Andrew Ujifusa

Is federal influence over schools really shrinking? Trump says he wants Washington out of education. School leaders say investigations into trans rights and race-related practices are pulling D.C. in deeper.

"The promise was deregulation. The reality has been paperwork, guidance, and reminders." www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/03/t...

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...

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

After racist comment goes viral, NYC halts closure of Upper West Side middle school Racist comments caught on a hot mic thrust a small Upper West Side middle school into the spotlight — and prompted city officials to reverse their plans to close it.

New York City education officials have reversed plans to close an Upper West Side middle school after a mom’s racist comment during a public meeting thrust the school into the national spotlight: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026...

DOGE smashed federal education research. Here’s how a consultant told the Education Department to fix it. A new report finds that too often the Institute of Education Sciences has produced redundant or low-priority work. It also defends the federal role in education research.

“They’ve let so many people go. I’m worried we’ve done tremendous damage to our ability to recruit people into government work.” - @carajackson.bsky.social www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/27/e...

NYC students to spend about 20 fewer days in school than national peers. Learning likely suffers. It adds up: On top of the snow day and several professional development days keeping kids home from school, NYC’s shorter school day means kids in the five boroughs are in class less than national cou...

"New York City K-12 students with perfect attendance are on track this year to be in school for 1,102 hours. That’s about 20 fewer days than the national average." www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026...

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.

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

School board clash: Fallout from Colorado’s ‘first public Christian school’ sparks board vacancy dispute Pueblo 70 school board members clashed at Tuesday’s meeting over the controversial appointment of a new member who works for the group that operates Riverstone Academy.

The ongoing fallout from the controversial launch of a school called Colorado’s "first public Christian school": www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...

A bell-to-bell school cellphone ban is about to become law in Indiana. Here’s what it could look like. Schools would have to decide whether to ask students to leave their phones and smartwatches at home, or provide them with a place to store the devices at school.

When a relatively new school cellphone ban muscles up: www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2026...

What we know so far about FBI raids on the L.A. schools superintendent’s home and offices Alberto Carvalho has led the Los Angeles school district since 2022 and has been a strong defender of undocumented students.

LAUSD launched “Ed,” an AI-powered personal assistant for students. The district dropped its relationship with AllHere, the company that developed Ed. The Los Angeles Times reports that a source with knowledge of the matter said the investigation relates to AllHere. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/25/f...

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.

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.

Eighty-four years ago today, FDR signed an executive order that led to the incarceration of tens of thousands of people of Japanese descent. Here's how a unique group of high schoolers acts as a caretaker of that history where an internment camp once stood: www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/19/s...

“A good number of people really wanted to keep at least their particular school segregated.” www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2025...

How a fractured Indy school landscape reached the verge of a huge shakeup An Indianapolis task force has recommended what amounts to unified control over district-run schools and charters in the city. That plan is rooted in decades of history involving desegregation efforts...

“You get what you can when you can.” www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2025...

18 big ideas New Yorkers want Mamdani to consider for NYC schools (Part 1) What big ideas should Zohran Mamdani consider to improve NYC schools? Here’s what families, experts, students, and educators told us.

Mamdani did not focus intently on schools, but he made one big education promise: to govern the city’s public schools with more input from New Yorkers and reduce his own power over the system. www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

What Diane Ravitch has learned in her decades on both sides of the school reform fights A Q&A with the education historian turned critic of testing and charter schools.

"I am zealous, but it’s not because I am a 'convert.' I’m zealous because I feel I have to make up for the part I played in encouraging bad ideas." cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-diane...

Could Trump-backed federal tax-credit scholarships benefit public school students too? Some public education advocates say the rulesmaking process is the time to lean in and help shape the final form of a school choice program that was designed for private school students.

Education groups are jockeying to shape the federal tax-credit scholarship through the rule-making process. But making this scheme, designed to create a voucher-like benefit, work for public school students could be tricky. www.chalkbeat.org/2025/12/09/f...

Could a Supreme Court decision on inclusive storybooks change school vaccine laws? New York got rid of religious exemptions in the face of disease outbreaks — then Amish parents sued. Now the Supreme Court wants the 2nd Circuit to take another look at the vaccine mandate case in lig...

The Supreme Court vacated a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit upholding New York’s vaccine mandate, which does not allow for religious exemptions, and told the lower court to reconsider it in light of the Mahmoud decision: www.chalkbeat.org/2025/12/11/s...

School board member resigns in wake of ‘public Christian school’ controversy Pueblo 70 school board member Anne Ochs abruptly announced her resignation Tuesday evening after a district parent raised concerns about Ochs’ role in helping a "public Christian school" open.

“You know what? You’re getting your wish come true, because I was planning on resigning anyway. I’m done.” www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...

Could Trump-backed federal tax-credit scholarships benefit public school students too? Some public education advocates say the rulesmaking process is the time to lean in and help shape the final form of a school choice program that was designed for private school students.

“When you receive a punch in the martial arts, you can either try to block it or leverage its power to throw the person over your shoulder. I think we have an opportunity to think not only about how we might need to block, but how we might need to leverage.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/12/09/f...

More UC San Diego students need remedial math — but is that a problem? A UCSD report said the school should reject students who struggle with math, but researchers have found that those students are likely to benefit from an elite education.

New —

What the internet backlash over rising remedial math at UC San Diego misses: Yes, it's a problem that math scores are going down, but selective, well-resourced universities are arguably best equipped to help students catch up.

cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-the-i...

Officials mistakenly told NYC principals students with weapons would face automatic arrest Education Department officials erroneously told principals that students found with items like scalpels or switchblades would face automatic arrest.

"On Monday morning, some schools swiftly informed students and parents about the new policy on student arrests. By the afternoon, Education Department officials admitted the letter was sent in error." www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

Philly teachers say congressional probe into alleged antisemitism is a ‘witch hunt’ A congressional investigation alleges the Philadelphia school district “is rife with antisemitic incidents.” Several educators are asking school leaders to protect staff amid the investigation.

“This new investigation is political theater and government overreach. It is not about protecting students. It’s about intimidating and silencing teachers.” www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

Polis all in on Trump’s tax-credit scholarship while other Dem governors wait and see The program is expected to expand private school choice in states like Colorado that don’t have voucher programs. Polis said not participating would mean leaving millions on the table.

Gov. Jared Polis plans to opt Colorado into a federal tax-credit scholarship program, opening the door to private school choice in a Democratic state where lawmakers and voters have rejected previous proposals: www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...

A stricter cellphone ban may be coming to Indiana schools Indiana lawmakers may tighten the state’s school cellphone ban even further during this legislative session.

GOP lawmakers have introduced new bills that would mandate that phones be securely stored at school or left at home during the whole school day. The ban also would extend to all personal devices including laptops and smartwatches: www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2025...

School choice has radical roots worth remembering, a new book argues In his book “Radical Dreamers” the political scientist Joseph Viteritti examines the lawyers, researchers, and activists behind the modern school choice movement. He also disputes the notion that it i...

"You wonder why people are angry and frustrated? Look at the numbers today. The schools are segregated, and kids are not performing. Race and class are still the best predictors, the most reliable predictors of educational achievement in this country." www.chalkbeat.org/2025/12/04/p...

Did scaling back school accountability and testing pressure hurt students? Critics say ending No Child Left Behind and moving to the Every Student Succeeds Act can help explain declining test scores. Here’s what the research shows.

"This means that score gains likely came from a combination of funding and accountability." cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/would-more...

Why Superintendent Tony Watlington might be worried about Philly’s school enrollment Philadelphia’s district school enrollment is down by more than 1,000 students. The city is planning to close schools to address half-empty buildings.

"District spokesperson Naima DeBrest said in a statement that public school enrollment has been decreasing nationally due to declining birth rates 'as well as families exploring alternative education options.'" www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

More and more college kids are in high school. Here’s dual enrollment in NYC, explained. The surge in dual enrollment is propping up community colleges like CUNY Kingsborough, where the majority of students are high schoolers.

“It really is a game changer in terms of being able to save time and money to a degree.” www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

Why Superintendent Tony Watlington might be worried about Philly’s school enrollment Philadelphia’s district school enrollment is down by more than 1,000 students. The city is planning to close schools to address half-empty buildings.

"Since last school year, the district has returned to its previous trend of losing students each year." www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

Here’s why families of students with autism are worried about school closures The Philadelphia school district says it is working to reduce how often students with autism must switch schools to access certain support services. Yet looming school closures in the city could compl...

"Many Philadelphia school district families with children in autistic support classes have had the same frustrating experience: As their kids have grown up, they’ve had to switch schools at least once to access support services." www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...