging on the wall.

Even a motivational poster could require legal review under one Michigan school district's new policy.

chalkbeat.org

As this Post op-ed acknowledges in the body of the piece, the "rise in [felony] assaults" across all of NYC schools refers to an increase from ... 28 to 34. Not percent, but incidents. That's across some 1,500+ schools. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

On Tuesday, Randi Weingarten got a Khanmigo demonstration in Newark schools. On Wednesday, she backed tech restrictions for young kids. @lilyalta.bsky.social looks at the balancing act the teachers union leader is doing on tech in the classroom. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/27/a...

After embracing AI for teachers, Randi Weingarten backs restrictions for students

The AFT president is walking a tightrope on AI in education. A year after AFT partnered with OpenAI and Microsoft on teacher training, the union president is now calling for bans on student-facing AI ...

chalkbeat.org

Local school boards wield so much power in the classroom. A new SCOTUS ruling may have sweeping effects on how those boards are organized... And experts say the ruling may disenfranchise communities of color, @ericameltzer.bsky.social reports:

No better gift to an education reporter when you call a principal and he has two students to interview with you too, just as a coincidence. What happened when a Maine school pushed back its start time from 8AM to 9? A lot, actually. t.co/7rSf7Y8QeW

You should definitely sign up for Chalkbeat's newsletter, because "i-Ready to log off: Education news to get you ready for the long weekend" is a GREAT headline 😂

Lily Altavena@lilyalta.bsky.social · 5mo ago

ICYMI: One of the biggest villains in the war on ed-tech is i-Ready, parents say. How'd we get here? www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/19/i...

It's pretty remarkable how quickly i-Ready has become public enemy #1 in the ed-tech backlash. It's also remarkable how quickly their product has spread in schools. The company says one in three (!) students use it bsky.app/profile/lily...

Lily Altavena@lilyalta.bsky.social · 5mo ago

ICYMI: One of the biggest villains in the war on ed-tech is i-Ready, parents say. How'd we get here? www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/19/i...

ICYMI: One of the biggest villains in the war on ed-tech is i-Ready, parents say. How'd we get here? www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/19/i...

One of the biggest fights in education right now revolves around this school software

If you talk to a parent about technology in the classroom, one brand of software comes up again and again — and the feedback is typically critical.

chalkbeat.org

NEW, from me: i-Ready is at the tip of almost every parent's tongue lately amid a backlash to ed tech. But is i-Ready the villain or a stand-in for the larger grievances about the technology served up in classrooms?

I love old school buildings... ... But they're old. And crumbling. @carlysitrin.bsky.social in reports on a proposal in Congress to transform America's aging education infrastructure. www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

Should Congress spend big to rebuild schools? This candidate is campaigning on a $500 billion idea.

The centerpiece of a Pennsylvania lawmaker’s congressional campaign is a $500 billion proposal to fund school construction and maintenance. It’ll be a tough sell.

chalkbeat.org

How many books do teachers assign in a school year? New data shows just a handful, on average, and fewer for students in schools with higher poverty levels. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/06/h...

How many books do students read in English class? Here's the average.

Books haven’t vanished from high school English classes. But they’re no longer playing a starring role, a new survey of teachers suggests.

chalkbeat.org

This was a hard story to report. Newborns who don’t get a vitamin K shot are 81 times more likely to develop a condition where they bleed uncontrollably. But more and more families are declining the shot. And babies are dying. www.propublica.org/article/more...

Babies Are Bleeding to Death as Parents Reject a Vitamin Shot Given at Birth

A lifesaving injection given at birth to prevent severe bleeding has become collateral damage of the anti-vaccine movement.

propublica.org

Could you manage a superintendent's overloaded inbox? Dodge rogue calendar invites? An AI-enabled flood of marketing emails are making it that much harder for district leaders to make smart ed tech decisions. @lilyalta.bsky.social reports. projects.chalkbeat.org/2026/ed-tech...

How the AI-enabled race for taxpayer money starts in a superintendent’s inbox

School leaders are battling a flood of ed tech marketing emails while also navigating a broader debate over technology in the classroom.

projects.chalkbeat.org

"In total, they shared 90 messages from 79 companies .... The sheer avalanche of options makes the task of finding a quality tool that much harder. The superintendents also said they’ve found the flood of emails takes away their time and attention."

Lily Altavena@lilyalta.bsky.social · 6mo ago

We all get a lot of sales pitches in our email. But school superintendents get *a lot* from ed tech companies. It's reached a fever pitch. Five superintendents shared their ed tech emails from one day. You're not ready for the numbers. projects.chalkbeat.org/2026/ed-tech...

Part of a superintendent's job these days is beating back the onslaught of ed-tech pitches. bsky.app/profile/lily...

Lily Altavena@lilyalta.bsky.social · 6mo ago

We all get a lot of sales pitches in our email. But school superintendents get *a lot* from ed tech companies. It's reached a fever pitch. Five superintendents shared their ed tech emails from one day. You're not ready for the numbers. projects.chalkbeat.org/2026/ed-tech...

New: I roundup answers to the following —Did school reform work? —Has Democrats' edge on education waned? —Does simply sending young kids home with books boost reading scores? —Is education research trustworthy? cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/chalkbeat-...

Did education reform work? Plus free books, college closures, and Democrats’ education edge

Was school reform a failure, a success, or something more complicated? This Chalkbeat Ideas roundup also looks at research quality, reading gains, and the politics of education.

cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org

We all get a lot of sales pitches in our email. But school superintendents get *a lot* from ed tech companies. It's reached a fever pitch. Five superintendents shared their ed tech emails from one day. You're not ready for the numbers. projects.chalkbeat.org/2026/ed-tech...

look at the ear I achieved on my sourdough and then read my story about school lunch, link in next post

look at the ear I achieved on my sourdough and then read my story about school lunch, next post

The new food pyramid could reshape school lunch guidelines. But as @lilyalta.bsky.social reports, an unlikely coalition is calling on the Trump administration not to put kids on the carnivore diet. What kids actually need, they say, is more fiber. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/04/13/n...

Do kids really need a carnivore diet?

School lunches are expected to align with a new food pyramid that prioritizes meat. But is that really best for kids and their nutrition?

chalkbeat.org

"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...

A viral anti-screen argument is shaking schools. The evidence is more complicated.

A neuroscientist’s warning about ed-tech is spreading fast with parents and lawmakers. But the research is more nuanced and up for debate.

chalkbeat.org

ICE detained a Memphis student on his way to a school soccer game. What will happen next is unclear. www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/20...

Memphis student held in ICE detention since arrest en route to school soccer game

The 18-year-old’s lawyer says his case is a direct result of immigration crackdowns by the Memphis Safe Task Force and Trump-era changes to federal policy. He’s been waiting for trial at the West Tenn...

chalkbeat.org

ICYMI This is a little bit of a "something old is new again" -- states have been wresting control of school districts for decades. But what we're seeing now is overtly political, and a rash of takeovers after what seemed to be a lull

Lily Altavena@lilyalta.bsky.social · 7mo ago

New, from me: State takeovers of school districts have long been a political lever to pull -- to some degree. But the latest crop, and the rhetoric around takeovers, signals something bigger is afoot. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/03/n...

“God, I wish we could get taken over by literally anybody else.” www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/03/n...

Red states are taking control of school districts: Are state takeovers having a moment?

Officials have used poor academic achievement and anti-ICE protests to threaten takeovers of schools. The tactic has a new political tone, particularly in Texas, where the state has announced four sch...

chalkbeat.org

New, from me: State takeovers of school districts have long been a political lever to pull -- to some degree. But the latest crop, and the rhetoric around takeovers, signals something bigger is afoot. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/03/n...

Red states are taking control of school districts: Are state takeovers having a moment?

Officials have used poor academic achievement and anti-ICE protests to threaten takeovers of schools. The tactic has a new political tone, particularly in Texas, where the state has announced four sch...

chalkbeat.org

"He denied that the district played favorites." www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

Philadelphia officials just removed these 2 schools from their proposed school closure list

Philly district officials announced they no longer plan to close a middle and a high school. The move follows criticism from City Council members.

chalkbeat.org

Next to note cards describing how one person’s mother had to report for removal a week after giving birth ... were the words “WE HAVE LEARNED NOTHING” and articles and photos about “Alligator Alcatraz.” www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/19/s... by @ericameltzer.bsky.social

Trump wants historic sites to glorify America. Students help make sure this site tells the truth.

“I think our country is strong enough to understand the history of our nation in its totality, and I think that anything less than that makes us weak,” wrote one Amache visitor.

chalkbeat.org

“I think our country is strong enough to understand the history of our nation in its totality, and I think that anything less than that makes us weak,” wrote one Amache visitor.

Trump wants historic sites to glorify America. Students help make sure this site tells the truth.

“I think our country is strong enough to understand the history of our nation in its totality, and I think that anything less than that makes us weak,” wrote one Amache visitor.

bit.ly