Matt Barnum
@mattbarnum.bsky.social
Ideas editor at Chalkbeat https://www.chalkbeat.org/newsletters/ideas/ mbarnum@chalkbeat.org
New: Does college pay off? This has increasingly come under question. But careful research has found that even students who weren't academic standouts in high school seem to benefit from attending a four-year college. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/08/04/w...
The research on who benefits from college may surprise you
Studies in Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Texas point in the same direction: Four-year college often helps students with modest high school records.
chalkbeat.org
This thoughtful post by @mattbarnum.bsky.social @chalkbeat.org, pushing back on my contention that students with low grades and/or test scores shouldn't go to college because they are unlikely to complete a degree, is worth a read. cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/who-should...
Who should go to college?
Prior studies suggest that even many students who struggle in high school benefit from a four-year college education.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
Another clear-eyed look at the research from @mattbarnum.bsky.social: "Who should go to college? More students may benefit than we think." www.chalkbeat.org/2026/08/04/w...
The research on who benefits from college may surprise you
Studies in Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Texas point in the same direction: Four-year college often helps students with modest high school records.
chalkbeat.org
1/ From 2021 through 2022, I was skeptical of the emerging narrative that there was a teacher shortage/exodus crisis. I just didn’t see much data to support it. And I wrote as much. www.chalkbeat.org/2022/3/9/229... But then, to my surprise, the data started to change.
New: There's been a notable and, in many cases, sustained rise in teachers leaving the classroom over the last four to five years, according to new data I collected. The uptick in any one year was modest but the cumulative loss of teachers has been substantial. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/07/30/t...
⚠️ TODAY ⚠️ When many teachers leave, the whole school community is affected, and student achievement often declines. What are potential ways to bolster teachers and schools, while supporting students? There's still time to RSVP for this discussion: ckbe.at/4p2oXLs
New: Is there still a viable path to achieve racially and economically integrated schools? @aryamerikaner.bsky.social thinks so. I spoke to her about why diverse schools matter and her group's new lawsuit in Massachusetts. cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/ary-amerik...
School integration can feel like a relic. Ary Amerikaner wants to bring it back
Her group is suing Massachusetts to encourage more voluntary opportunities for diverse schools.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
New: Already the backlash to ed-tech has led some schools and teachers to cut back on screens. Yet some are not going further for a surprising reason — digital testing is now the standard. But is that a good enough reason? www.chalkbeat.org/2026/07/16/d...
Some educators and parents want less screen time, but digital tests are making that harder
Even tech-skeptical educators say students need device practice before state tests. That creates a new dilemma for screen-time rollbacks.
chalkbeat.org
New: Why haven't national politicians been more forceful in responding to the unprecedented declines in U.S. test scores? The answer may be simple: voters aren't prioritizing the issue either. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/07/14/t...
Test scores have fallen. So why aren’t voters demanding more from politicians?
A generation ago, school quality sat near the center of national politics. Today, even historic learning declines have not recreated that urgency.
chalkbeat.org
The last several years have been tumultuous for the U.S. teaching profession. In our next Chalkbeat Ideas online event, we'll discuss the state of the teaching profession and share new data on teacher exit rates. Join us at noon ET on July 30th! www.eventbrite.com/e/a-professi...
A profession under pressure: unpacking new data on teacher turnover
Teachers are the backbone of schools — but the state of the profession is fragile.
eventbrite.com
New: Most Iowa school systems have quietly agreed to limit undocumented students' access to "postsecondary" courses. This is an example of how the Trump admin has chipped away at the 1982 SCOTUS case protecting undocumented students' right to a K-12 education. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/07/06/i...
Iowa schools agreed to limit undocumented students’ course access — but enforcement is unclear
A legal scholar said Iowa’s policy may violate Supreme Court precedent.
chalkbeat.org
It's going to be a great conversation centered around new data collected by @mattbarnum.bsky.social. Join us!
Chalkbeat@chalkbeat.org · last mo.Join us for this important discussion on teacher turnover on Thursday, July 30, Noon-1 ET. RSVP to save your virtual seat and to submit your questions for our panel: ckbe.at/4p2oXLs
New— The new tax law could be a boon for school choice by reimbursing "donations" made to nonprofits that issue K-12 scholarships. Yet convincing taxpayers to donate could require a massive marketing budget, according to an internal estimate I learned about. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/30/f...
The price of free money: A large marketing budget may be required to launch federal school choice program
The new tax credit is meant to unlock billions for scholarships. But reaching that scale may require a costly campaign to win over taxpayers one by one.
chalkbeat.org
New: Performance pay is controversial among teachers, but what if it works? www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/25/t...
Merit pay is controversial, but in Texas and South Carolina, students benefited.
Many teachers distrust performance pay. But new findings suggest the right kind of incentive program can make a difference for students.
chalkbeat.org
New: Are there truly many, well-paid jobs available for those without a four-year degree? That's the emerging narrative; I looked at the data. Tl:dr: This graph that breaks down occupation by annual wages and the share of workers who hold a four-year degree. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/23/s...
Great reporting here from @mattbarnum.bsky.social // Non-college career pathways have a math problem. cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/non-colleg...
Non-college career pathways have a math problem
Politicians say that students can skip a four-year degree and still earn a solid living. That’s true, but the odds are lower.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
New: Are there truly many, well-paid jobs available for those without a four-year degree? That's the emerging narrative; I looked at the data. Tl:dr: This graph that breaks down occupation by annual wages and the share of workers who hold a four-year degree. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/23/s...
This is good stuff from @mattbarnum.bsky.social www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/23/s...
The six-figure trades story has a catch: The vast majority of non-college jobs pay far less.
Some students can build good lives without a bachelor’s degree. But federal wage data shows those paths are narrower — and often more gendered — than the headlines suggest.
chalkbeat.org
Student cheating is becoming impossible to detect as some A.I. companies coach young adults on how to get away with it. Inside a new arms race: "humanizers" and "autotypers" face off against AI detectors. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/u...
Student Cheating Is Becoming Impossible to Detect in an A.I. Era
nytimes.com
New: The Trump administration has promised to "return education to the states." In reality, states are getting back only modest authority. And in other realms the administration is expanding federal power. cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/is-trump-a...
Is education really being returned to the states? Two state chiefs say it’s complicated.
One state chief welcomed modest flexibility. Another warned that federal dollars are pushing states to conform to the Trump administration’s beliefs.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
Education Secretary Linda McMahon told parents in a video announcing seismic shifts to special education and civil rights enforcement that “I’ve heard you.” Parents say that might be true, but that she didn’t listen.
Parents oppose plan to shift special education oversight: ‘We didn't want this to happen'
Education Secretary Linda McMahon told parents in a video announcing seismic shifts to special education and civil rights enforcement that “I’ve heard you.” Parents say that might be true, but that she didn’t listen.
bit.ly
The Trump admin recently found a suburban CO district in violation of Title IX in part because "male students occupy 61 roster positions on girls’ sports teams." Turns out, according to the district, those were not athletes but male mascots and managers. www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...
61 boys the Trump administration found on girls’ sports rosters? District says they weren’t athletes
Jeffco Public Schools said some girls’ teams “had male managers, trainers, or mascots — not athletes.”
chalkbeat.org
Many Democratic governors have been waiting to see the rules before opting into a major federal school choice expansion. Will they like what they see?
McMahon said states would shape tax credit scholarship. Treasury said no.
Many Democratic governors have been waiting to see the rules before opting into a major federal school choice expansion. Will they like what they see?
bit.ly
New- A striking and unexplained disparity has emerged across a number of tests in different grades and subjects. Relative to boys, girls' scores have generally fallen faster and been slower to recover, if they're recovered at all. This is a big deal! www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/11/g...
If we're just talking about "private money" here, then why a law necessary to "direct" it?
There seems to be a bit of confusion about this, but the federal tax credit scholarship program has *always* explicitly allowed the funding to go towards public school students. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/u...
Trump Law Would Also Direct Voucher Money to Public Schools
nytimes.com
Some good news and bad news in this latest NAEP data. Nine-year-olds' scores are up, but 13-year-olds are flat after a decade of decline. Via @lilyalta.bsky.social. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/10/n...
One group of students is making progress. The other doesn’t have much time left.
New NAEP scores reveal a telling divide between younger and older students when it comes to reading and math.
chalkbeat.org
New: State takeovers of local school systems are growing, but do they work to improve learning? Also in this roundup: growth vs. proficiency, why school enrollment is plummeting in Mississippi, a surprising defender of federal school spending, and more. cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/school-tak...
Who should run schools — and how should we judge whether they’re working?
From state takeovers to school ratings, this month’s Chalkbeat Ideas roundup looks at the evidence behind big education debates.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
New- Will artificial intelligence reduce demand for formal education? I take a look at the historical interplay between technology, the economy and education and how that helps us understand what might come next. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/04/g...
For students, generative AI raises a new question: Will more education still pay off?
Schools have long raced to prepare students for jobs shaped by technology. AI may change the rules by reaching into work once reserved for the well-educated.
chalkbeat.org
Today's must read: A great back-and-forth between Rick Hess & @mattbarnum.bsky.social on what education reporting gets right, and wrong, today edweek.org/education/op... #EWA26 @edweek.org @chalkbeat.org
What Education Reporting Gets Right—and Wrong (Opinion)
It’s getting harder to cover education thoroughly, this teacher-turned-reporter explains. Here’s why.
edweek.org