Many Democratic governors have been waiting to see the rules before opting into a major federal school choice expansion. Will they like what they see?
Matt Barnum
Chalkbeat
To the extent "Gen Z" thinks this — and such broad generalizations are often dubious — it partially reflects a relentless and misleading media narrative that in recent years has ignored the actual data here.
New- A striking and unexplained disparity has emerged across a number of tests in different grades and subjects.
Relative to boys, girls' scores have generally fallen faster and been slower to recover, if they're recovered at all. This is a big deal!
www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/11/g...
I was surprised Sand was not familiar with the federal tax credit scholarship program!
bsky.app/profile/evie...
New: State takeovers of local school systems are growing, but do they work to improve learning?
Also in this roundup: growth vs. proficiency, why school enrollment is plummeting in Mississippi, a surprising defender of federal school spending, and more.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/school-tak...
Some good news and bad news in this latest NAEP data. Nine-year-olds' scores are up, but 13-year-olds are flat after a decade of decline. Via @lilyalta.bsky.social. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/10/n...
There seems to be a bit of confusion about this, but the federal tax credit scholarship program has *always* explicitly allowed the funding to go towards public school students.
www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/u...
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Will artificial intelligence reduce demand for formal education?
I take a look at the historical interplay between technology, the economy and education and how that helps us understand what might come next.
www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/04/g...
Today's must read: A great back-and-forth between Rick Hess & @mattbarnum.bsky.social on what education reporting gets right, and wrong, today edweek.org/education/op... #EWA26 @edweek.org @chalkbeat.org
Matt Barnum
From state takeovers to school ratings, this month’s Chalkbeat Ideas roundup looks at the evidence behind big education debates.
Schools have long raced to prepare students for jobs shaped by technology. AI may change the rules by reaching into work once reserved for the well-educated.
New: The conventional narrative is that Dems need to embrace school choice, even vouchers, to win on education.
In his run for Iowa governor, @robsandia.bsky.social is taking a very different approach. I spoke to him about his educational views and vision.
www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/02/r...
Rob Sand is borrowing Republican language about waste and oversight to attack Iowa’s ESA program — and making vouchers central to his campaign for governor.
