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Photo collage of Donald Trump in front of school desks, with a map of New York state in the background.
What Trump’s Second Term Could Mean for New York Schools

A review of Trump’s first term, along with his campaign promises and details found within Project 2025, indicate what’s to come in New York.

Bianca Fortis   ·   November 20, 2024
Rows of desks in a classroom with a roll of dollar bills on each desk.
In Brief: What Is Foundation Aid, New York’s School-Funding Formula?

Here’s a simple explanation of a complicated and archaic formula — and why the state is updating it.

Bianca Fortis   ·   November 18, 2024
Empty schoolroom chairs face a large help wanted sign.
Why Can’t New York Keep Up With the Demand for Bilingual Teachers?

Years of shortages have led to a staggering problem across the state, with few solutions on the horizon.

Bianca Fortis   ·   October 18, 2024
A child outside a day center
New York Child Care Providers Are Bleeding Workers as Federal Money Dries Up

Nearly half of the state’s child care providers have raised tuition and a third have lost staff, a new report found.

Julia Rock   ·   October 1, 2024
Governor Cuomo signing a bill
Small School Districts Face Costs of Settling Decades-Old Abuse Claims

Hundreds of Child Victims Act cases have been filed against New York schools, some over accused serial offenders that could leave districts with tens of millions of dollars in liability.

Bianca Fortis   ·   September 5, 2024
Three small pails sit atop a counter, one filled with pencils, another filled with markers, and another filled with sticky notes.
Are You a New York Teacher Spending Your Own Money on School Supplies?

We’re collecting stories from teachers across the state.

Bianca Fortis   ·   August 14, 2024
A nurse stands at a computer in a school nurse's office
Lacking State Funding, Rural Schools Struggle to Provide Remote Health Care

In rural school districts where doctors are hard to find, in-school telehealth services seemed like a good solution. Then New York state stopped funding them.

Bianca Fortis   ·   June 5, 2024
Student protesters gather at Columbia's Hamilton Hall or "Hind's Hall," renamed after Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was shot to death with paramedics on an IDF-supplied emergency route. On the right, they hang a banner that says "HIND'S HALL." Protesters sit up high on a facade.
The NYPD Descent on Columbia, Told by Student Journalists

The mayor and the police blamed “outside agitators” for campus protests. Student journalists reported what they saw.

Uzma Afreen, Angelica Ang, Fahima Degia, Mukta Joshi, Arshi Qureshi, Indy Scholtens and Sammy Sussman   ·   May 2, 2024
A sign reads "IDAs DRAIN $1.8 BILLION A YEAR FROM NEW YORK SCHOOLS."
Unions Join the Fight to Slash Economic Development Tax Breaks

When local authorities hand out subsidies, school budgets lose revenue. The state teachers union is now pushing back.

Arabella Saunders   ·   February 2, 2024
A classroom full of students with the teacher's silhouette filled in with pennies.
When Schools Assign Substitutes the Wrong Status, the Error Suppresses Their Pay

Long-term subs stay with the same classes and can serve like full-time teachers. New York City schools misclassify them — so their pay doesn’t reflect that.

Teddy Ostrow   ·   January 31, 2024
In school classroom full of children, a teacher silhouette of a teacher is filled in with microscopic coronaviruses.
In New York City Schools, Substitute Teachers Are Systematically Denied Covid Sick Pay

The state established Covid leave to compensate employees who fell ill during the pandemic. One group of essential workers has been unable to claim it.

Teddy Ostrow   ·   January 29, 2024
Whatever Happened to New York’s School Facial Recognition Ban?

In 2020, New York became the first state to ban biometric technology from schools. But administrators are still seeking “face analytics” tools and other gray-area tech — with scant guidance from the state.

Rebecca Heilweil   ·   March 28, 2023
For Scandal-Plagued For-Profit Colleges, No State Is More Welcoming Than New York

As ASA College prepares to shut its doors after years of controversy, New York continues to shell out tuition subsidies to for-profit colleges — at rates higher than any other state.

Lilah Burke   ·   February 23, 2023
Hochul at Divide with Lawmakers on Child Care, Once A Top Priority

Child care used to be Hochul’s marquee issue. Now, she’s proposing a modest expansion—but only if Congress doesn’t act.

Sam Mellins   ·   January 12, 2022
Columbia Student Worker Strike Could Become Testing Ground for Biden-Era NLRB

An NLRB ruling on a grievance made by striking Columbia student workers could suggest the board’s approach to a major question about the legal status of student workers.

Maxwell Parrott   ·   December 20, 2021
What Made It Into the Budget — And What Was Left Out

The major provisions of New York’s 2021 budget.

Akash Mehta, Sam Mellins and Lee Harris   ·   April 7, 2021
“What am I to do?” An oral history of mothering children in online school

“I’m the security guard, a mother, a father, a teacher, I’m everything.” Parents and children reflect on a year of remote learning and its impact on their finances, mental health, and family.

Morley Musick   ·   January 20, 2021