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Lily Altavena

@lilyalta.bsky.social
141 followers 194 following 23 posts

National K-12 education reporter, Chalkbeat

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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Erica Meltzer @ericameltzer.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Graduation rates are up. So is the use of credit recovery @lilyalta.bsky.social reports. Got thoughts? We have a survey at the end of this story and especially want to hear from educators to work in this space. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/09/08/c...
chalkbeat.org
More high schoolers are taking credit recovery post-pandemic. Is it helping them graduate or hurting learning?
Enrollment in credit recovery grew 13% nationwide in the years following the pandemic, according to a Chalkbeat analysis. While the courses keep students on track to graduate, experts warn they may sa...
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Jon Becker @jonbecker.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Is everybody OK at Chalkbeat?
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
Puff puff class
Legal marijuana has some schools offering weed-ing, writing, and 'rithmetic.
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Want to put up a motivational poster in this school district? You'll have to pick from one of 32 pre-approved phrases, or else there's a 4-step process that might include a lawyer's eyes. The reason? It's probably not hard to guess. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/07/08/s... via @lilyalta.bsky.social
chalkbeat.org
The most heated school debate isn't curriculum. It's what's hanging on the wall.
Even a motivational poster could require legal review under one Michigan school district's new policy.
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Matt Barnum @mattbarnum.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
As this Post op-ed acknowledges in the body of the piece, the "rise in [felony] assaults" across all of NYC schools refers to an increase from ... 28 to 34. Not percent, but incidents. That's across some 1,500+ schools. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
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Erica Meltzer @ericameltzer.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
On Tuesday, Randi Weingarten got a Khanmigo demonstration in Newark schools. On Wednesday, she backed tech restrictions for young kids. @lilyalta.bsky.social looks at the balancing act the teachers union leader is doing on tech in the classroom. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/27/a...
chalkbeat.org
After embracing AI for teachers, Randi Weingarten backs restrictions for students
The AFT president is walking a tightrope on AI in education. A year after AFT partnered with OpenAI and Microsoft on teacher training, the union president is now calling for bans on student-facing AI ...
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Local school boards wield so much power in the classroom. A new SCOTUS ruling may have sweeping effects on how those boards are organized... And experts say the ruling may disenfranchise communities of color, @ericameltzer.bsky.social reports:
But the Supreme Court’s April decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which has kicked off a rush of partisan redistricting that threatens Black representation in Congress, could make it harder to demand changes in how school boards are organized going forward.

The impact of that law has been sweeping. More than 320 Voting Rights Act complaints between 1982 and 2024 dealt with school board elections, according to a database created by Chris Seaman, a law professor at Washington and Lee University.

School boards accounted for more than a fifth of all Section 2 voting rights cases during that time period, Seaman found.
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
No better gift to an education reporter when you call a principal and he has two students to interview with you too, just as a coincidence. What happened when a Maine school pushed back its start time from 8AM to 9? A lot, actually. t.co/7rSf7Y8QeW
t.co
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/20/later-school-start-times-could-help-teen-sleep-and-health/
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Cara Jackson @carajackson.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
You should definitely sign up for Chalkbeat's newsletter, because "i-Ready to log off: Education news to get you ready for the long weekend" is a GREAT headline 😂
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Matt Barnum @mattbarnum.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
It's pretty remarkable how quickly i-Ready has become public enemy #1 in the ed-tech backlash. It's also remarkable how quickly their product has spread in schools. The company says one in three (!) students use it bsky.app/profile/lily...
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
ICYMI: One of the biggest villains in the war on ed-tech is i-Ready, parents say. How'd we get here? www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/19/i...
chalkbeat.org
One of the biggest fights in education right now revolves around this school software
If you talk to a parent about technology in the classroom, one brand of software comes up again and again — and the feedback is typically critical.
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
NEW, from me: i-Ready is at the tip of almost every parent's tongue lately amid a backlash to ed tech. But is i-Ready the villain or a stand-in for the larger grievances about the technology served up in classrooms?
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
I love old school buildings... ... But they're old. And crumbling. @carlysitrin.bsky.social in reports on a proposal in Congress to transform America's aging education infrastructure. www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...
chalkbeat.org
Should Congress spend big to rebuild schools? This candidate is campaigning on a $500 billion idea.
The centerpiece of a Pennsylvania lawmaker’s congressional campaign is a $500 billion proposal to fund school construction and maintenance. It’ll be a tough sell.
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
How many books do teachers assign in a school year? New data shows just a handful, on average, and fewer for students in schools with higher poverty levels. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/06/h...
chalkbeat.org
How many books do students read in English class? Here's the average.
Books haven’t vanished from high school English classes. But they’re no longer playing a starring role, a new survey of teachers suggests.
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Duaa Eldeib @deldeib.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
This was a hard story to report. Newborns who don’t get a vitamin K shot are 81 times more likely to develop a condition where they bleed uncontrollably. But more and more families are declining the shot. And babies are dying. www.propublica.org/article/more...
propublica.org
Babies Are Bleeding to Death as Parents Reject a Vitamin Shot Given at Birth
A lifesaving injection given at birth to prevent severe bleeding has become collateral damage of the anti-vaccine movement.
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Erica Meltzer @ericameltzer.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Could you manage a superintendent's overloaded inbox? Dodge rogue calendar invites? An AI-enabled flood of marketing emails are making it that much harder for district leaders to make smart ed tech decisions. @lilyalta.bsky.social reports. projects.chalkbeat.org/2026/ed-tech...
projects.chalkbeat.org
How the AI-enabled race for taxpayer money starts in a superintendent’s inbox
School leaders are battling a flood of ed tech marketing emails while also navigating a broader debate over technology in the classroom.
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Morgan Polikoff @mpolikoff.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
"In total, they shared 90 messages from 79 companies .... The sheer avalanche of options makes the task of finding a quality tool that much harder. The superintendents also said they’ve found the flood of emails takes away their time and attention."
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Matt Barnum @mattbarnum.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Part of a superintendent's job these days is beating back the onslaught of ed-tech pitches. bsky.app/profile/lily...
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Matt Barnum @mattbarnum.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
New: I roundup answers to the following —Did school reform work? —Has Democrats' edge on education waned? —Does simply sending young kids home with books boost reading scores? —Is education research trustworthy? cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/chalkbeat-...
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
Did education reform work? Plus free books, college closures, and Democrats’ education edge
Was school reform a failure, a success, or something more complicated? This Chalkbeat Ideas roundup also looks at research quality, reading gains, and the politics of education.
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
We all get a lot of sales pitches in our email. But school superintendents get *a lot* from ed tech companies. It's reached a fever pitch. Five superintendents shared their ed tech emails from one day. You're not ready for the numbers. projects.chalkbeat.org/2026/ed-tech...
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
look at the ear I achieved on my sourdough and then read my story about school lunch, link in next post
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
look at the ear I achieved on my sourdough and then read my story about school lunch, next post
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Erica Meltzer @ericameltzer.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
The new food pyramid could reshape school lunch guidelines. But as @lilyalta.bsky.social reports, an unlikely coalition is calling on the Trump administration not to put kids on the carnivore diet. What kids actually need, they say, is more fiber. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/04/13/n...
chalkbeat.org
Do kids really need a carnivore diet?
School lunches are expected to align with a new food pyramid that prioritizes meat. But is that really best for kids and their nutrition?
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
"There’s no smoking-gun data showing that ed-tech is at the root of, or even contributing to, recent learning declines. But Horvath’s case should still give schools and educators some pause." - by @mattbarnum.bsky.social www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/17/j...
chalkbeat.org
A viral anti-screen argument is shaking schools. The evidence is more complicated.
A neuroscientist’s warning about ed-tech is spreading fast with parents and lawmakers. But the research is more nuanced and up for debate.
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
ICE detained a Memphis student on his way to a school soccer game. What will happen next is unclear. www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/20...
chalkbeat.org
Memphis student held in ICE detention since arrest en route to school soccer game
The 18-year-old’s lawyer says his case is a direct result of immigration crackdowns by the Memphis Safe Task Force and Trump-era changes to federal policy. He’s been waiting for trial at the West Tenn...
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
ICYMI This is a little bit of a "something old is new again" -- states have been wresting control of school districts for decades. But what we're seeing now is overtly political, and a rash of takeovers after what seemed to be a lull
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
“God, I wish we could get taken over by literally anybody else.” www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/03/n...
chalkbeat.org
Red states are taking control of school districts: Are state takeovers having a moment?
Officials have used poor academic achievement and anti-ICE protests to threaten takeovers of schools. The tactic has a new political tone, particularly in Texas, where the state has announced four sch...
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
New, from me: State takeovers of school districts have long been a political lever to pull -- to some degree. But the latest crop, and the rhetoric around takeovers, signals something bigger is afoot. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/03/n...
chalkbeat.org
Red states are taking control of school districts: Are state takeovers having a moment?
Officials have used poor academic achievement and anti-ICE protests to threaten takeovers of schools. The tactic has a new political tone, particularly in Texas, where the state has announced four sch...
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
"He denied that the district played favorites." www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...
chalkbeat.org
Philadelphia officials just removed these 2 schools from their proposed school closure list
Philly district officials announced they no longer plan to close a middle and a high school. The move follows criticism from City Council members.
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Next to note cards describing how one person’s mother had to report for removal a week after giving birth ... were the words “WE HAVE LEARNED NOTHING” and articles and photos about “Alligator Alcatraz.” www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/19/s... by @ericameltzer.bsky.social
chalkbeat.org
Trump wants historic sites to glorify America. Students help make sure this site tells the truth.
“I think our country is strong enough to understand the history of our nation in its totality, and I think that anything less than that makes us weak,” wrote one Amache visitor.
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Chalkbeat @chalkbeat.org · 19/02/2026
“I think our country is strong enough to understand the history of our nation in its totality, and I think that anything less than that makes us weak,” wrote one Amache visitor.
bit.ly
Trump wants historic sites to glorify America. Students help make sure this site tells the truth.
“I think our country is strong enough to understand the history of our nation in its totality, and I think that anything less than that makes us weak,” wrote one Amache visitor.
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
A common refrain from opponents of anti-ICE protests: Students should be in school, learning. Teachers unions argue that educators want to be in the classroom, but they also believe the pushback they’re seeing is fueled by political ire, not a concern for education. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/18/s...
chalkbeat.org
Will teachers pay the price for student ICE protests amid GOP backlash?
Walking out of school is a tried and true student protest tactic, but recent protests against ICE seem to have struck a nerve. Some Republican leaders want teachers to face consequences.
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Erica Meltzer @ericameltzer.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
It's happening. A school pitching itself as a "public Christian school" has sued Colorado, alleging discrimination. www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...
chalkbeat.org
Colorado’s ‘first public Christian school’ sues state, alleging religious discrimination
Riverstone Academy and the public education cooperative that authorizes the school sued the state Friday, alleging religious discrimination.
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Beth Hawkins @bethhawkins.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
My latest: What's it like to be a teacher in the Twin Cities? Two educators on the very different experience in their classrooms — and the awful realities that are the common thread.
the74million.org
‘Teaching as You’re Feeling’: St. Paul Teachers Share Their Classroom Realities
An elementary and a HS educator on who's in school and who isn't, online learning, the value of friends and routine, kids' fears — and their own.
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Jon Collins @jcollins.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
One reason Minneapolis remains in the world's eye is we have one of the most robust & independent media ecosystems remaining in the country. You all need this...and more! @mprnews.org @startribune.com @sahanjournal.bsky.social @minnesotareformer.com @minnpost.bsky.social @racketmn.com etc.
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
ProPublica @propublica.org · 06/02/2026
The rate of sepsis in Houston surged 63% after Texas banned abortion. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where hospital leaders empowered doctors to intervene before patients’ conditions worsened, it rose 29%. (Published May 2025)
propublica.org
Why Hospital Policies Matter in States That Ban Abortion
Our first-of-its-kind data analysis found that a seismic split emerged in how medical institutions in Texas' two largest metro areas, Houston and Dallas, treated miscarrying patients — and in their ou...
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Kids sent letters to St. Paul Superintendent Stacie Stanley begging her to offer online learning. Her voice shook as she read a letter from an elementary school student: “I don’t feel safe coming to school because of ICE.” apnews.com/article/minn...
apnews.com
In Minnesota, sending a child to school is an act of faith for immigrant families
For many immigrant families in Minnesota, sending a child to school each day requires faith that one of the thousands of federal immigration officers deployed around the state won’t detain them.
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Chalkbeat @chalkbeat.org · 06/02/2026
The proposal would prohibit school staff from cooperating with federal immigration agents, allowing students to be questioned, or sharing information about families’ immigration status unless they are court-ordered to do so.
bit.ly
Denver school board could consider policy to protect students and staff from ICE
The proposal would prohibit school staff from cooperating with federal immigration agents, allowing students to be questioned, or sharing information about families’ immigration status unless they are court-ordered to do so.
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Beth Hawkins @bethhawkins.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
ICE surge news: Minneapolis Public Schools has extended *optional* distance learning until April 6.
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Chalkbeat @chalkbeat.org · 06/02/2026
Some parents and students oppose the Trump administration and took issue with McMahon’s visit. But the principal wondered if they could set their ideological differences aside.
bit.ly
McMahon is on a civics tour. This Chicago private school debated whether to host her.
Some parents and students oppose the Trump administration and took issue with McMahon’s visit. But the principal wondered if they could set their ideological differences aside.
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
In Springfield, Ohio - already at the center of a 2024 controversy where Trump baselessly claimed Haitians ate household pets - immigrants and citizens are worried as it appears ICE is getting closer to schools. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/03/w...
chalkbeat.org
ICE is ‘at the school yard gate.’ Here’s what it means that agents are getting closer.
One legal expert said even up until recently, “it would have been pretty unthinkable” for ICE to come onto school grounds like agents did at Roosevelt High in Minneapolis.
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Hannah Dellinger @hannahdellinger.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Inbox: The Michigan Senate Civil Rights Committee will have a hearing for a proposal to prohibit immigration enforcement at sensitive locations, including schools, on Thursday.
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Reposted by Lily Altavena
Detroit Free Press @freep.com · 14/05/2025
A 1-year-old boy from Ingham County who was believed to have had measles in April actually was not infected with the virus — even though his initial test was positive, the Ingham County Health Department and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services say. tinyurl.com/228v85bd
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Lily Altavena @lilyalta.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
For @freep.com: Wayne County is hiring someone to monitor teens on social media. The county says its looking to squash teen "beefs." Anti-surveillance advocates have questions. www.freep.com/story/news/e...
freep.com
Wayne County hiring specialist to monitor its teens on social media to prevent violence
Wayne County is hiring a "youth intelligence specialist," a new role targeting youth violence by tracking alarming posts on social media.
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