Matt Barnum
National Reporter
Matt Barnum is Chalkbeat’s National Reporter, covering education policy and research. Previously he was a staff writer at The 74, the policy director for Educators for Excellence – New York, and a middle school language arts teacher in Colorado.
More teachers than usual left the classroom after last school year, confirming fears of a pandemic-fueled wave of departures.
50 years ago, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision was shaped by the racist idea that poor children can’t learn.
State test score results show uneven evidence of correlation with learning and in-person instruction.
Research suggests money matters for schools. But experts aren’t sure how to explain test scores in the country’s highest spending state.
The federal dollars turned out to be a radical experiment in funding schools based on student need. But it’s coming to an end.
Overall, most parents say schools are striking the right balance in addressing racism.
There is little firm evidence of an unprecedented crisis. But the ingredients are there for it to be a harder than normal year to recruit.
New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston have more small schools. A budget crunch looms.
Cities have seen a sharp decline in younger children since the pandemic hit.
In a court filing seeking to avoid jail time, Andrew tells his side of the story.
American students are slowly starting to regain academic ground lost during the pandemic. They’re still far behind.
Pero al entrar al año 2021-22, las escuelas católicas vieron su primer aumento en dos décadas.
It’s the court’s latest move to protect religious freedom in education — and bypass concerns about separation of church and state.
In the most recent school year, Catholic schools experienced a substantial, but incomplete, enrollment rebound.
It includes $1 billion for mental health and $300 million for school security.
But the decision won’t turn on a money spigot for religious private schools.
The new data suggests that the charter sector was experiencing growing pains even before controversial rules proposed by the Biden administration.
Students often do better in smaller classes, but there’s no agreement on exactly how much better.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona called for raising teacher pay in a speech Thursday.
“It’s important to make sure that the stewardship of the program — particularly with respect to accountability and fiscal responsibility — is there,” said Assistant Education Secretary Roberto Rodríguez.
Among over 1 million child care workers, 405 died from COVID in 2020 — a higher rate than workers overall.
At least half of the nation’s 20 largest school districts will offer more full-time virtual schooling this fall than they did before the pandemic.
After the mass shooting in Uvalde, politicians are again calling for more school security. Schools have already spent hundreds of millions in recent years on added security measures.
It will be welcome news for school leaders worried about inflation and supply chain issues.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants to overturn this Supreme Court case, a bulwark against laws targeting undocumented students’ education.
It shows that charter schools are down but not out politically.
Chalkbeat examined over 20 polls since last year. In some cases, what we found was surprising, while others confirmed conventional wisdom.
Closing schools, though, often ignites a firestorm, since it can mean losing a source of community, local pride, and stable jobs.
A prior version had been used by Pennsylvania officials to argue that the state’s funding system doesn’t shortchange poor students.
“The quality of research coming out was disheartening,” said one researcher.