Anne O'Brien

‘It’s absolutely heartbreaking to me’: Vermont tries to navigate school mergers Research on whether merging school districts saves money or helps students is mixed.

Research on whether merging school districts saves money or helps students is mixed.

To help homeless students graduate, New Mexico tries paying them The state is launching a three-year pilot program offering $500 a month to homeless students who maintain high attendance and fulfill other requirements.

To help homeless students graduate, New Mexico tries paying them www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...

Alaska owns dozens of crumbling schools. It wants underfunded districts to take them on Rural school district superintendents are trying to find the best use of limited resources. Taking on the state's unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.

Alaska owns dozens of crumbling schools. It wants underfunded districts to take them on www.npr.org/2025/11/17/g...

The shutdown is hurting schools whose budgets are mostly federal money The government shutdown has cut off funds for some school systems that rely on federal money for the bulk of their budgets

ICYMI: The shutdown is hurting schools whose budgets are mostly federal money www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202... #ImpactAid

When Impact Aid stops, schools feel it immediately.
Shutdown-related payment delays are pushing districts nationwide to freeze hiring, cut spending, and delay essential repairs...and students are students caught in the middle. #ImpactAid #EdFunding

The shutdown is hurting schools whose budgets are mostly federal money The government shutdown has cut off funds for some school systems that rely on federal money for the bulk of their budgets.

The shutdown is hurting schools whose budgets are mostly federal money, with delayed Impact Aid payments forcing tough choices across the country apnews.com/article/gove... #ImpactAid #EdFunding

Idaho schools on Native American reservations face funding lapse from federal shutdown Schools on nontaxable federal land, like Native American reservations, rely on a federal program now threatened by the government shutdown.

Idaho schools on Native American reservations face funding lapse from federal shutdown - #ImpactAid payments are delayed. Shutdowns have real consequences for schools and districts www.idahoednews.org/news/idaho-s...

Tribal schools lose federal Impact Aid amid government shutdown | Arizona Capitol Times Government shutdown halts Impact Aid payments, affecting Arizona school districts on tribal lands. Funding used for teacher salaries and programs.

#ImpactAid is paused due to the government shutdown, leaving schools on/near federal land (tribal, military, national parks, etc.) without key funding. Some AZ districts depend on it for 50% of their budget - and are already making tough choices to keep operating
azcapitoltimes.com/news/2025/10...

Education Department Layoffs Would Affect Dozens of Programs. See Which Ones Entire teams that work on key funding streams may not return to work even when the shutdown ends.

New: More than $50 billion (yes, with a b) for education is in jeopardy if the Education Department eventually proceeds with the layoffs it implemented last Friday. A federal judge put them on hold as of Wednesday.

Here's a list of the affected funding streams: www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

Lots of questions about how the government shutdown will affect K-12 schools — here’s a look at the Wisconsin context (including insights from yours truly!) www.jsonline.com/story/news/e...

Great interview on how #ImpactAid supports a school district on the Navajo Nation, along with other military-connected, Indian lands, and federal property districts across the country.

What Americans Really Think of Public Schools Americans continue to give a higher grade to their local schools than to the nation's education system as a whole, a new poll finds.

Takeaways from the latest PDK poll on American's attitudes toward public education:

- Most Americans think teachers should be paid more
- A majority oppose shutting down the US Dept. of Ed
- Parents are growing more open to private school choice programs

www.edweek.org/leadership/w...

3 risk factors making states vulnerable to federal funding cuts The fiscal uncertainty is due to states' reliance on federal money and their proportions of high-need districts and students living in poverty, ERS says.

3 risk factors making states vulnerable to federal funding cuts #EdTech
#edusky #TLSky #teachers #education #educators

Education Dept. Lifts Freeze on Remaining Federal Funds Advocates say they want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Education Dept. Lifts Freeze on Remaining Federal Funds www.the74million.org/article/educ...

The Ed. Dept. Wants to Steer Grant Money to AI. What That Means for Schools The Education Department is proposing to make advancing AI in education one of its grantmaking priorities.

The proposed supplementary grantmaking priority would “promote the appropriate integration of AI into education," as well as provide training for educators, and foster early exposure to AI concepts and technology to develop an AI-ready workforce. #EdTech #EduSky #AI

AASA Survey: The Impact of the FY25 Funding Freeze on Students Across America AASA survey results from 628 superintendents across 43 states reveal the real-world impact of the FY25 federal funding freeze.

New survey from @aasa.org: 85% of respondents said they have existing contracts paid with federal funds that are currently being withheld, and now have to cover those costs with local dollars. Read what respondents shared will be cut to cover this forced cost shift. www.aasa.org/news-media/n...

Want to know how the pandemic has reshaped school enrollment patterns in Massachusetts and nationwide?

Here's Education Next's quick and accessible version of our recent working paper:

www.educationnext.org/school-enrol...

@abbyfrancis.bsky.social @educationnext.bsky.social

CNN This Morning Weekend - CTM-SASHA PUDELSKI 7/13 Powered by SnapStream Cloud Sharing

Wondering about the impacts of the FY25 funding freeze on public schools? @spudelski.bsky.social offers an overview on CNN video.snapstream.net/Play/1wP61Wk... #edfunding

Supreme Court Clears the Way for Trump’s Cuts to the Education Department

Supreme Court Clears the Way for Trump’s Cuts to the Education Department www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/u...

American Kids' Health Has Been Declining, Study Finds Researchers point to a need to 'address underlying systemic factors'

American Kids' Health Has Been Declining, Study Finds www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/g...

Head Start will no longer enroll undocumented children, Trump administration says 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 practic...

UPDATED: A new Trump administration rule will deny undocumented children from enrolling in Head Start programs. The change represents one of the most direct & far-reaching attempts to target immigrant children & could have ripple effects on K-12 schools www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/10/n...

See How Much Federal Money Trump Is Holding Back From Your District Hundreds of districts will lose more than $1 million each, according to a new analysis.

Yesterday, I shared my @educationwork.newamerica.org team's district impact analysis of the $6+ billion that the Trump admin is refusing to disburse to schools (link in 2nd post). Now, @edweek.org has published our funding figures for ALL districts in the US for which we have data. Search for yours↓

A District-by-District Accounting of the $6.2 billion U.S. Department of Education Has Held Back from Schools The Education Department is refusing to release billions of dollars for public schools. See the impact by school system and congressional district.

Last week, instead of sending school districts the $6+ billion which they are owed by law, USED told states it would hold back the money pending a review. This is hugely harmful to schools getting ready for the school year--but not everyone is hit equally. 1/ www.newamerica.org/education-po...

States in ‘triage mode’ over $6B in withheld K-12 funding • Ohio Capital Journal The U.S. Department of Education’s decision this week to hold back $6.8 billion in federal K-12 funds next year has triggered alarm among state education officials, school leaders and advocacy groups…

The Trump administration's decision to hold back $6.8 billion in federal K-12 funds next year has triggered alarm among state education officials and school leaders over how the lack of funds will affect their after-school programs. ohiocapitaljournal.com/briefs/state...

Schools and States Scramble as Trump Freezes $6.8 Billion in Federal Funds After-school programs, English-learner services, migrant education programs, and professional development are all at risk.

The latest on Trump’s education funding freeze: Some programs are starting to shut down, districts are rejiggering budgets, and everyone is scrambling to make sense of the chaos.

More on $6.8 billion withheld from K-12 schools: www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

See How Much School Funding Trump Is Holding Back From Your State The administration is holding back nearly $7 billion for English learners, after-school programs, professional development, and more.

The Trump administration withheld nearly $7 billion from K-12 education today.

Here's how much money was supposed to go each state, for each affected program: www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

Trump May Soon Defy Congress and Cut $5 Billion More From Schools Funding for migrant education, English-learner services, professional development, and after-school programming is at risk.

All this sounds terrible for students, their families, and schools --------Trump May Soon Defy Congress and Cut $5 Billion More From Schools www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

A 'Tsunami' of Uncertainty Is Crashing Into Federal Funding for Schools The Trump administration has cut grants, terminated contracts, delayed funding estimates, and cut off communications to districts.

Federal funding for schools has been in disarray all year. It's only getting worse.

My latest reporting for @edweek.bsky.social:
www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

Online Rumors Can Tear School Communities Apart. How Leaders Are Fighting Back AI, cellphones, and social media have complicated districts' communication strategies and have made fact-checking a crucial strategy.

An increasingly needed skill for school district leaders: Crisis PR www.edweek.org/leadership/o...

Education Department reinstates some research and data activities Trump administration lawyers admit some DOGE cuts violated congressional statutes

Education Department reinstates some research and data activities