Author Archive

Kalyn Belsha

Management

Remote learning hurt high school grad rates. Ditching exit exams helped, new research finds

Even students who were in elementary school when COVID struck might need extra support to graduate high school, the authors of a new study said.

  • By Kalyn Belsha, Chalkbeat
Management

14 states pledge to cut chronic absenteeism rates by half over 5 years

In a sign of how far and wide the nation’s chronic absenteeism crisis spans, the states are located across the U.S. and are led by a mix of Republican and Democratic governors.

  • By Kalyn Belsha, Chalkbeat
Management

LGBTQ students wonder what’s next as conservative states seek to block new Title IX rules

Days after the new Title IX rules protecting LGBTQ youth from discrimination at school were published, top officials in 15 states announced they were suing to block the rules from going into effect.

  • By Erica Meltzer and Kalyn Belsha, Chalkbeat
Finance

Half of new state spending on preschool was backed by COVID aid last year, new report finds

That money helped improve access — preschool enrollment was up in nearly every state — but it also raises real questions about whether states will be able to sustain their investments after that federal funding runs out this fall.

  • By Kalyn Belsha, Chalkbeat