Kalyn Belsha

Kalyn Belsha

Senior National Reporter

Kalyn Belsha is a National Reporter for Chalkbeat based in Chicago. Previously, she covered education for The Chicago Reporter, Catalyst Chicago and the suburban Chicago Tribune. She is a former Spencer Fellow in Education Reporting at Columbia University and has taught journalism at Loyola University Chicago.

Parents without Social Security numbers can now contribute to the FAFSA. But schools are still working to support families that have to manually enter financial information.

This New York City school counselor uses art therapy, breathing exercises, and details from her trips to Ecuador to bond with newcomer students at her Queens elementary school.

Allowing homeless students to buy their own clothes and providing them with cell phones has helped build trust and improve attendance. The end of COVID aid endangers that.

The president’s pitch to continue some pandemic-era programs and increase financial aid faces a hostile Congress.

Migrant students and other newcomers sometimes struggle after an initial honeymoon period. A program known as STRONG gives educators tools to help students before those struggles turn into mental health crises.

Three new national studies find that teachers are self-censoring at high rates, and that students and teachers are more comfortable talking about race in school than LGBTQ issues.

Un problema técnico está causando dificultades para completar el formulario de FAFSA de los estudiantes con padres indocumentados. Ahora hay un par de alternativas—y el arreglo llegará en un par de semanas.

Los padres sin número de Seguro Social pueden llenar una solicitud de ayuda financiera en papel (conocida como FAFSA) en lugar de usar la versión en línea. Puede ser una buena opción si tienes que hacerlo antes de una fecha límite.

Federal officials announced a temporary solution to help students whose parents lack a Social Security number complete the FAFSA. But lawmakers say a permanent fix is needed.

By declining to hear the case, the Supreme Court leaves intact admissions policies that aim to increase diversity at selective high schools. But other legal challenges may be in store.