Erica Meltzer
@ericameltzer.bsky.social
National Editor at Chalkbeat. I write about education and politics. Reach me at emeltzer@chalkbeat.org
Reposted by Erica Meltzer
Crocheted Christmas tree, Medelim, Portugal, created by 50 female textile artists who came together from all over the country for the project #WomensArt #ChristmasEve 🎄 ❄️
December 24, 2025 at 6:20 AM
Crocheted Christmas tree, Medelim, Portugal, created by 50 female textile artists who came together from all over the country for the project #WomensArt #ChristmasEve 🎄 ❄️
I've lived in a country with no postal service, and it's not good. Just saying.
December 24, 2025 at 9:36 PM
I've lived in a country with no postal service, and it's not good. Just saying.
“There were enormous differences between Jews and Christians — but when it came to fear of midwinter demons, the love of drinking, or the topsy-turvy atmosphere of Christmas Eve, the folklore overlaps are undeniable.”
www.jta.org/2025/12/14/c...
www.jta.org/2025/12/14/c...
Back in the day, Yiddish-speaking Jews had themselves a merry 'nitl' Christmas - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
A new book argues that Europe’s Jews “celebrated” Christmas in their own often playful way.
www.jta.org
December 24, 2025 at 12:27 AM
“There were enormous differences between Jews and Christians — but when it came to fear of midwinter demons, the love of drinking, or the topsy-turvy atmosphere of Christmas Eve, the folklore overlaps are undeniable.”
www.jta.org/2025/12/14/c...
www.jta.org/2025/12/14/c...
Not me making pasta salad for dinner because it was 76 degrees today in Denver. Very seasonal.
December 22, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Not me making pasta salad for dinner because it was 76 degrees today in Denver. Very seasonal.
Reposted by Erica Meltzer
In the new year Chalkbeat Ideas will host an online event about the Education Department's future with Lindsey Burke of the Trump administration.
Join @ericameltzer.bsky.social and me for what I'm sure will be a lively conversation! You can also submit questions. www.eventbrite.com/e/chalkbeat-...
Join @ericameltzer.bsky.social and me for what I'm sure will be a lively conversation! You can also submit questions. www.eventbrite.com/e/chalkbeat-...
Chalkbeat Ideas: The Future of the Education Department with Lindsey Burke
Join us for our next Chalkbeat Ideas event, where our journalists examine the big ideas and debates shaping American schools.
www.eventbrite.com
December 22, 2025 at 5:46 PM
In the new year Chalkbeat Ideas will host an online event about the Education Department's future with Lindsey Burke of the Trump administration.
Join @ericameltzer.bsky.social and me for what I'm sure will be a lively conversation! You can also submit questions. www.eventbrite.com/e/chalkbeat-...
Join @ericameltzer.bsky.social and me for what I'm sure will be a lively conversation! You can also submit questions. www.eventbrite.com/e/chalkbeat-...
“What gets remembered is a function of who’s in the room doing the remembering."
Truly an incredible life.
Truly an incredible life.
Betty Reid Soskin, the National Park Service’s oldest ranger, has died. She was 104.
Betty Reid Soskin, Oldest U.S. Park Ranger and Trailblazing Historian, Dies at 104 | KQED
Betty Reid Soskin, the nation’s oldest National Park Service ranger and a pioneering historian at Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, devoted her life to preserving Black histo...
www.kqed.org
December 22, 2025 at 7:09 PM
“What gets remembered is a function of who’s in the room doing the remembering."
Truly an incredible life.
Truly an incredible life.
Reposted by Erica Meltzer
NEW: An autopsy finds late Colorado State Sen. Faith Winter (D) had alcohol in her system and investigators say she was at fault for her fatal crash on I-25 on November 26. The autopsy lists her blood alcohol concentration as 185 mg/dl. Colorado's DUI limit is 80 mg/dl. (1/2)
December 19, 2025 at 10:56 PM
NEW: An autopsy finds late Colorado State Sen. Faith Winter (D) had alcohol in her system and investigators say she was at fault for her fatal crash on I-25 on November 26. The autopsy lists her blood alcohol concentration as 185 mg/dl. Colorado's DUI limit is 80 mg/dl. (1/2)
Re-reading Project 2025 for reasons and came across this:
Stopping executive overreach. Congress should set policy—not Presidents through pen-and-phone executive orders, and not agencies through regulations and guidance.
Stopping executive overreach. Congress should set policy—not Presidents through pen-and-phone executive orders, and not agencies through regulations and guidance.
December 19, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Re-reading Project 2025 for reasons and came across this:
Stopping executive overreach. Congress should set policy—not Presidents through pen-and-phone executive orders, and not agencies through regulations and guidance.
Stopping executive overreach. Congress should set policy—not Presidents through pen-and-phone executive orders, and not agencies through regulations and guidance.
Reposted by Erica Meltzer
NEW: A Texas district in which Black students were allegedly taunted with monkey noises.
An Arizona school where students admitted saying “slavery is good.”
These are some of the incidents Trump’s Education Department has ignored:
An Arizona school where students admitted saying “slavery is good.”
These are some of the incidents Trump’s Education Department has ignored:
Monkey Sounds, “White Power” and the N-Word: Racial Harassment Against Black Students Ignored Under Trump
Since Trump returned to office, the Education Department’s civil rights office has not resolved a single racial harassment investigation. It sends a message that “people impacted by racial discriminat...
www.propublica.org
December 19, 2025 at 12:34 PM
NEW: A Texas district in which Black students were allegedly taunted with monkey noises.
An Arizona school where students admitted saying “slavery is good.”
These are some of the incidents Trump’s Education Department has ignored:
An Arizona school where students admitted saying “slavery is good.”
These are some of the incidents Trump’s Education Department has ignored:
I thought I was being paranoid when I wondered this, but there is, you know, a killer on the loose.
(AP) — Authorities are investigating a connection between last weekend’s mass shooting at Brown University and the killing of an MIT professor two days later.
@apnews.com
apnews.com/article/brow...
@apnews.com
apnews.com/article/brow...
December 18, 2025 at 10:37 PM
I thought I was being paranoid when I wondered this, but there is, you know, a killer on the loose.
A really important story of where we've been and where we must not return.
A year ago I starting falling down a rabbit hole regarding the origins of the remarkable Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, which turns 50 this year. The backstory is astonishing.
Before there was special ed, there was a school-to-asylum pipeline.
Really 1/
Before there was special ed, there was a school-to-asylum pipeline.
Really 1/
Before Special Ed, There Was the School-to-Asylum Pipeline. How One Lawsuit Helped End It
50 years ago, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ended the routine institutionalization of kids with disabilities. Advocates fear a return to that dark time.
www.the74million.org
December 18, 2025 at 6:23 PM
A really important story of where we've been and where we must not return.
Illinois quietly changed its minority teacher scholarship in the face of a lawsuit and federal threats. The scholarship is now open to all students interested in become teachers.
Illinois' teacher workforce is 78% white, its study population 44% white.
www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...
Illinois' teacher workforce is 78% white, its study population 44% white.
www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...
Lawsuit dismissed after Illinois opens teaching scholarship to all students, regardless of race
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law that replaces the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship, getting rid of the word “minority” and race and ethnicity eligibility requirements.
www.chalkbeat.org
December 18, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Illinois quietly changed its minority teacher scholarship in the face of a lawsuit and federal threats. The scholarship is now open to all students interested in become teachers.
Illinois' teacher workforce is 78% white, its study population 44% white.
www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...
Illinois' teacher workforce is 78% white, its study population 44% white.
www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...
A commission has recommended a sort of super-board above the elected school board in Indianapolis. This governance change could have profound consequences for local schools. www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2025...
‘This is an imperfect plan’: ILEA recommends authority over charter, IPS schools
In a move with potentially big consequences for Indianapolis education, the ILEA has told lawmakers they should establish a new education agency to oversee both the city school district and charter sc...
www.chalkbeat.org
December 18, 2025 at 3:01 PM
A commission has recommended a sort of super-board above the elected school board in Indianapolis. This governance change could have profound consequences for local schools. www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2025...
Reposted by Erica Meltzer
Leaked emails show a leading charter advocacy group is worried about the long-run implications of moving key education programs to the Labor Department.
Why ending the Education Department might be bad news for charter schools
Leaked emails show a leading charter advocacy group is worried about the long-run implications of moving key education programs to the Labor Department.
bit.ly
December 18, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Leaked emails show a leading charter advocacy group is worried about the long-run implications of moving key education programs to the Labor Department.
My fence survived the night. That was not a given. Maybe the second or third time in 16 years that I've been scared of the wind while safe at home.
December 18, 2025 at 1:40 PM
My fence survived the night. That was not a given. Maybe the second or third time in 16 years that I've been scared of the wind while safe at home.
I wonder how much demand there will be. I grew up on whole milk, but even 20 years ago, when i was in the Peace Corps, most volunteers would buy powdered skim milk because whole milk (from your neighbor's cow) tasting like drinking heavy cream to them. www.k12dive.com/news/congres...
Congress passes bill allowing schools to offer whole milk, nondairy options
The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 was sent to President Donald Trump’s desk after the House approved the bipartisan legislation Monday.
www.k12dive.com
December 17, 2025 at 8:50 PM
I wonder how much demand there will be. I grew up on whole milk, but even 20 years ago, when i was in the Peace Corps, most volunteers would buy powdered skim milk because whole milk (from your neighbor's cow) tasting like drinking heavy cream to them. www.k12dive.com/news/congres...
ProPublica uses tax filings to document a trend most people have observed: nonprofits removing references to diversity, equity, and inclusion from the websites.
www.propublica.org/article/dele...
www.propublica.org/article/dele...
Under Trump, More Than 1,000 Nonprofits Strip DEI Language From Tax Forms
As the Trump administration ordered agencies to eradicate “illegal” diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, we identified more than 1,000 nonprofits that removed such language from the mission statem...
www.propublica.org
December 17, 2025 at 7:04 PM
ProPublica uses tax filings to document a trend most people have observed: nonprofits removing references to diversity, equity, and inclusion from the websites.
www.propublica.org/article/dele...
www.propublica.org/article/dele...
This feels like a likely regular feature of our future, as it is in California. Aging infrastructure + wind + drought conditions is a nightmare scenario.
Xcel Energy is warning it may preemptively shut off power to 50k Coloradans on Wednesday due to extreme winds and wildfire risk. Legal experts tell @spencersoicher that Xcel's decision is driven by public safety and potential liability.
December 17, 2025 at 3:50 PM
This feels like a likely regular feature of our future, as it is in California. Aging infrastructure + wind + drought conditions is a nightmare scenario.
The dedication of a statue of Barbara Johns in place of Robert E. Lee feels so incongruent with our current moment that I checked the date on this piece three times.
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Statue of Black teen who fought segregation replaces Robert E. Lee at U.S. Capitol
Barbara Rose Johns was only 16 when she led a walkout in 1951 to protest horrendous conditions at her segregated high school for Black students in rural Farmville, Virginia.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 17, 2025 at 3:38 PM
The dedication of a statue of Barbara Johns in place of Robert E. Lee feels so incongruent with our current moment that I checked the date on this piece three times.
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
A Shakespeare for our age.
The cultural impact of Rob Reiner cannot be understated. Legend isn't big enough a word. It goes to 11. You can't handle the truth. As you wish. I'll have what she's having. I'm your number one fan. You guys wanna see a dead body? The very idea of a bucket list. The West Wing.
All from his movies.
All from his movies.
December 15, 2025 at 5:27 AM
A Shakespeare for our age.
Reposted by Erica Meltzer
This entire weekend
December 15, 2025 at 3:58 AM
This entire weekend
I really like this story, which historians were not able to disprove. I enjoy the Christmas season, even, feeling other people's light.
The idea for outdoor Christmas lights began a century ago in Denver with a sick boy trib.al/XCgfPHx
The idea for outdoor Christmas lights began a century ago in Denver with a sick boy
David Sturgeon was too sick to see his family’s Christmas tree, but he did have a window, a pine tree outside — and an electrician for a father.
trib.al
December 15, 2025 at 12:35 AM
I really like this story, which historians were not able to disprove. I enjoy the Christmas season, even, feeling other people's light.
Reposted by Erica Meltzer
Whenever Jews are like “how can I do [insert joyful ritual] when so much awful stuff is happening?” I’m just like… that’s the entire point of Judaism
December 14, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Whenever Jews are like “how can I do [insert joyful ritual] when so much awful stuff is happening?” I’m just like… that’s the entire point of Judaism
Reposted by Erica Meltzer
One of the things about being Jewish is that the calendar ritually mandates that you be sad some days and joyful other days regardless of what is happening in the world, and I think about that every time Jews get slaughtered on a ritually joyful day.
December 14, 2025 at 2:33 PM
One of the things about being Jewish is that the calendar ritually mandates that you be sad some days and joyful other days regardless of what is happening in the world, and I think about that every time Jews get slaughtered on a ritually joyful day.