Essential education reporting across America

Curriculum and instruction

A young boy wearing a blue face mask and a gray shirt looks at a book. Next to him a young girl with a yellow face mask and a pink shirt looks at another book. Both are at a lime green desk or table.
From Chalkbeat Indiana Curriculum and instruction
Indiana announces $111 million for phonics-focused reading instruction
Up to $60 million is for the state Department of Education to increase the number of instructional coaches who specialize in phonics-based literacy in elementary schools.
By Aleksandra Appleton
 
Teacher wearing a face mask seated behind a desk shield.
Teaching & Classroom Teaching & Classroom
Teachers head back to school with optimism and some worry
“I’m feeling more confident that this year will be a little bit more normal.” Quarantines are gone, and a new year is beginning.
By Jessica Blake
 
A woman teacher leads her classroom during a lesson, a student in the foreground raising their hand amongst other students in the class
From Chalkbeat Detroit Teacher turnover
Michigan programs provide route for second-career teachers. Are they rigorous enough?
Programs fast-track training, but some worry that they risk shortchanging students
By Tracie Mauriello
 
Students raise their hands in the classroom, with the text “Plains Indians” projected on the white board at the front of the class.
From Chalkbeat New York Curriculum and instruction
NYC wants to change the way students learn to read. Here’s how.
Eric Adams is making literacy a priority. Chalkbeat convened a panel, including educators and other experts, to find out what it will take to change the system.
By Amy Zimmer  and Elena Johnson
 
Students work on constructing a shed outside on a farm.
From Chalkbeat Philadelphia Curriculum and instruction
How building a ‘bunny mansion’ boosts career-technical education in Philly
Teacher Evin Jarrett says a summer program in which students get hands-on lessons about construction is their capstone.
By Dale Mezzacappa
 
A student raises their hand in a classroom, students all wearing purple and sitting at circular group desks.
How I Teach How I Teach
For this LA educator, teaching Asian American history and activism is personal
“Young learners are perfectly primed to think about issues of injustice,” Kimi Waite says.
By Jessica Blake
 
NYC Chancellor David Banks stands at a podium, with Mayor Eric Adams standing off to the left behind him.
From Chalkbeat New York Curriculum and instruction
Lawsuit filed to halt hundreds of millions in NYC school budget cuts
Two parents and two teachers seek to invalidate the city budget, claiming that city officials failed to follow proper protocols before voting.
By Reema Amin
 
A group of women stand outside an elementary school. They hold signs that say “Don’t Close Our School,” “Colfax is Our Family,” and “DPS, Please Listen” in Spanish.
From Chalkbeat Colorado English-language learners
Denver bilingual programs face a threat: not enough students
High housing costs and falling birth rates are driving down school enrollment in Denver’s historically Latino neighborhoods, making it harder to fill some bilingual classrooms.
By Melanie Asmar
 
A little girl wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and a hair bow holds a cardboard sign. In black marker, it says “Ser Bilingüe Es Mi Superpoder,” which means “Being Bilingual is my Superpower.”
From Chalkbeat Colorado En Español
Programas bilingües de Denver enfrentan problemas por muy pocos estudiantes y amenaza de cierres
Los altos costos de vivienda y la reducción en tasas de natalidad están reduciendo la matrícula escolar en las comunidades históricamente latinas de Denver, y esto hace más difícil llenar algunos salones bilingües.
By Melanie Asmar
 
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LGBTQ+ LGBTQ+
‘I’m terrified’: As new laws take effect, LGBTQ students and allies fear the consequences
The full reach of the new laws won’t be known until fall. Already, many LGBTQ students feel under siege.
By Patrick Wall
 
A group off high school students work together in a classroom.
First Person First Person
How Latin American Film and other college classes changed my high school experience
Last year, I was lost. A different kind of curriculum helped me get back on track.
By Yuleisy Aguirre De Jesus
 
Students walk through the lobby of P.S. 89, with ornate murals on the walls and light blue doors.
From Chalkbeat New York COVID Stimulus
Most NYC schools are losing funding. See what’s happening at your school.
Chalkbeat created a lookup tool examining changes to Fair Student Funding, a major source of funding for schools.
By Reema Amin  and Thomas Wilburn
 
A student views the Google Classroom screen on a laptop.
From Chalkbeat New York Remote learning
Attention ninth graders: Applications now open for NYC’s virtual high school
The city’s new virtual high school program could serve 200 ninth graders this coming school year.
By Marcela Rodrigues-Sherley
 
Children’s books about LGBTQ+ issues sit on a shelf.
From Chalkbeat New York LGBTQ+
NYC expands support for transgender students as other states pull back
But like most things within the nation’s largest school district, what happens across New York City’s 1,600 schools often varies school to school and even classroom to classroom.
By Amy Zimmer
 
Scores of supporters of Donald Trump scale the walls of the U.S. Capitol during the January 6th Capitol Riot.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Teaching & Classroom
Dismissing Jan. 6 probe, Tennessee governor says students should be taught attack was about ‘lawlessness’
Meanwhile, one education leader warns against sweeping history under the rug
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signs a bill, sitting at a finished wooden desk in an office.
From Chalkbeat Detroit Curriculum and instruction
Financial literacy requirement becomes law for Michigan students
Law has the backing of business groups, but critics worry about tradeoffs
By Tracie Mauriello
 
Students and staff from the Urban Assembly School of Design and Construction and P138M in Manhattan.
From Chalkbeat New York Curriculum and instruction
Getting real-world experience: High schoolers design a ‘life skills’ lab for students with disabilities
Students at the School of Design and Construction are partnering with IKEA to build a life skills learning lab for students with disabilities.
By Marcela Rodrigues-Sherley
 
Students sit in a classroom.
From Chalkbeat Detroit Curriculum and instruction
Detroit school district adopts new Black history curriculum
Switch to Black History 365 program is part of a broader reexamination of social studies materials
By Ethan Bakuli
 
Twenty students assembled in a group in a classroom, with two adult male teachers sitting on desks directly in front of them.
First Person First Person
Here’s how I knew I could handle a class of my own
Mr. Diaz made it a point to have philosophical, meaningful class discussions.
By Omar Lisojo
 
The facade of Pan American High School in Elmhurst is seen behind a chainlink fence as the sun shines on the building.
From Chalkbeat New York COVID Stimulus
NYC educators wrestle with budget cuts for 2022-23 school year
As federal stimulus funding starts to wind down, school leaders are facing tough choices with declining budgets and enrollment.
By Reema Amin
 
A child reads a picture book about Abraham Lincoln.
From Chalkbeat New York Curriculum and instruction
Eric Adams’ literacy overhaul slashes number of NYC reading coaches while expanding to higher grade levels
Department officials plan to hire 200 coaches for grades K-5, down from roughly 500 coaches focusing on grades K-2 in prior years
By Alex Zimmerman
 
Twins and high school seniors Dermot and Aidan McMillan do classwork from their home.
Remote learning Remote learning
Sticking around: Most big districts will offer virtual learning this fall, a sign of pandemic’s effect
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.
By Kalyn Belsha  and Matt Barnum
 
Seven high school students participate in a class discussion at their desks in a classroom with white walls decorated with maps and photographs of book covers.
From Chalkbeat Detroit Teacher training
Short on teachers, Michigan schools try to grow their own
Giving high school students an early look at what it would be like to be at the front of the room — ‘warts and all’
By Tracie Mauriello
 
Students sit at desks in a classroom while a teacher provides instruction. A bulletin board behind her is covered with Spanish vocabulary words such as ayer, anoche, bien, and lunes.
From Chalkbeat Detroit Michigan Legislature
¿Hablas HTML? Michigan bill would give students world-language credit for coding courses
Critics worry about technical education crowding out cultural studies
By Tracie Mauriello  and Isabel Lohman, Bridge Michigan
 
A student works at a laptop in her room.
From Chalkbeat New York Teaching & Classroom
New York to increase weekly instruction for medically fragile students
By Reema Amin
 
High school students wearing masks sit several feet apart at desks in a classroom,
From Chalkbeat New York Assessment and testing
Proposal would make it easier for NY students to pass Regents exams
By Reema Amin
 
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From Chalkbeat New York Teaching & Classroom
In a seismic shift, NYC to mandate elementary schools use phonics-based curriculum
By Amy Zimmer , Yoav Gonen, THE CITY , and 1 more
 
A male teacher stands in front of students at desks. A poster of Elvis Presley is on the wall behind them.
From Chalkbeat Indiana Politics & Policy
What should middle schoolers learn about history? Indiana debates civics standards
Education advocates say the proposed middle school civics standards need more specificity, especially in regards to the history of Black Americans and other people of color.
By Aleksandra Appleton
 
A classroom displays posters of Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X, and others on the wall, along with other instructional materials. Several desks and a small table are also visible.
From Chalkbeat Newark Curriculum and instruction
Newark schools’ new curriculum highlights African American history. What’s in it?
A guide to the curriculum that Newark teachers created
By Patrick Wall
 
NYC_20220511_NewImmigrantYouth_ReemaAmin_001.jpg
From Chalkbeat New York English-language learners
NYC to expand transfer high schools to help English language learners
NYC education officials plan to expand transfer high schools to serve those students, using a Bronx school as one model.
By Reema Amin
 
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