Andrew Ujifusa

‘Macho B.S.’ or worthwhile activity? P.E. teachers discuss the Presidential Fitness Test. Did you huff and puff through the mile, or astound your classmates with your pullup prowess? Your answers probably have a lot to do with how you feel about the Presidential Fitness Test, which Preside...

"It’s not like failing a math test, where you’re sitting there helplessly and just don’t know what to do. This test is the opposite. You know exactly what to do, and your body is showing you why you may not be able to run as fast as you’d like to." www.chalkbeat.org/2025/08/08/p...

Backstage or first chair: Music programs aim to give students flexible career options To keep up with a growing emphasis on workforce development, music education programs are helping students explore the industry and improve their broader career skills. But federal funding cuts make t...

“Not everybody’s going to be Beyonce.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/08/07/m...

“A school is successful if the community asks for it.” www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2025...

"Some organizations argue a progressive income tax is needed to generate more state revenue for schools and other public goods. But voters rejected the idea in 2020 in a 55% to 45% referendum vote." www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...

Annie and Lakeesha struggle in school. AI teacher assistants treated them very differently. A Common Sense Media study found that prominent teacher assistants that use AI generated recommendations that appeared to be rooted in racial stereotypes based on students’ names. About a third of tea...

"The AI-generated plans for the students with Black-coded names didn’t all appear negative in isolation. But clear differences emerged when those plans from MagicSchool and Gemini were compared with plans for students with white-coded names." www.chalkbeat.org/2025/08/06/a...

NYC officials embraced a special education court order. Then they didn’t follow it. Nearly two years after NYC officials embraced a series of special education reforms mandated by a federal judge, the city has not followed through on most of them.

"The delays mean children may go without the transportation, physical therapy, counseling, and tutoring services they’re entitled to — or their parents may be forced to pay out of their own pocket" via @alexzimmerman.bsky.social
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

Public school choice advocates launch action fund aimed at Tennessee, other Southern states Former Georgia state lawmaker Alisha Thomas Searcy said "both the threats to undermine public education and the opportunities to strengthen it are greatest" in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas. ...

"The Center for Strong Public Schools Action fund will back center-left candidates in Georgia, Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee." www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/20...

NYC specialized high school admission offers dip for Black and Latino students Last year, 10 Black students received offers to Stuyvesent High School. This year, 8 did.

"Just 3% of offers at eight of the city’s specialized schools went to Black students, down from 4.5% last school year ... Meanwhile, 6.9% of offers went to Latino students compared with 7.6% a year ago." www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

Advocates for homeless kids eye block grant proposal nervously: ‘They’ll get overlooked.’ President Trump wants to combine 18 funding streams, including one for homeless students, into a single block grant. But school staff say such a move could lead those kids to get shunted aside by othe...

“Just imagine: If you go to a school that has high poverty, you’ve already been in poverty your whole life, and now you’re also unhoused.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/31/s...

Penny Schwinn is no longer Trump’s nominee to be No. 2 at the Education Department Some hoped Schwinn, a former state schools chief, would lend expertise to Trump’s efforts to give states more power over education. But cultural conservatives in Tennessee opposed her nomination.

“This is a big loss for the country and for the Department of Education. Shame on the Republicans for refusing to show any spine.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/31/p...

The Philly teachers union is preparing to strike as contract negotiations continue Contract negotiations with the school district are moving “more slowly” than union leadership wants, but the district is facing a growing budget deficit and financial uncertainty from the state and fe...

“I’ll be long gone by then. My members need money now.” www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

Memphis residents protested xAI’s arrival. Now the company is funding upgrades for four schools. Memphis school board members approved a donation from Elon Musk’s company Tuesday that could reduce growing building maintenance costs. But it brings the district into ongoing local pushback against x...

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI is promising to repair and renovate four Memphis-Shelby County schools: www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/20...

Trump is taking history and civics in a new direction — with a Biden program’s money 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 g...

When people bring up civics, “liberals and conservatives hear different things.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/28/t...

Trump is taking history and civics in a new direction — with a Biden program’s money 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 g...

America’s 250th birthday is approaching. Trump wants this grant to shape how schools teach it. www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/28/t...

‘I didn’t sign up to be exploited’: NYC Teaching Fellows face payment delays This year’s crop of NYC Teaching Fellows have yet to be paid and several said they are struggling to afford rent, groceries, and transportation.

“I didn’t sign up to work for free.” www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

How One District Reimagined Elementary School Caldwell Parish, La., merged three elementary schools in part to bolster racial and socioeconomic diversity.

"'I'll be transparent. I was never around students of color [much] before, and they kind of frightened me,' Smith said. ... Looking back, that reaction doesn’t seem good for anyone—herself or her Black classmates."

How a Louisiana district changed elementary school: www.edweek.org/leadership/h...

Families will notice cost-cutting changes this fall, Chicago Public Schools says The impact of recent budget cuts will include fewer hot meals, likely delays in school repairs, curtailed crossing guard programs, and more.

"Chicago Public Schools students may see fewer hot school meals, delays in updating technology, fewer crossing guards, and other changes at their campuses this coming school year." www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...

Here’s the data Philly is using to pick which schools close — and here’s what’s missing Philly school district officials have promised that their plan to close some schools and modernize others will be informed by data. But some principals and community members say the numbers and inform...

"Despite assigning scores and color codes to different school factors, the district did not explain how these scores and codes could make different outcomes for schools more or less likely." www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...

Memphis leaders say being called ‘dumbasses’ by a state lawmaker is part of a bigger problem Last week, Sen. Brent Taylor called Memphis school board members “dumbasses.” He’s one of the Republican lawmakers pushing for a state-led board to run the local schools.

“We have a high tolerance for ignorance here, but this white suburban Republican legislator is comparing school board members, who are mostly Black women, to jock itch.” www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/20...

States sue over rules barring undocumented immigrants from education, health programs Twenty states filed a lawsuit Monday challenging new Trump administration rules that bar undocumented immigrants from a host of federal programs, including Head Start and career and technical educatio...

"Twenty states and the District of Columbia are suing the Trump administration over new rules that would bar undocumented immigrants and some visa holders from programs." www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/21/s...

Conservatives backed parent opt-outs. Texas’ Bible-infused lessons could flip the script. 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 ...

“You can’t understand the Letter from the Birmingham Jail if you don’t have a biblical understanding.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/17/t...

NYC public schools must use city-approved programs to help struggling readers next year All NYC schools, from elementary to high school, will now have to use city-approved reading programs to help struggling readers.

Beginning next school year, all of the city’s public schools — from elementary to high school — must pick from a list of at least nine city-approved intervention programs designed to help struggling readers: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

Conservatives backed parent opt-outs. Texas’ Bible-infused lessons could flip the script. 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 ...

“We’ve never had instructional materials that have had this much religious content.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/17/t...

Indiana wants its federal education money in a lump sum, with fewer strings attached The idea of block grants has been popular in conservative states under the second Trump administration. Indiana’s plan to gain much more flexibility over federal K-12 funding is similar to proposals from Oklahoma and Iowa.

The idea of block grants has been popular in conservative states under the second Trump administration. Indiana’s plan to gain much more flexibility over federal K-12 funding is similar to proposals from Oklahoma and Iowa.

Meet the teacher who helped turn around her high school with small group math instruction Lauren Brady, a winner of the Math for America’s 2025 Muller Award, has taught at Park East High School for two decades.

"The small group instruction model is really quite simple and works if a few core elements are in place." www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

States sue to restore billions in education funds frozen by the Trump administration The nearly $7 billion approved by Congress was supposed to go to states on July 1 to support English learners, literacy initiatives, after-school programs, and more.

Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia are suing the Trump administration to restore billions in education funding that the federal government abruptly froze. www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/14/s... #edusky

Layoffs hit Chicago schools as leaders work to close $734 million deficit More than 1,450 staff were laid off Friday, but district officials say many will be rehired. However, a Chalkbeat analysis of school budgets posted online Friday indicates school-based staff will shri...

Chicago Public Schools lays off nearly 1,500 staff, including over 430 teachers and 670 special education classroom assistants. www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...

How Trump’s bill will disrupt students’ relationship with the social safety net 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 inc...

6 ways Trump's sweeping tax and domestic policy bill will affect students and schools: www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/03/h...

Despite yielding to Trump, Indiana faces another threat to its federal education funding The decision to withhold federal education funding affects an estimated $107 million for programs in Indiana. Among them are after-school programs serving more than 20,000 children.

"Indiana has already taken steps to verify that the state’s schools do not engage in diversity, equity and inclusion practices in order to preserve federal funding." www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2025...

Trump officials tell California: Erase gender identity from sex ed program or lose funding Health educators have recently made sex ed lessons more gender-inclusive. But as the Trump administration fights states over issues like trans athletes, federal officials are now reviewing sexual heal...

"Some worry it’s a slippery slope from demanding California make these changes to ordering schools to remove gender identity and trans people from any curriculum purchased with federal funds." www.chalkbeat.org/2025/07/01/t...