'My final essay, it felt true to myself. But the difference between that and my other essay was the fact that it wasn’t the truth that I necessarily wanted to share.' apnews.com/article/colleg…

What happens when the college essay becomes the only place where race can be considered in admissions? For students of color, it’s become a difficult set of trade offs in how to be true to themselves

from me, Collin Binkley and Noreen Nasir

apnews.com/article/f0c006…

Dan Monson: 'I don't have to answer anything I don't want to because I'm working for free today. Did you see the Seinfeld when George was trying to get fired and couldn't lose his job, still going to work every day? That's me. I'm a Seinfeld episode going on in real life.'

Our team is growing! We're hiring an editor to spearhead and scale our 1:1 collaborations and data collabs (think Missing Students) with local and nonprofit newsrooms. Join us! Hmu with all your questions about fine print! careers.ap.org/job/Newsperson…

Beautiful, and heartbreaking. Sending all my love to my dear friends at The Hechinger Report

Simply the best news!

The final installment of the The Associated Press education team’s remarkable series on the pandemic’s missing students. projects.apnews.com/features/2023/…

Families trying to re-enroll their children in public school sometimes face immense bureaucratic hurdles. chalkbeat.org/2023/12/19/dis… Important story from BiancaVázquezToness The Associated Press

One effect of districts cracking down on families enrolling at the 'wrong' school, per this great BiancaVázquezToness piece, is enrollment paperwork so onerous that they can't enroll at all — in the middle of a chronic absenteeism crisis. projects.apnews.com/features/2023/…

I am hearing more and more school leaders from MD to MI contemplate moving to a 4-day school week. The research is clear that the shorter week is bad for suburban and small town students; they learn less. (1/4)

More kids are skipping kindergarten post pandemic. First virtual learning, then COVID risks & restrictions. Many parents feel their children aren’t ready after the pandemic disrupted socializing & learning skills like coloring, counting, potty training. edsource.org/2023/more-kids…

How does housing insecurity contribute to chronic absenteeism and student mental health issues? BiancaVázquezToness delves into this topic by sharing 15-year-old Deneffy Sánchez’s story.
projects.apnews.com/features/2023/…

The number of kindergartners in public school plunged during the pandemic and enrollment still lags. For many, kindergarten is no longer the assumed first step in a child’s education, another sign of how the pandemic upended US schools. My latest for The Associated Press: apnews.com/article/kinder…

Technology has certainly improved many aspects of our lives, but there are multiple warning signs that our kids aren't learning as well when they are surrounded by screens. (1/8)🧵

Couldn't be more excited to welcome Moriah Balingit -- a fabulous reporter and the cutest baby ever -- to the team. We love the way she centers underrepresented kids and families in her work, and she'll be using that lens on arguably the most crucial beat. More to come!

1/ Last year, children were handcuffed and sent to the emergency room at least 117 times from a small school district in Maryland. It's a practice that disproportionately impacts Black students and students with disabilities.

from me and Meredith Kolodner

apnews.com/article/disabi…