Matt Barnum
@mattbarnum.bsky.social
Ideas editor at Chalkbeat
mbarnum@chalkbeat.org
mbarnum@chalkbeat.org
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-...
New—
Emails I obtained show that a top charter school advocacy group is concerned about moving education programs to the Department of Labor.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/charter-sc...
Emails I obtained show that a top charter school advocacy group is concerned about moving education programs to the Department of Labor.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/charter-sc...
Why ending the Education Department might be bad news for charter schools
Leaked emails show the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools landed a meeting with the Labor Secretary, who assuaged short-term concerns. Long-run worries remain though.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
December 18, 2025 at 3:22 PM
New—
Emails I obtained show that a top charter school advocacy group is concerned about moving education programs to the Department of Labor.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/charter-sc...
Emails I obtained show that a top charter school advocacy group is concerned about moving education programs to the Department of Labor.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/charter-sc...
College costs are soaring! www.brookings.edu/articles/wha...
December 16, 2025 at 10:11 PM
College costs are soaring! www.brookings.edu/articles/wha...
New—
I spoke with @dianeravitch.bsky.social about her new book, a memoir on her many decades in the education policy debates.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-diane...
I spoke with @dianeravitch.bsky.social about her new book, a memoir on her many decades in the education policy debates.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-diane...
What Diane Ravitch has learned in her decades on both sides of the school reform fights
A Q&A with the education historian turned critic of testing and charter schools.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
December 16, 2025 at 6:54 PM
New—
I spoke with @dianeravitch.bsky.social about her new book, a memoir on her many decades in the education policy debates.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-diane...
I spoke with @dianeravitch.bsky.social about her new book, a memoir on her many decades in the education policy debates.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-diane...
Reposted by Matt Barnum
Education groups are jockeying to shape the federal tax-credit scholarship through the rule-making process. But making this scheme, designed to create a voucher-like benefit, work for public school students could be tricky. www.chalkbeat.org/2025/12/09/f...
Could Trump-backed federal tax-credit scholarships benefit public school students too?
Some public education advocates say the rulesmaking process is the time to lean in and help shape the final form of a school choice program that was designed for private school students.
www.chalkbeat.org
December 12, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Education groups are jockeying to shape the federal tax-credit scholarship through the rule-making process. But making this scheme, designed to create a voucher-like benefit, work for public school students could be tricky. www.chalkbeat.org/2025/12/09/f...
This is a terrific and helpfully clear piece about what IQ scores do (and don't) mean. www.aft.org/ae/winter202...
Ask the Cognitive Scientist: What Do IQ Scores Mean?
www.aft.org
December 11, 2025 at 4:44 PM
This is a terrific and helpfully clear piece about what IQ scores do (and don't) mean. www.aft.org/ae/winter202...
Reposted by Matt Barnum
Worth listening to @mattbarnum.bsky.social who busts three general myths about higher ed (maybe debunker-in-chief or uncle-debunker?): 1) average tuition has soared; 2) 4YC enrollment has plummeted; 3) it's not worth it to go to college.
Plus 👇
fordhaminstitute.org/national/res...
Plus 👇
fordhaminstitute.org/national/res...
Is the “college enrollment crisis” a myth? | Episode 998 of The Education Gadfly Show
This week, we’re joined by Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat’s Ideas editor, to unpack whether college enrollment is truly declining—or whether the national narrative has gotten ahead of the data.
fordhaminstitute.org
December 10, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Worth listening to @mattbarnum.bsky.social who busts three general myths about higher ed (maybe debunker-in-chief or uncle-debunker?): 1) average tuition has soared; 2) 4YC enrollment has plummeted; 3) it's not worth it to go to college.
Plus 👇
fordhaminstitute.org/national/res...
Plus 👇
fordhaminstitute.org/national/res...
Reposted by Matt Barnum
This UCSD story is driving the national conversation around math education right now. There is plenty of evidence that math outcomes are not nearly where we'd want them to be, but Matt has a predictably nuanced and research-backed take. #edusky
New —
What the internet backlash over rising remedial math at UC San Diego misses: Yes, it's a problem that math scores are going down, but selective, well-resourced universities are arguably best equipped to help students catch up.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-the-i...
What the internet backlash over rising remedial math at UC San Diego misses: Yes, it's a problem that math scores are going down, but selective, well-resourced universities are arguably best equipped to help students catch up.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-the-i...
More UC San Diego students need remedial math — but is that a problem?
A UCSD report said the school should reject students who struggle with math, but researchers have found that those students are likely to benefit from an elite education.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
December 9, 2025 at 3:42 PM
This UCSD story is driving the national conversation around math education right now. There is plenty of evidence that math outcomes are not nearly where we'd want them to be, but Matt has a predictably nuanced and research-backed take. #edusky
I enjoyed joining @michaelpetrilli.bsky.social to discuss the new mythologies of higher education. Net tuition is not soaring, the value of a degree is not plummeting and neither is four-year college enrollment.
educationgadflyshow.substack.com/p/is-the-col...
educationgadflyshow.substack.com/p/is-the-col...
Is the “college enrollment crisis” a myth?
Episode 998 of The Education Gadfly Show
educationgadflyshow.substack.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:36 PM
I enjoyed joining @michaelpetrilli.bsky.social to discuss the new mythologies of higher education. Net tuition is not soaring, the value of a degree is not plummeting and neither is four-year college enrollment.
educationgadflyshow.substack.com/p/is-the-col...
educationgadflyshow.substack.com/p/is-the-col...
Reposted by Matt Barnum
Important reality check from @mattbarnum.bsky.social on the oft-heard refrain that loosening admissions at selective schools will harm the lower-scoring students who get in by setting them up for failure.
Research shows precisely the opposite: those students see real benefits.
Research shows precisely the opposite: those students see real benefits.
New —
What the internet backlash over rising remedial math at UC San Diego misses: Yes, it's a problem that math scores are going down, but selective, well-resourced universities are arguably best equipped to help students catch up.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-the-i...
What the internet backlash over rising remedial math at UC San Diego misses: Yes, it's a problem that math scores are going down, but selective, well-resourced universities are arguably best equipped to help students catch up.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-the-i...
More UC San Diego students need remedial math — but is that a problem?
A UCSD report said the school should reject students who struggle with math, but researchers have found that those students are likely to benefit from an elite education.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
December 9, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Important reality check from @mattbarnum.bsky.social on the oft-heard refrain that loosening admissions at selective schools will harm the lower-scoring students who get in by setting them up for failure.
Research shows precisely the opposite: those students see real benefits.
Research shows precisely the opposite: those students see real benefits.
New —
What the internet backlash over rising remedial math at UC San Diego misses: Yes, it's a problem that math scores are going down, but selective, well-resourced universities are arguably best equipped to help students catch up.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-the-i...
What the internet backlash over rising remedial math at UC San Diego misses: Yes, it's a problem that math scores are going down, but selective, well-resourced universities are arguably best equipped to help students catch up.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-the-i...
More UC San Diego students need remedial math — but is that a problem?
A UCSD report said the school should reject students who struggle with math, but researchers have found that those students are likely to benefit from an elite education.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
December 9, 2025 at 1:58 PM
New —
What the internet backlash over rising remedial math at UC San Diego misses: Yes, it's a problem that math scores are going down, but selective, well-resourced universities are arguably best equipped to help students catch up.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-the-i...
What the internet backlash over rising remedial math at UC San Diego misses: Yes, it's a problem that math scores are going down, but selective, well-resourced universities are arguably best equipped to help students catch up.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-the-i...
Reposted by Matt Barnum
NEW: Our look at one of the most important players in the school choice debate: Jeff Yass, the billionaire funding campaigns across the country and in his home state of PA. Got a chance to talk with him at length and he had lots of provocative things to say 1/x
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Meet the billionaire pushing taxpayer-funded school vouchers
How one of the richest people on the planet presses his pet issue: school choice
www.washingtonpost.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:26 PM
NEW: Our look at one of the most important players in the school choice debate: Jeff Yass, the billionaire funding campaigns across the country and in his home state of PA. Got a chance to talk with him at length and he had lots of provocative things to say 1/x
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Great piece by @tktk.bsky.social on the growing backlash to school-issued screens in L.A.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
LA Parents say school-issued iPads are causing chaos with their kids
A growing contingent of public school parents say school-mandated iPads, particularly in elementary and middle schools, are leading to behavior problems.
www.nbcnews.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Great piece by @tktk.bsky.social on the growing backlash to school-issued screens in L.A.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
Reposted by Matt Barnum
Great, nuanced @mattbarnum.bsky.social piece
My take: Studies demonstrating larger impacts on low-stakes tests & LT outcomes use a no accountability counterfactual that no longer exists. That was the right research q then. But the current policy q is what happens when we mix stronger acc back in.
My take: Studies demonstrating larger impacts on low-stakes tests & LT outcomes use a no accountability counterfactual that no longer exists. That was the right research q then. But the current policy q is what happens when we mix stronger acc back in.
There's a new nostalgia for No Child Left Behind gripping parts of the education world .
I took a deep dive into the research to see whether it's really true that NCLB-style school accountability drove learning gains. Answer: yes—with several asterisks
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/would-more...
I took a deep dive into the research to see whether it's really true that NCLB-style school accountability drove learning gains. Answer: yes—with several asterisks
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/would-more...
Did scaling back school accountability and testing pressure hurt students?
Critics say ending No Child Left Behind and moving to the Every Student Succeeds Act can help explain declining test scores. Here’s what the research shows.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
December 3, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Great, nuanced @mattbarnum.bsky.social piece
My take: Studies demonstrating larger impacts on low-stakes tests & LT outcomes use a no accountability counterfactual that no longer exists. That was the right research q then. But the current policy q is what happens when we mix stronger acc back in.
My take: Studies demonstrating larger impacts on low-stakes tests & LT outcomes use a no accountability counterfactual that no longer exists. That was the right research q then. But the current policy q is what happens when we mix stronger acc back in.
The rise of accommodations is a legit issue to explore, but this graf conflates two different things. *504 plans* are generally for accommodations. IEPs are for needed educational services and *do not* disproportionately go to advantaged students.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
December 4, 2025 at 6:48 PM
The rise of accommodations is a legit issue to explore, but this graf conflates two different things. *504 plans* are generally for accommodations. IEPs are for needed educational services and *do not* disproportionately go to advantaged students.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
Lots of words here but very little new: the retention as selection bias explanation does not make sense for explaining Mississippi's long-run gains because retained students must eventually move forward.
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/12/01/h...
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/12/01/h...
How much of “Mississippi’s education miracle” is an artifact of selection bias? | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu
December 3, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Lots of words here but very little new: the retention as selection bias explanation does not make sense for explaining Mississippi's long-run gains because retained students must eventually move forward.
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/12/01/h...
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/12/01/h...
There's a new nostalgia for No Child Left Behind gripping parts of the education world .
I took a deep dive into the research to see whether it's really true that NCLB-style school accountability drove learning gains. Answer: yes—with several asterisks
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/would-more...
I took a deep dive into the research to see whether it's really true that NCLB-style school accountability drove learning gains. Answer: yes—with several asterisks
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/would-more...
Did scaling back school accountability and testing pressure hurt students?
Critics say ending No Child Left Behind and moving to the Every Student Succeeds Act can help explain declining test scores. Here’s what the research shows.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
December 3, 2025 at 3:18 PM
There's a new nostalgia for No Child Left Behind gripping parts of the education world .
I took a deep dive into the research to see whether it's really true that NCLB-style school accountability drove learning gains. Answer: yes—with several asterisks
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/would-more...
I took a deep dive into the research to see whether it's really true that NCLB-style school accountability drove learning gains. Answer: yes—with several asterisks
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/would-more...
New: I look at the surprisingly difficult question of how to rank different states' schools (inspired by @jerseyjazzman.bsky.social).
I also take a look at a new project summarizing education research on various topics.
And more in this Ideas roundup
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/chalkbeat-...
I also take a look at a new project summarizing education research on various topics.
And more in this Ideas roundup
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/chalkbeat-...
State rankings critiqued, more on the Southern surge, and education research for dummies
A Chalkbeat Ideas round up
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
November 26, 2025 at 3:33 PM
New: I look at the surprisingly difficult question of how to rank different states' schools (inspired by @jerseyjazzman.bsky.social).
I also take a look at a new project summarizing education research on various topics.
And more in this Ideas roundup
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/chalkbeat-...
I also take a look at a new project summarizing education research on various topics.
And more in this Ideas roundup
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/chalkbeat-...
Nice piece by @laurameckler.bsky.social wondering how moving Education Department functions to different federal agencies would "return education to the states." www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Trump wants to ‘return education to the states.’ Is that what he’s doing?
Education Secretary Linda McMahon says the Trump administration is “returning education to the states.” But closing the Education Department is not the same thing.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Nice piece by @laurameckler.bsky.social wondering how moving Education Department functions to different federal agencies would "return education to the states." www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Excited to share that I'm writing a book: a history of the debates over funding public schools from the 1960's to now.
(Yes the working title is tongue in cheek.)
Now I just need to finish writing—stay tuned!
And if you want to follow my work, you can do so here: www.chalkbeat.org/newsletters/...
(Yes the working title is tongue in cheek.)
Now I just need to finish writing—stay tuned!
And if you want to follow my work, you can do so here: www.chalkbeat.org/newsletters/...
November 21, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Excited to share that I'm writing a book: a history of the debates over funding public schools from the 1960's to now.
(Yes the working title is tongue in cheek.)
Now I just need to finish writing—stay tuned!
And if you want to follow my work, you can do so here: www.chalkbeat.org/newsletters/...
(Yes the working title is tongue in cheek.)
Now I just need to finish writing—stay tuned!
And if you want to follow my work, you can do so here: www.chalkbeat.org/newsletters/...
Reposted by Matt Barnum
"In surveys conducted this year by eight different organizations, all but one showed Democrats with an edge on education. Voters again now tend to trust Democrats on the issue of education," writes @mattbarnum.bsky.social. www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/18/w...
Which party really has an edge on education?
Voters still tend to trust Democrats more than Republicans, according to most polls.
www.chalkbeat.org
November 21, 2025 at 4:01 PM
"In surveys conducted this year by eight different organizations, all but one showed Democrats with an edge on education. Voters again now tend to trust Democrats on the issue of education," writes @mattbarnum.bsky.social. www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/18/w...
New–
I look at why outsourcing the Education Department is and is not a big deal.
It sets up major legal and political fights. But it won't matter for the typical school. Federal influence comes from funding, not the name of the administrative agency.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/why-trump-...
I look at why outsourcing the Education Department is and is not a big deal.
It sets up major legal and political fights. But it won't matter for the typical school. Federal influence comes from funding, not the name of the administrative agency.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/why-trump-...
Trump is dismantling the Education Department. Here’s what it means.
The impact on schools will probably be small, but it represents something big.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
November 20, 2025 at 2:28 PM
New–
I look at why outsourcing the Education Department is and is not a big deal.
It sets up major legal and political fights. But it won't matter for the typical school. Federal influence comes from funding, not the name of the administrative agency.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/why-trump-...
I look at why outsourcing the Education Department is and is not a big deal.
It sets up major legal and political fights. But it won't matter for the typical school. Federal influence comes from funding, not the name of the administrative agency.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/why-trump-...
Reposted by Matt Barnum
This is, as always, an excellent and comprehensive take from @mattbarnum.bsky.social www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/18/w...
Which party really has an edge on education?
Voters still tend to trust Democrats more than Republicans, according to most polls.
www.chalkbeat.org
November 18, 2025 at 8:34 PM
This is, as always, an excellent and comprehensive take from @mattbarnum.bsky.social www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/18/w...
New—
There's been a lot of discussion about Democrats losing their historic advantage with voters on education.
In fact, this oft-repeated narrative no longer seems to be true. Nearly every poll from this year shows Dems with a clear edge on education.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/voters-sti...
There's been a lot of discussion about Democrats losing their historic advantage with voters on education.
In fact, this oft-repeated narrative no longer seems to be true. Nearly every poll from this year shows Dems with a clear edge on education.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/voters-sti...
Voters still tend to trust Democrats more on education
Yet the party faces challenges on the issue, including greater learning loss in blue states.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
November 19, 2025 at 3:21 PM
New—
There's been a lot of discussion about Democrats losing their historic advantage with voters on education.
In fact, this oft-repeated narrative no longer seems to be true. Nearly every poll from this year shows Dems with a clear edge on education.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/voters-sti...
There's been a lot of discussion about Democrats losing their historic advantage with voters on education.
In fact, this oft-repeated narrative no longer seems to be true. Nearly every poll from this year shows Dems with a clear edge on education.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/voters-sti...
New: Pandemic-era school closures still occupy a significant part of the American political discourse, but do they still matter for student test scores?
Answer: yes, but only a bit.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/we-re-stil...
Answer: yes, but only a bit.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/we-re-stil...
November 14, 2025 at 2:53 PM
New: Pandemic-era school closures still occupy a significant part of the American political discourse, but do they still matter for student test scores?
Answer: yes, but only a bit.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/we-re-stil...
Answer: yes, but only a bit.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/we-re-stil...