Author: Kalyn Belsha

Sign up for Chalkbeat’s free weekly newsletter to keep up with how education is changing across the U.S.Republican lawmakers in at least five states are seeking to block undocumented children from attending public school for free or to inquire about students’ immigration status in ways that courts have held violate children’s educational rights.The rationale often centers around cost: Proponents say states and local school districts are spending too much to educate undocumented immigrants and that their parents should bear the financial responsibility for their education. Having data about how many undocumented children attend public school, and where, is necessary to…

Sign up for Chalkbeat’s free weekly newsletter to keep up with how education is changing across the U.S.When schools were handed an unprecedented $129 billion in federal pandemic aid, it wasn’t surprising that COVID-related equipment topped the shopping list as schools rushed to snap up hotspots, laptops, desk dividers, and air filters.But another widespread pattern is emerging as federal officials tally up the spending: Many districts also used their one-time funding to take care of longstanding needs, like replacing aging infrastructure and outdated textbooks, that schools previously wanted to tackle but could not afford to do so.Around 1 in 3…