From our NPR producer in Gaza Anas Baba and @emilyzfeng.bsky.social

High school speech and debate allows students to find common ground In a time when respectful debate seems impossible, high school speech and debate clubs have persevered. Debate team members and sponsors see the activity as even more important in a fracturing society...

At a time of extreme political polarization, high school speech and debate clubs do something risky: encourage students to talk politics and intentionally disagree. Speech and debate enthusiasts see this activity as a solution for our fractured society.
hechingerreport.org/high-school-...

Louisville schools provide career classes ‘for all,’ even students heading to college • Kentucky Lantern Schools are pushing career ed classes "for all," even kids heading to college. Backers say the model engages students, but others worry it comes at a cost.

As backlash to ‘college for all’ spreads, a new model blossoms.

Louisville schools provide career classes ‘for all,’ even students heading to college.

@javerias.bsky.social @hechingerreport.org kentuckylantern.com/2025/04/21/l...

As someone who knows her, Rumesya is an educator. A brilliant one, who only wants to improve children's lives. Her only "crime" seems to be that she co-authored an op-ed in her college newspaper.

The Tufts Daily - Thursday, March 27, 2025 by The Tufts Daily - Issuu

Kudos to the student journalists at The Tufts Daily, who crashed a last-minute issue of the paper to cover the outrageous arrest and detention of Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk:

issuu.com/tuftsdaily/d...

My friend Rumesya Ozturk was detained by ICE yesterday evening on her way to iftaar. This footage is horrifying. Rumesya is one of the kindest, sweetest people you'll ever meet. She is an educator, one who has always been passionate about helping children.

What might happen if the Education Department were closed? - The Hechinger Report The Trump administration has promised big changes, but he can’t make them alone.

JUST UPDATED: The Hechinger Report tried to answer some of the questions raised by the possible dismantling of the department, consulting experts and advocates on student loans, special education, financial aid, school lunch and beyond.

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This Program Wants to Teach College Students How to Hear Differing Opinions "I can tell you don’t agree with me."

Inside the Kentucky program that aims to teach college students how to hear differing opinions.

Read more: www.teenvogue.com/story/bridgi...

School buses provided by McDowell County Schools helped a hurricane-battered medical plant come back to service - The Hechinger Report McDowell County schools, in western North Carolina, helped to blunt the community impact from Hurricane Helene in late September. Following the storm, medical company Baxter International and official...

Lovely story about how schools and their staffs became the center of community recovery efforts in McDowell County after Hurricane Helene by @arielgilreath.bsky.social

hechingerreport.org/school-buses...

Some states have dangerous plans to address the scarcity of child care: removing regulations While some states are investing more in child care, others are loosening child care regulations to cut costs and add spots — in ways that could stress underpaid educators and harm young children.

I've been tracking a quiet wave of child care deregulation efforts for over a year. My new story looks at the consequences of these efforts for underpaid, overworked early educators and America's youngest children at their most pivotal time of brain development:

hechingerreport.org/the-dark-fut...

This Program Wants to Teach College Students How to Hear Differing Opinions "I can tell you don’t agree with me."

While programs like this are gaining traction across the country as college campuses, and our society in general, remain incredibly polarized, they are also under threat in states like KY with an incoming administration that is against DEI initiatives. Co-published in @teenvogue.bsky.social:

Colleges teach kids how to hear differing opinions - The Hechinger Report The Bridging the Gap program in Kentucky, which works to close political, racial and religious divides, seems both more urgent, and under threat, after a divisive presidential election.

Earlier this fall, I spent the weekend in eastern Kentucky talking with students as they learned how to listen, communicate and tell stories in an effort to bridge political, racial and religious divides on college campuses.
hechingerreport.org/i-can-tell-y...

Colleges teach kids how to hear differing opinions - The Hechinger Report The Bridging the Gap program in Kentucky, which works to close political, racial and religious divides, seems both more urgent, and under threat, after a divisive presidential election.

@javerias.bsky.social takes us inside a program where college students try to work through disagreements and learn to listen to those from backgrounds different than their own hechingerreport.org/i-can-tell-y...

Parent involvement in schools ⬆️. 87% of K–12 students from English-speaking families had parents who reported attending a general school meeting in 2019, up from 79% in 1999. 75% Spanish-speaking families attended a school meeting in 2019, up from from 69% in 1999. nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pu...

What might happen if the Education Department were closed? - The Hechinger Report The Trump administration has promised big changes, but he can’t make them alone.

Sen Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) recently filed a bill to abolish the Ed Department. In this story, we tried to show what impact that dissolution might have.

We're looking for more thoughtful question on this topic. Please reach out to me or to editor@hechingerreport.org if you have one!

Trump expected to name Linda McMahon as education secretary, CNN reports U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Linda McMahon as education secretary, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing four sources familiar with the matter.

OK then! Not on my list, I must say

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Despite public perception, and for the first time in decades, college acceptance rates are going up Something dramatic is happening to the college application process, for the first time in decades: It’s becoming easier to get in.

👀 A trend colleges might not want applicants to notice: It’s becoming easier to get in.

Sign up for our Elementary to High School newsletter - The Hechinger Report We take you inside school districts and classrooms around the country to see how K-12 education is changing and how it can be strengthened.

You can sign up here: hechingerreport.org/k12/

Hi everyone! Giving BlueSky a try, excited to see how it goes.

I'm a national education reporter for the @hechingerreport.org, where I write about technology, mental health, math, rural students, and students from marginalized backgrounds. I also co-write a *free* weekly newsletter on K-12 issues.

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