Erica Meltzer

Interesting to see the questions that these governors are asking, including about their obligations to prevent fraud, what information the federal government will share, and whether there will be any federal money to pay for state oversight.

Teaching predominantly young Black men in Brooklyn, Sean McFadden connects climate science directly to social justice, housing, and food access, proving that climate solutions must start with equity.

Important event this afternoon. Join us!

In the midterm elections, candidates who disagree about other issues have found common ground criticizing screen time and AI in schools. But neither political party has claimed clear ownership of the ed-tech backlash.

I literally am somebody who went to Cheesecake Factory for special occasions. I also understood that the decor was totally over the top. I never thought, "when I make it, my house will look just like this."

Startling stat — a police officer in a small Texas town handed arrested and handed over immigrants to ICE at such volume that the total number is the equivalent of 10% of his town's population. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/25/m...

This is the latest in a series of cases challenging traditional understandings of church-state separation, and it comes as more public money than ever before is flowing to religious schools.

Scoop: In a sign of how intense the debate about screens in schools has become, a Trump official privately compared ed-tech to the tobacco industry. Notably, this official, Arielle Roth, has helped prompt a review of the federal school internet subsidy, E-Rate. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/10/22/t...

Technically speaking, I have no stake in this but it would be nice if the better popes managed to stick around for a while.

When the dog becomes strong enough to start fighting you on the pills, you start to think, maybe she'll pull through after all.

Is this why floss breaks all the time now? I guess I'll take it.

Gov. Polis’ statement re: today’s revelations. No specific mention of Tina Peters, whom he freed.

Terrific Sarah Sparks story about the (potential) future of ed research and proposed changes to how the U.S. Dept of Ed administers grants. The Future of Education Research: More Partisan and Largely Left to States? www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

NEW: The Trump administration keeps denying and downplaying that immigration agents have been detaining Americans. It’s wrong. We’ve found more than 500 U.S. citizens have been held against their will, including handcuffed or held at gunpoint.

As Chris Rufo considers "the Indian question" and X users debate if it's woke to study for spelling bees, I'm reminded of this moment from 5+ years ago I included in my book. Even before the backlash to "CRT" and DEI, suburban white folks were complaining about South Asians outdoing their kids.

The # of kids covered by Medicaid/CHIP since Jan 2025 continues to decline As of August 2026, the ⬇️ was 2.575 million 2026 is a more rapid ⬇️ than the already large ⬇️ in 2025 This is very worrying bcuz drops in child Medicaid enrollment usually means kid uninsured rate is ⬆️

Feds target school internet subsidies in ed-tech backlash even as Trump touts AI, writes @ericameltzer.bsky.social for @chalkbeat.org alaskabeacon.com/2026/09/28/f...

This piece by @ericameltzer.bsky.social & others provides an excellent overview of this whole story ------ Nikole Hannah-Jones’ essay on school integration sparks a reckoning for parents and education advocates www.chalkbeat.org/2026/09/25/h...

I straight up remembered the ending of Breaking Bad being that Walter White died alone in the cabin. That was so clearly the correct ending for the show, that I rewrote the memory in my brain to make that the ending. I was shocked when I rewatched it!

It's only 2026. Have we really had 100 *great* TV shows this century?

The Trump administration is riding a broader backlash against education technology to call for major changes — or even the elimination — of school internet subsidies. This comes even as the White House continues to promote AI in educaiton. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/09/23/e...

Nearly a century ago, Americans seeking an easy way to lose weight put their faith in what promoters sold as a potent fat-burning drug. Some went blind. Others died. Now this dangerous chemical has been detected in a supplement marketed online. healthbeat.beehiiv.com/p/the-troubl... #publichealth

So appreciate these stories — I'll be in shul but I especially appreciate hearing from the people who still recognize this day even if shul is not where they want to be. And in true Jewish fashion, I'm one degree removed from one of the people featured!

Every year it's the same deal. A week before Yom Kippur, I start the seven-day period of chanting, "Tomorrow, I'll reduce my coffee consumption. Tomorrow."

At least 40 states have some requirement that schools address 9/11, but those lessons are much more personal in New York City. Three teachers spoke with @amyzimmer.bsky.social about how they teach 9/11. www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026...

In a weird way, it's validating to see this. It was really hot.

These are truly devastating layoffs. I was an intern at the Lexington Herald-Leader about a million years ago, and I learned so much from so many talented journalists. We desperately need strong, robust regional papers, and the cuts never stop. www.poynter.org/business-wor...

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...

NEW: Denver is preparing for emergency lines to be swamped by callers on 9/11 as United Airlines flies a passenger plane flanked by fighter jets over the city for a "private ceremony" www.9news.com/article/news...

🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

This comes just as special education staff are set to move to HHS — but Kelly Rogers wasn't there very long and was acting. The first person they tapped for this job is now an autism advisor to RFK. There's been a persistent lack of leadership. www.npr.org/2026/09/09/n...

If we do this long enough, eventually we're going to have casualties from an accident related to a 9/11 memorial flight.

We truly value women so little.

New theory of educational decline. Step aside "the end of No Child Left Behind" and "the phones did it."

While some districts make a pedagogical choice to reduce reliance on screens, it appears that Memphis just ... stopped ... because they couldn't afford to give every child a laptop anymore. But classrooms don't necessarily have enough paper materials or books. www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/20...

Declines in learning in recent years have affected many countries with vastly different education systems. These scores should sound and are sounding alarm bells. But are there aspects of the U.S. education system that prevented things from being even worse? www.chalkbeat.org/2026/09/08/p...

The van with seven people inside was owned by an airline cleaning contractor. The NTSB chair described it as “torn apart. It certainly must have been devastating."

When I was in Peace Corps, we joked that you could charge people in the U.S. money to live a simulation of Paraguayan daily life as a training regimen. And here we are: $15 to walk barefoot and connect to the earth.

A dear colleague and wonderful journalist needs some help, if you can spare something. www.gofundme.com/f/support-mo...

Washington’s proposed ban would go further than red-state bans in one key way. All girls seeking to participate in athletics would need to verify their sex assigned at birth, not just those whose eligibility is challenged www.vox.com/politics/501...

It's normal for, say, the Boulder elementary school on the edge of mountain open space to go on secure perimeter for bears. It is NOT normal for bears to be roaming all over the suburbs and even in the middle of Denver.

Oklahoma Republican voters chose a totally normal guy to be their candidate for state superintendent after the departure of Ryan Walters last year. Franklin says he'll work in the mode of Lindel Fields, the career educator appointed to finish Walters' term. oklahomavoice.com/2026/08/25/r...

Nobody is going to college anymore ...

The Education Department's social media feed is truly something else. www.the74million.org/article/from...

Coming from an open enrollment state, these stories always shock me. A Massachusetts school district agrees to end an anonymous tip line for reporting suspected non-resident students. Black students were much more likely to be reported and investigated. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/19/m...

When the first day of school arrived Monday, some students tried to bring their backpacks. Other students left their backpacks at home only to find that the binder bags hadn’t arrived yet. 🤦‍♀️ Read more at: www.newsobserver.com/news/local/e...

Civil liberties groups asked the Supreme Court to hear their challenge of a Texas law requiring that all public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments, potentially setting up a landmark clash over the separation of church and state.

An estimated 20,000 DACA recipients work as educators. These processing delays affect those teachers first and foremost, when they can't work, but they also affect entire school communities.

The big swings in New York reading scores are raising questions about whether something went wrong with the test or how it's scored. As one assessment expert told Chalkbeat, people are much more eager to look under the hood of large declines than large increases. www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026...