Essential education reporting across America

How schools seek to overcome pandemic-related mental health challenges and the broad impact of long-standing inequities.

Parents and students in bright blue and red costumes line up in front of a school mural outside of a brick building.
From Chalkbeat New York Meeting the Moment
Parent coordinators propped up school communities during the pandemic. Many feel undervalued and underpaid.
The role of parent coordinator became more critical and stressful during the pandemic. But salaries for the job, which New York City schools created 20 years ago, have not kept pace.
By Amy Zimmer
 
At least three police officers in uniform stand in a parking lot talking to two others. A white car is in the foreground.
School safety School safety
Denver schools are bringing back police. Other places in the U.S. already have.
“It makes sense that communities are really struggling following incidents like this — they are traumatic and scary,” said one advocate from a nonprofit that has called for the removal of police.
By Kalyn Belsha
 
The facade of Chicago Public Schools headquarters, with the district’s sign hanging on the wall behind windows with green silhouettes of students.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Meeting the Moment
Chicago district leaders brace for leaner times but vow to spend more on pandemic recovery
Chicago schools’ budget strategy is to lobby for more state dollars, officials said.
By Mila Koumpilova
 
An educator works with a young student at a table as he writes in his notebook. Other students walk around the classroom behind them.
Meeting the Moment Meeting the Moment
Tutoring isn’t reaching most students. Here’s how to vastly expand it.
Train paraprofessionals and parents, carve out class time, and be wary of virtual programs.
By Patrick Wall
 
A group of children ski across a snowy landscape.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Gun Violence and Schools
Social emotional learning hits the slopes after hoax swatting threats put students on edge
On three Wednesdays in a row, hoax swatting threats kept these Aspen students in their classrooms. On the fourth Wednesday, teachers called a ski day.
By Eleanor Bennett
 
A woman in round black glasses stands in front of a clear door.
From Chalkbeat New York Meeting the Moment
‘One crisis after another’: NYC teachers reflect on pandemic’s mental health toll 3 years in
The growing crisis has been clear for years to Tina Puccio, who runs the member assistance program at the United Federation of Teachers, which provides short-term counseling to educators.
By Michael Elsen-Rooney
 
A teenage girl sits in a doorframe, silhouetted by light coming in through the door into a dark hallway behind her.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Meeting the Moment
This Colorado school district is piloting a program to help elementary students who are grieving
Cherry Creek schools is funding a pilot program with nonprofit Judi’s House to create the curriculum.
By Yesenia Robles
 
A young teenage girl with dreadlocks appears to be asking a question as she works on an assignment at a table with other students. We see her face clearly, while the other students have their backs to us and are slightly blurry.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Teaching & Classroom
Math scores dropped during the pandemic. Here’s Colorado’s plan to turn things around.
Colorado lawmakers hope after-school tutoring can reach 50,000 students. They’re also calling for better teacher training and resources to help parents help their kids.
By Erica Meltzer
 
Students walk apart in a high school hallway.
Meeting the Moment Meeting the Moment
More anxiety, less engagement: Educators say pandemic impact on student behavior remains concerning
“The temperature has come down a little bit. But even if the outbursts aren’t quite as big as they were last year, they’re still there.”
By Julian Shen-Berro
 
A large group of students sit in an auditorium together. Most of the students are sitting in beige chairs with blue face masks on turning to speak to each other.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Meeting the Moment
Chicago sees gains — and ongoing challenges — with student attendance and behavior
The district is counting on an after-school program expansion, earlier interventions and other measures.
By Mila Koumpilova
 
A teacher points to a piece of pink construction paper that has a stick figure drawing and the word “uncomfortable” on it. The teacher is sitting on the rug. Only her feet and hands are visible.
From Chalkbeat New York Meeting the Moment
Telehealth, suicide prevention, social media guardrails: NYC shares sweeping youth mental health plan
The needs are high as data shows worsening mental health among young people, including more students reporting thoughts of suicide.
By Reema Amin and Amy Zimmer
 
An overhead view of the NY Assembly room with red carpets and rows of yellow chairs
From Chalkbeat New York Meeting the Moment
New York bill seeks to license school psychologists to practice outside classrooms
The bill currently awaiting a hearing in the state assembly would grant school psychologists licenses to offer a limited range of education-related services outside school.
By Michael Elsen-Rooney
 
Two male students with masks on are sitting down in a large room typing on laptop computers.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Meeting the Moment
Chicago spent big on summer school in 2022. But tracking participation proved difficult.
Tracking enrollment and attendance in a decentralized system remains a challenge.
By Mila Koumpilova
 
A teacher in the far right of the image holds up four fingers for a young boy who concentrates on counting them. To the left, a girl works on a project at the same table.
From Chalkbeat Colorado School Enrollment
Missing from the data: Analysis points to 9,000 unaccounted-for school-age children in Colorado
States like Colorado where kindergarten is voluntary account for a larger share of children missing from the data, a new analysis finds.
By Erica Meltzer
 
A woman with a red coat has her arm around a girl outside a schoolyard.
School Enrollment School Enrollment
COVID exodus: Where did 1 million public school students go? New data sheds some light.
Many students moved or started homeschooling during the pandemic, but others might not have gone to school.
By Patrick Wall
 
Students and parents line up on the first day of classes.
From Chalkbeat New York School Enrollment
NYC schools want to boost enrollment. It might prove a major challenge.
Students could have fallen off school rosters for being homeschooled without registering with the state or skipping kindergarten. Others might have disengaged during remote learning or amid mental health struggles.
By Amy Zimmer
 
A high school student walks down a dark hallway in a public high school, silhouetted by daylight spilling in and reflecting off of the floor and lockers.
First Person First Person
The other thing locked classroom doors keep out
My school’s attempt to keep students safe has changed our school culture in unfortunate ways.
By Jamey Melcher
 
A woman in a beige shirt sits across from young man in a sweater while holding a pen and notepad.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Chalkbeat En Español
Terapia para estudiantes: las escuelas de Colorado están ayudando con apoyo a la salud mental
El estado y algunos distritos escolares han puesto en marcha programas para facilitar que los estudiantes busquen terapia para sus problemas de salud mental.
By Ann Schimke
 
School administrators speak with a family on the first day of school as other parents walk by them outside a brick school building.
From Chalkbeat New York Meeting the Moment
Tell us: How has your relationship to school changed since the pandemic started?
Chalkbeat wants to hear from you. How has your relationship with your school community changed since the roller coaster ride of campus closures and openings?
By Amy Zimmer and Caroline Bauman
 
A woman in a beige shirt sits across from young man in a sweater while holding a pen and notepad.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Meeting the Moment
Colorado experts declared a youth mental health emergency. Here’s what happened next.
Aurora and Cherry Creek are two districts that offer free therapy sessions to students.
By Ann Schimke
 
A crowd of students gathers outside a gray concrete high school building.
From Chalkbeat New York COVID and Schools
After COVID paused Regents exams, graduation rates for NYC’s English language learners surged
Data obtained by Chalkbeat suggests that the temporary policy change — first canceling the English Regents and then not requiring a passing score to graduate — made it easier for English language learners to earn their diplomas.
By Reema Amin
 
Dr. Alex Marrero, wearing glasses and a blue checkered suit jacket, makes a speech outdoors at a wooden podium.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Gun Violence and Schools
As more guns are found in Denver schools, Superintendent Alex Marrero says it’s his top concern
‘This is, pardon the pun, a ticking time bomb,’ Marrero said.
By Melanie Asmar
 
Two adult women sit at a long table inside a school classroom.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Mental Health in Schools
Meet the Helpers: How a bilingual school counselor in Adams 14 helps students and families
As more schools focus on student mental health, Chalkbeat examines how these roles are designed to help.
By Yesenia Robles
 
A child wearing a backpack walks toward a school building. Other children and parents can be seen behind him.
Meeting the Moment Meeting the Moment
In 2023, what will be the biggest education issue in your school community?
Help inform our reporting this year.
By Caroline Bauman
 
A marijuana plant is dark in the foreground in a store window while in the background people walk on the sidewalk outside.
From Chalkbeat New York Meeting the Moment
Marijuana use in NYC schools is on the rise, especially among younger kids, educators say
Some New York City educators are seeing an uptick in student marijuana use that is spilling into the school day, and it’s starting at a younger age. Schools are scrambling to respond, especially when mental health issues are connected.
By Michael Elsen-Rooney
 
An image of some graphic rendering code
Year in Review Year in Review
13 education data stories that explained U.S. schools in 2022
Chalkbeat’s data team looks back at an eventful 12 months covering education across America.
By Thomas Wilburn
 
A teacher works with students behind bookcases in a classroom, as a young girl sits on the floor in the foreground.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Meeting the Moment
How MSCS is trying to get pre-K programs — and preschoolers — back on track after COVID
The bigger objective of improving pre-K: Containing the pandemic’s long-term impact on children and their education in Tennessee’s largest school district.
By Samantha West
 
Students walk through the hall at Adams City High School Monday, Feb. 4, 2019 in Commerce City.
First Person First Person
As school gets back to normal, things are better — and worse
COVID restrictions are mostly gone, but apathy and anxiety have taken their place.
By Brandon McCoy
 
A social worker’s office with various signs that read “everyone is welcome here” and “it’s okay not to be ok” and “Miss Mary’s Rules: no bad vibes; hands to yourself; stay calm, we’ll work it out; we lift others up, we don’t bring them down.”
From Chalkbeat Chicago Meeting the Moment
What it’s like to be a social worker during COVID at a West Side school in Chicago
School social worker Mary Difino wears many hats to meet persistent behavioral concerns and support students’ needs as Chicago recovers from COVID-related disruptions.
By Mauricio Peña
 
A young woman with long dark hair sits in a crowded college classroom. She looks toward the front of the room. She has a large orange-pink drink on her desk. She’s surrounded by other students.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Meeting the Moment
How one Colorado college hopes to give freshmen skills they missed throughout the pandemic
The University of Northern Colorado believes person-to-person connections are crucial.
By Jason Gonzales
 
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