Kalyn Belsha

NEW: Schools are likely to lose mental health staff & colleges may shut down training programs after the Trump administration stopped funding many federal grants. Colorado, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, & Teachers College (which was helping NYC) all lost their $ chalkbeat.org/2025/05/02/tru…

NEW: Among the education research projects abruptly terminated by DOGE was a program helping 1,100 teens & young adults w/ disabilities plan for life after high school. "It’s just heartbreaking. I feel like this wasn’t well thought out," one parent said. chalkbeat.org/2025/02/26/tru…

W/ a Supreme Court ruling that's likely to encourage more parents to opt their kids out of lessons for religious reasons, @thenorahtorious has a fascinating look at the debates playing out in Texas, where some schools are adopting Bible-infused curriculum chalkbeat.org/2025/07/17/tex…

UPDATED: A new Trump administration rule will deny undocumented children from enrolling in Head Start programs. The change is major departure from longstanding policy & could have ripple effects on K-12 schools — w/ @thenorahtorious chalkbeat.org/2025/07/10/no-…

NEW: How Trump's "big, beautiful" bill will affect children & schools. House just passed the bill (with all Dem's and 2 Republicans voting no) & Trump is set to sign: chalkbeat.org/2025/07/03/how…

Schools at the epicenter of Trump’s deportation campaign in Los Angeles are bracing for an uncertain summer as they work to counteract the fear rippling through their communities. Great story on LAUSD's response to ICE raids by @kalynbelsha ✏️ chalkbeat.org/2025/06/18/los…

A @NSF-funded program to support drone curriculum for rural middle schools was defunded. In New Hampshire, a teacher known as “drone lady” saw kids enjoy the lessons and getting a #STEM confidence before the program was grounded, reports @kalynbelsha. tinyurl.com/3kh8e3cy

Curious about how all the changes happening at the U.S. Department of Education could affect you & your school? Please join me & this great panel @SEL4theculture @DrDMcKesey @CenterBlackEd to talk about what this moment means for equity, access & public ed us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regist…

NEW: The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Tues in a case that could determine whether parents nationwide have the right to opt their kids out of content at school on religious grounds. At issue are a set of picture books featuring LGBTQ characters chalkbeat.org/2025/04/18/sup…

After 2 mos of confusion, @EDSecMcMahon just issued a press release confirming that the 2026 @NAEP_NCES is on schedule and she called the exam "critical" tool for assessing student preparedness. However, I am told that severe cuts to the assessment operation still loom. (1/4)

NEW: Today the Trump admin said it's taking Maine to court over its policy allowing trans girls to compete on girls' sports teams & will seek to take Maine's K-12 federal $. We took a deep look at how this case could affect trans kids & schools nationwide chalkbeat.org/2025/04/12/tru…

NEW: After the mass layoffs at the Education Department, it appears just 1 person is left from the Office of English Language Acquisition. Advocates & educators worry this will open the door to misspending of the $890M in fed $ for kids learning English. chalkbeat.org/2025/03/21/tru…

NEW: This morning Trump said he wanted to move services for students with disabilities out of the Education Department and to Health and Human Services. Many experts say he can't do that without an act of Congress. Here's what we know — w/ @meltzere chalkbeat.org/2025/03/22/tru…

NEW: Trump has finally signed the long-awaited executive order asking Linda McMahon to take steps to close the Education Department. Here's what we know so far — via @meltzere @AndrewUjifusa & me chalkbeat.org/2025/03/20/tru…

The Senate HELP committee just advanced Linda McMahon's nomination as ed sec to the full Senate. 12 yes, 11 no on party lines. We had to wait awhile to see how Murkowski voted, but she voted yes, as did Collins. Both raised a few concerns during hearing.

NEW: In her confirmation hearing, Linda McMahon stood firmly behind President Trump's calls to gut the Department of Education. But she appeared open to reversing some DOGE cuts — and still wants to lead the agency chalkbeat.org/2025/02/13/lin…

McMahon's investments in municipal bonds funding school construction projects include the following in Illinois: Joliet Junior College, Franklin Park School District, River Trails School District, and Waukegan Community Unit School District 60.

NEW: Linda McMahon has said she will divest from dozens of municipal bonds funding school construction projects across the US if confirmed as Education Secretary. She's likely earning $900K+ a year in interest payments from public education-related bonds. chalkbeat.org/2025/02/12/edu…

NEW: Last year, The Heritage Foundation called on states to pass laws that could prompt a challenge to Plyler v Doe, which guarantees the right to a public education regardless of immigration status. Now lawmakers in at least 5 states are doing just that. chalkbeat.org/2025/02/08/rep…

NEW: Trump reportedly wants to withhold federal $ from K-12 schools teaching "critical race theory" and "radical gender ideology." Here's what that could look like — and why it may not be possible chalkbeat.org/2025/01/29/tru…