Ariel Gilreath
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arielgilreath.bsky.social
Ariel Gilreath
@arielgilreath.bsky.social
Covering education with The Hechinger Report. Signal: arielgilreath.46
In many rural schools, hiring teachers is harder than ever. Certain positions sometimes lay vacant for years. Often, districts turn to international teachers to fill the growing voids. In Halifax County, NC, two-thirds of teachers are international.
hechingerreport.org/federal-poli...
Rural teacher shortages could get worse thanks to Trump’s visa fee
In Halifax County, North Carolina, 101 of 156 teachers are international. A new $100,000 H-1B visa fee could effectively slam the door on future hires.
hechingerreport.org
November 7, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Reposted by Ariel Gilreath
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
In Ashe County, NC, those federal dollars pay for the community's only afterschool program, training for teachers, salaries for some positions. There's no way they could make it up locally if it's gone next year. Across the US, schools are preparing to lose more:
hechingerreport.org/schools-conf...
Schools confront a new reality: They can’t count on federal money
Ashe County, North Carolina, and thousands of other school districts are preparing to lose some federal public school funding after a freeze on nearly $7 billion over the summer.
hechingerreport.org
September 18, 2025 at 2:04 PM
The power of local journalism: For two years, the solicitor’s office sat on evidence that Michael Pearson was likely innocent of a crime they imprisoned him for 15 years ago. After the Post and Courier wrote about it, he left the courthouse a free man today.
www.postandcourier.com/news/sc-mich...
South Carolina man freed from prison after 15 years as evidence of his innocence has mounted
Its been 15 years since Michael Pearson was put behind bars for a crime he says he didn’t commit. As evidence continues to mount that he has been telling the truth all along, a judge went to Clarendon...
www.postandcourier.com
August 28, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Funding cuts to AmeriCorps come at a time when entry level jobs are increasingly harder to find. One college grad impacted by the budget slash told me he joined AmeriCorps because every "entry level" job he tried to apply to required some experience in the field.
hechingerreport.org/federal-cuts...
Federal cuts to AmeriCorps could make it harder for recent graduates to find jobs
AmeriCorps, once a promising pathway to jobs for young adults, is under threat as the Trump administration calls for shuttering the agency.
hechingerreport.org
July 30, 2025 at 5:18 PM
At a time of extreme political polarization, high school speech and debate clubs do something risky: encourage students to talk politics and intentionally disagree. Speech and debate enthusiasts see this activity as a solution for our fractured society.
hechingerreport.org/high-school-...
High school speech and debate allows students to find common ground
In a time when respectful debate seems impossible, high school speech and debate clubs have persevered. Debate team members and sponsors see the activity as even more important in a fracturing society...
hechingerreport.org
July 8, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by Ariel Gilreath
Last week, instead of sending school districts the $6+ billion which they are owed by law, USED told states it would hold back the money pending a review. This is hugely harmful to schools getting ready for the school year--but not everyone is hit equally. 1/ www.newamerica.org/education-po...
A District-by-District Accounting of the $6.2 billion U.S. Department of Education Has Held Back from Schools
The Education Department is refusing to release billions of dollars for public schools. See the impact by school system and congressional district.
www.newamerica.org
July 8, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Women were landing skilled trade jobs in recent years: industries with high pay and no college degree. But after decades of progress, women are still just 5% of the workforce. Part of the problem: women often don't realize these opportunities are available. (1/2)
May 14, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Students in Alabama will be able to trade upper level math/science classes for career tech courses like architecture or cosmetology. The goal is to help them attain skills for jobs, but there's a catch: it could hurt their chances of going to a four-year college.
hechingerreport.org/a-new-kind-o...
Alabama high school requirements now allow students to trade chemistry for carpentry
A new Alabama law will allow high school students to replace upper level math and science classes, such as Algebra 2 or chemistry, with career and technical education courses, like cosmetology or arch...
hechingerreport.org
April 9, 2025 at 7:33 PM
At least 55 child care centers were closed when Hurricane Helene flooded Western North Carolina and caused more than $59 billion in damages.

Now, communities in the region are battling wildfires that have burned more than 6,000 acres in the past week.
hechingerreport.org/when-a-hurri...
When a hurricane washes away a region’s child care system
Nearly six months after Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina, some child care centers remain closed and young kids are still reeling from the disruptions
hechingerreport.org
March 27, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Reposted by Ariel Gilreath
Thank you @vermontpublic.org for inviting me to talk about *waves hands* everything happening from the Trump administration related to education. We've been keeping a "Trump Tracker" going since inauguration day, can you believe we're just starting week 9? 👵🏾 hechingerreport.org/tracking-tru...
Tracking Trump: His actions to dismantle the Education Department, and more  - The Hechinger Report
The president has said he wants to eliminate the Department of Education while fighting ‘woke’ ideology in schools. A week-by-week look at what he’s done
hechingerreport.org
March 17, 2025 at 5:36 PM
For a week-by-week breakdown of everything Trump's done on education while in office, including latest news on Department of Education staff getting cut in half (we are, somehow, only on week 8):
hechingerreport.org/tracking-tru...
Tracking Trump: His actions on education  - The Hechinger Report
The president has said he wants to eliminate the Department of Education while fighting ‘woke’ ideology in schools. A week-by-week look at what he’s done
hechingerreport.org
March 11, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Reposted by Ariel Gilreath
Coal plants are closing. For some schools, that means lost revenue and fewer jobs for graduates
Coal plants are closing. For some schools, that means lost revenue and fewer jobs for graduates
Even as Trump tries to ‘unleash’ fossil fuels, coal is declining fast. Schools are doing little to prepare
buff.ly
March 11, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Reposted by Ariel Gilreath
Alabama is leading the country in gains on fourth grade math and reading.

As the state prepares to review another record education budget, here’s how leaders aim to keep up progress — and some pitfalls that experts warn to avoid.

www.al.com/educationlab...
Alabama students are improving in math, reading. What’s next?
Many of the state’s middle schoolers still struggle with math and reading skills.
www.al.com
February 10, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Reposted by Ariel Gilreath
So the new PIACC data shows that older adults—who of course weren't in school during the pandemic—have also experienced steep "learning loss." Not quite sure what to make of that! nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaa...
December 10, 2024 at 3:50 PM
Reposted by Ariel Gilreath
I've been tracking a quiet wave of child care deregulation efforts for over a year. My new story looks at the consequences of these efforts for underpaid, overworked early educators and America's youngest children at their most pivotal time of brain development:

hechingerreport.org/the-dark-fut...
Some states have dangerous plans to address the scarcity of child care: removing regulations
While some states are investing more in child care, others are loosening child care regulations to cut costs and add spots — in ways that could stress underpaid educators and harm young children.
hechingerreport.org
December 3, 2024 at 2:29 PM
Reposted by Ariel Gilreath
McDowell County schools helped Baxter International at the same time it worked through its own recovery from Hurricane Helene

hechingerreport.org/school-buses...
School buses provided by McDowell County Schools helped a hurricane-battered medical plant come back to service - The Hechinger Report
McDowell County schools, in western North Carolina, helped to blunt the community impact from Hurricane Helene in late September. Following the storm, medical company Baxter International and official...
hechingerreport.org
December 2, 2024 at 3:15 PM
Child care centers are struggling to find affordable liability insurance as companies are increasingly leaving the child care market. One center's policy was dropped over minor dings like a missing pair of tweezers in the first aid kit:
hechingerreport.org/surging-insu...
Getting child care insurance is a new challenge for care providers - The Hechinger Report
Child care centers are struggling to maintain liability insurance amid rising costs and dropped policies. The insurance, which protects centers from lawsuits related to accidents or injuries, is requi...
hechingerreport.org
November 26, 2024 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by Ariel Gilreath
The Hechinger Report tried to answer some of the questions raised by the possible dismantling of the department: hechingerreport.org/what-might-h... via @hechingerreport.org
What might happen if the Education Department were closed? - The Hechinger Report
The Trump administration has promised big changes, but he can’t make them alone.
hechingerreport.org
November 22, 2024 at 3:57 PM
Reposted by Ariel Gilreath
Trump picks Linda McMahon to lead, and possibly dismantle, Education Department

This story was produced by Chalkbeat and reprinted with permission. Former professional wrestling executive and billionaire Linda McMahon is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Education,…
Trump picks Linda McMahon to lead, and possibly dismantle, Education Department
This story was produced by Chalkbeat and reprinted with permission. Former professional wrestling executive and billionaire Linda McMahon is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Education, an agency Trump has pledged to dismantle. McMahon would come to the post with sparse education experience. She led the Small Business Administration in Trump’s first administration and also led a pro-Trump spending group and think tank before serving as transition team co-chair.
hechingerreport.org
November 20, 2024 at 3:14 PM
Reposted by Ariel Gilreath
👀 A trend colleges might not want applicants to notice: It’s becoming easier to get in.
Despite public perception, and for the first time in decades, college acceptance rates are going up
Something dramatic is happening to the college application process, for the first time in decades: It’s becoming easier to get in.
hechingerreport.org
November 18, 2024 at 6:19 PM
Reposted by Ariel Gilreath
New NC Hurricane Helene disaster relief bill also includes $33,750,000 in one-time childcare stabilization grants for this fiscal year. This comes as childcare groups warned centers would close without continuation of COVID era stabilization funding. #nced #ncpol #ncga
November 19, 2024 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by Ariel Gilreath
📝 To-do list: Stay up-to-date on the latest education news.
💡Solution: The Education News Starter Pack! New authors added continuously. Check back for updates.
go.bsky.app/UccLjhX
November 18, 2024 at 5:05 PM