Kalyn Belsha
@kalynbelsha
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Senior reporter covering national education news @Chalkbeat. Former @FellowsSpencer. Hablo español. Tips? 📩 [email protected]
Chicago, IL
Joined February 2009
RT @thenorahtorious: Had the chance to go on @hereandnow this morning to chat about how a recent Supreme Court could complicate the roll ou….
wbur.org
A recent Supreme Court ruling allowing parents to opt their children out of lessons including LGBTQ+ themes could give new standing to parents who object to the Texas state curriculum.
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NEW: The Trump administration is putting $14M toward teacher training in civics & history timed w/ the 250th anniversary of the Declaration's signing. Many see an opportunity to help teachers & students — but the $ is coming from canceled Biden-era grants
chalkbeat.org
The Trump administration is spending $14 million on teacher training in connection with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The money was pulled from a Biden-era...
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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
A recent Supreme Court ruling supports parents’ religious right to opt their child out of LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum. That decision could add momentum to some parents’ concerns about a Texas reading...
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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
A rule change treats the federally funded preschool program like a welfare program and bars undocumented children from enrolling. Head Start providers condemned the departure from longstanding...
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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
The legislation backed by Trump and passed by Republicans in Congress could significantly restrict how much help schools get from Medicaid, and how many children receive free school meals. It also...
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RT @jessiereport: Schools at the epicenter of Trump’s deportation campaign in Los Angeles are bracing for an uncertain summer as they work….
chalkbeat.org
In the wake of heightened immigration enforcement across the U.S., advocates for immigrant children say schools can use the summer to stay in regular communication with families and make updates to...
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RT @RuralED: A @NSF-funded program to support drone curriculum for rural middle schools was defunded. In New Hampshire, a teacher known as….
chalkbeat.org
Researchers and educators worry the sweeping cuts to education research at the National Science Foundation will limit opportunities for girls and students of color to pursue STEM careers.
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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
The Trump administration told many school districts, states, and colleges that they would no longer receive grant funding to hire or train mental health staff for schools. Proponents of the program...
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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
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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
When devout Muslim parents heard their son would be reading a story in school about a knight and a prince who fall in love, they asked to opt him out. The resulting Supreme Court case could impact...
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RT @jillbarshay: After 2 mos of confusion, @EDSecMcMahon just issued a press release confirming that the 2026 @NAEP_NCES is on schedule and….
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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
After a trans athlete in Maine won a state title, the Trump administration launched investigations and moved to withhold the state’s K-12 funding. Will the president’s strategy pressure others to...
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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
The Trump Education Department says changes to the Office for English Language Acquisition will not affect funding or federal programs for students. But experts and others worry that the quality of...
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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
President Trump said he would move oversight of services for students with disabilities to Health and Human Services. Advocates worry the agency doesn’t have the staff or expertise to handle the...
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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
President Donald Trump said closing the Education Department would help students and save money. Legally, only Congress can close the department. But the Trump administration recently cut the...
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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
A federally funded research program helped students with disabilities prepare for life after high school. DOGE’s sweeping Education Department cuts brought this and dozens of other studies to an...
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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.
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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
Linda McMahon said at her confirmation hearing that an Education Department overhaul won’t hurt school funding. One Democratic senator wondered if the committee was being subject to an “elegant...
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RT @beckyvevea: McMahon's investments in municipal bonds funding school construction projects include the following in Illinois: Joliet Jun….
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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
President Trump’s pick to head the Education Department holds dozens of municipal bonds funding public school construction and other projects across the U.S. It’s likely she earns at least $900,000 a...
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