Become a Chalkbeat sponsor

Get Involved with Chalkbeat


How you can participate in Chalkbeat’s journalism. We’re always listening at tips@chalkbeat.org.

First-person education stories

Stories made possible by Chalkbeat readers

The Education Department threatened the federal funding of states that wouldn’t comply with the administration’s anti-DEI interpretation of civil rights law. With that demand paused, states are suing to end it entirely.

A presentation used to brief school board members and obtained by Chalkbeat outlined potential cuts, many of which include staff and programs supported by federal COVID relief money. District officials and school board members look to lobby City Hall and Illinois lawmakers for funding.

Republicans have proposed school safety reforms and more public school access for home-schooling students. Democratic proposals include restrictions on school building closures.

New and existing charter schools will go before authorizers to ask for new campuses in the city, mergers, and more. Some schools won’t open until the fall, but public meetings are getting underway.

The Trump administration has sought to exert greater federal control over higher education. Researchers visiting Denver rallied at the Capitol against the president’s actions.

Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti is urging the district community to reach out to lawmakers to express their concerns about potential education funding cuts.

Charter schools scored key funding wins in a legislative session that advocates say was monumental for charters. But traditional public schools are projected to lose millions.

The Education Department is using an emergency contract to buy 15 X-ray machines, circumventing the regular purchasing process.

Multiple parents reported problems with the election site Friday morning, including parents appearing on ballots for seats for which they are not running.

Lawmakers approved a cellphone ban and new turnaround model for public schools, but a bill targeting undocumented students failed.

The Indianapolis Local Education Alliance must submit a plan for sharing transportation and facilities between IPS and charter schools by the end of the year.

Funding for schools increases around 2% each year, with additional dollars in 2026 earmarked for an expansion of the school voucher program.

In addition to striking down the elective course requirement, Indiana lawmakers passed bills related to math instruction, sex ed, and partisan affiliations in school board races.

The school board’s vote seals the contract with the teachers union. The final deal includes limits on class sizes and more preparation time for elementary school teachers.

The school board has delayed its charter renewal votes for two months, leaving many charter families and educators wondering about the future of their schools.

The committee is mandated by state law, which was amended at the same time lawmakers drew electoral districts for Chicago’s first school board elections.