Sarah Carr
sarahelizcarr.bsky.social
Sarah Carr
@sarahelizcarr.bsky.social
Director of Columbia University's Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship; editing and writing stories about early ed; author, Hope Against Hope, about New Orleans schools. Mama of one.
New York
Pinned
When NYC Zohran Mamdani said he would seek to end gifted programs for kindergarteners if elected, it sent me on a quest to find out what exactly makes a 4 year old 'gifted' anyway? My latest for @hechingerreport.org @slate.com hechingerreport.org/were-testing...
We're testing preschoolers for giftedness. Experts say that doesn't work
And after more than five decades, New York’s experience offers a case study in how elusive it can be to identify children as gifted before they even start school.
hechingerreport.org
Reposted by Sarah Carr
Teen Vogue and @hechingerreport.org, where I'm an editor, worked together on several stories over the years. @leximcmenamin.com and @allegrak.bsky.social and many others were wonderful partners and this is gutting news. A list of just a few of the stories where Teen Vogue was a valued partner:
Teen Vogue Is Joining Vogue.com
The transition, in which Teen Vogue will keep its unique editorial identity and mission, fortifies the evolving Vogue ecosystem.
www.vogue.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Reposted by Sarah Carr
The government shutdown has forced providers of the early learning and child care program for lower-income families to close across the country.

From @the74.bsky.social:
Head Start programs begin to shutter, leaving 65,000 kids at risk
The government shutdown has forced providers of the early learning and child care program for lower-income families to close across the country.
19thnews.org
November 3, 2025 at 8:19 PM
When NYC Zohran Mamdani said he would seek to end gifted programs for kindergarteners if elected, it sent me on a quest to find out what exactly makes a 4 year old 'gifted' anyway? My latest for @hechingerreport.org @slate.com hechingerreport.org/were-testing...
We're testing preschoolers for giftedness. Experts say that doesn't work
And after more than five decades, New York’s experience offers a case study in how elusive it can be to identify children as gifted before they even start school.
hechingerreport.org
October 31, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by Sarah Carr
Getting preemies the help they need

Every year, tens of thousands of infants are born prematurely, at a low birthweight, or with other conditions that would make them automatically eligible for therapeutic services that could help them thrive. When everything goes smoothly, early intervention…
Getting preemies the help they need
Every year, tens of thousands of infants are born prematurely, at a low birthweight, or with other conditions that would make them automatically eligible for therapeutic services that could help them thrive. When everything goes smoothly, early intervention provides those services, required by federal law, for children ages birth to 3. Depending on the community, the program is paid for by federal, state or local dollars, or private insurance. But far too few of the youngest children actually receive that help. (It’s an issue I wrote about earlier this year.) One particular gap is in services provided to infants from birth to 1.
hechingerreport.org
October 16, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Reposted by Sarah Carr
Fear of deportation is deterring people without permanent legal status from critical care. Doctors are worried for their health — and the health of their pregnancies.
ICE fears put pregnant immigrants and their babies at risk
Fear of deportation is deterring people without permanent legal status from critical care. Doctors are worried for their health — and the health of their pregnancies.
bit.ly
October 7, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Reposted by Sarah Carr
Such an important and heartbreaking investigation, these professionals deserve far more recognition and support for the vital work they do.
October 6, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Reposted by Sarah Carr
We are so lucky: my younger son received EI services from amazingly skilled, experienced therapists. We know many families who could not find the same. I'm horrified they are not being paid for their crucial work - both for the sake of the professionals and for the sake of the kids.
My latest: Why early interventionists -- who provide critical therapies and care for developmentally disabled babies and toddlers -- may be the only professionals in America who haven't gotten an absolute pay raise in 30 years: www.the74million.org/zero2eight/3...
30 Years Without a Real Raise: New York’s Early Intervention Pay Crisis
New York’s early intervention providers haven’t seen a substantive raise in three decades — and vulnerable young children are losing out.
www.the74million.org
October 6, 2025 at 3:25 PM
My latest: Why early interventionists -- who provide critical therapies and care for developmentally disabled babies and toddlers -- may be the only professionals in America who haven't gotten an absolute pay raise in 30 years: www.the74million.org/zero2eight/3...
30 Years Without a Real Raise: New York’s Early Intervention Pay Crisis
New York’s early intervention providers haven’t seen a substantive raise in three decades — and vulnerable young children are losing out.
www.the74million.org
October 6, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by Sarah Carr
Writing for @hechingerreport.org, our #EarlyEd policy fellow @sarahelizcarr.bsky.social highlights state efforts to limit the expulsion of children with disabilities in #ChildCare settings.

↘️ Read how these efforts, like Ohio’s PROMISE program and Vermont’s grant initiatives, are working.
Curbing the Expulsion of Kids with Disabilities at Child Care
The Hechinger Report features Sarah Carr in coverage of state-supported programs like Ohio's PROMISE and Vermont’s inclusion grants that aim to curb child care expulsions of children with disabilities...
www.newamerica.org
October 2, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Sarah Carr
Trump regime may launch military occupation of New Orleans

"According to the AP, Trump, a convicted felon with a long history of racism, said ....

None of what Trump said is true, of course. Crime rates are low in New Orleans, and have been for quite some time."
www.nola.com/gambit/news/...
Trump regime may launch military occupation of New Orleans
President Donald Trump Sept. 3 said he is considering deploying the military in New Orleans as part of his nation-wide push targeting cities with large immigrant and Black populations. According to t...
www.nola.com
September 5, 2025 at 1:49 AM
Reposted by Sarah Carr
#TheLensNola🔍 KIPP New Orleans pushed ‘college for all’ in its early years. Schools are now adding career and personal counseling, and offering technical education courses.

✍Sarah Carr

Full Story 🔗: buff.ly/JouMXCI

#kippschools #collegeforall #neworleans
August 28, 2025 at 10:45 PM
My latest, on the "college for all" push in New Orleans...20 years after Hurricane Katrina for @npr www.npr.org/2025/08/27/n...
A 'college for all' push thrived in New Orleans after Katrina. It wasn't for everyone
After Hurricane Katrina, many New Orleans charter schools united in a mission to send more students to college. Today, some of those students, now adults, wish they'd been given more options.
www.npr.org
August 27, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Props to Karen Heath, Jaclyn Vasquez, and many others whose persistent efforts and bravery in sharing their stories have been so crucial to making this happen hechingerreport.org/illinois-pas...
After Hechinger story, Illinois passes law requiring hospitals to connect parents of premature infants with life-changing therapies
Illinois hospital staff must soon refer parents of premature infants to services that can prevent years of intensive and expensive therapy. The new law follows a Hechinger Report story about the issue...
hechingerreport.org
August 26, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Reposted by Sarah Carr
So many of you have been used for the business of hate in the anti-Trans movement. Don’t you know that you’re being tested for your appetite to “other” people? Seep yourself in humanity and you will never go wrong. Seek superiority and your soul will rot.
August 24, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Infants and toddlers with disabilities get asked to leave child care programs far too much. In my latest piece for @hechingerreport.org @chalkbeat.org and The Columbus Dispatch, I looked at what some states are doing to try to lessen those expulsion rates. hechingerreport.org/curbing-the-...
Child care centers often reject kids with disabilities. Ohio and other states are trying to change that
State funded initiatives in Ohio and other parts of the country are working to strengthen child care teachers’ knowledge and confidence in working with young children with disabilities and development...
hechingerreport.org
August 4, 2025 at 1:19 PM
$50 a week for 40 weeks: How no-strings cash changed the lives of teens hechingerreport.org/50-a-week-fo...
$50 a week for 40 weeks: How no-strings cash changed the lives of teens
A cash transfer program for high schoolers resulted in better attendance and more financial literacy, but no improvement in grades.
hechingerreport.org
July 24, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Reposted by Sarah Carr
The man's arrest is the latest case of federal authorities detaining immigrants with legal status during immigration check-ins. Lawmakers call the detainment of those who helped U.S. troops at war a betrayal. [via @wbur.org]
Former Afghan interpreter for U.S. military detained by ICE after routine immigration appointment
Zia’s arrest is the latest case of federal authorities detaining immigrants with legal status during immigration check-ins. Lawmakers call the detainment of those who helped U.S. troops at war a betra...
n.pr
July 23, 2025 at 8:39 PM
More devastation for the most vital news outlets IMHO: local ones www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/u...
Senate Approves Trump’s Bid to Cancel Foreign Aid and Public Broadcast Funds
www.nytimes.com
July 17, 2025 at 1:36 PM
America's child care system relies on immigrants. Without them, it could collapse. Important story from @jackiemader.bsky.social on how the Trump administration's policies will make it harder for families to access care and impact kindergarten readiness over time hechingerreport.org/americas-chi...
America’s child care system relies on immigrants. Without them, it could collapse - The Hechinger Report
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Maggi’s home in a suburban neighborhood here is a haven for local families. It’s a place where after just a few weeks in Maggi’s family-run child care program this spring, one pres...
hechingerreport.org
July 16, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Reposted by Sarah Carr
Suddenly sacked

Peggy Carr, the former commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, at her Maryland home on July 1. Carr worked for the Education Department for more than 35 years before the Trump administration placed her on administrative leave on Feb. 24. Peggy Carr's last day…
Suddenly sacked
Peggy Carr, the former commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, at her Maryland home on July 1. Carr worked for the Education Department for more than 35 years before the Trump administration placed her on administrative leave on Feb. 24. Peggy Carr's last day on the job came so abruptly that she only had time to grab a few personal photos and her coat before a security officer escorted her out of her office and into a chilly February afternoon. She still doesn't know why she was summarily dismissed as commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), where she helped build…
hechingerreport.org
July 14, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Supporters...say the cuts will refocus federal funds on children, pregnant women, ppl with disabilities..and seniors. This is akin to slicing up an umbrella w/ scissors and claiming that the cuts will help the umbrella refocus on its mission of keeping out the rain. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
Sick Children Will Be Among the Victims of Trump’s Big Bill
Cuts to federal health-care spending make it harder for doctors to make the oldest promise in medicine: that we will do no harm.
www.newyorker.com
July 14, 2025 at 1:08 AM
These aren’t just silly characters; they’re commentary on how the U.S. education system fails to make space for joy and connection—especially for kids with learning disabilities. www.newamerica.org/the-thread/d...
Dog Man, Captain Underpants, and Finding Superpowers in ADHD
For Learning Disability Week, Carrie Gillispie reminds us: Dog Man began in a hallway, drawn by a kid with ADHD looking to belong.
www.newamerica.org
July 10, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Multilingual kids with speech delays were already grossly underserved. Now the group that certifies speech pathologists is considering deleting its commitment to DEI and cultural competence. hechingerreport.org/speech-thera...
Speech therapy association proposes eliminating ‘DEI’ in its standards
As the Trump administration issues executive orders related to DEI, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is considering dropping references to DEI in favor of “person-centered care.
hechingerreport.org
July 9, 2025 at 7:39 PM
In the last few days, I've fielded three reference check calls for truly great journalists in the mix for great jobs. In these dispiriting days, it's been a real bright spot.
July 2, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by Sarah Carr
A buried provision in the "big beautiful bill" effectively penalizes single parents who receive SNAP, or food stamps, as compared to households headed by married couples.

Wrote about this today. But I shall thread for those who don't want to click! www.axios.com/2025/05/28/t...
SNAP work requirements are different for single parents.
Single parents will have to work to receive food benefits while some married parents will not.
www.axios.com
May 28, 2025 at 1:07 PM