Deep Dive

Industry insights from our journalists

  • An adult with a child on their back is outside near a yellow tent. Their back is to the camera and they are leaning down to tied their shoe.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Schools take proactive steps to protect immigrant students

    Threatened changes to U.S. immigration policies are leading some schools to share resources and offer support to staff, families and students.

    Kara Arundel • Updated Dec. 17, 2024
  • Four people are shown outside sitting in bleachers. There are other people surrounding them.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Kellyn Donahoe
    Image attribution tooltip

    IDEA 2004 turns 20: How the landmark reauthorization changed special education

    While gains have come for inclusion of students with disabilities, underfunding and teacher shortages remain struggles.

    Kara Arundel • Dec. 3, 2024
  • An adult stands outside near a yellow school bus parked alongside the curb near a school. Students are walking off the bus and toward the school.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Schools prepare for a post-ESSER reality

    Education finance and policy experts say that although severe, widespread fiscal cliffs are unlikely, student needs continue.

    Kara Arundel • Aug. 28, 2024
  • A young marcher during the March for Jobs and Freedom
    Image attribution tooltip
    MPI via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Celebrating 60 years: A visual history of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

    The landmark legislation shields employees from discrimination in the workplace.

    Ginger Christ and Shaun Lucas • July 2, 2024
  • An American flag hangs in the foreground of an empty classroom with desks.
    Image attribution tooltip
    John Moore via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    OCR finds pandemic-era Section 504 violations in Michigan

    The Education Department said the state improperly limited compensatory services for students with disabilities during COVID-19 school closures.

    Kara Arundel • June 18, 2024
  • A line of Black students walk between a crowd of White segregationists on their way to Clinton High School
    Image attribution tooltip

    Library of Congress/Thomas J. O'Halloran/Reuters

    Image attribution tooltip

    70 years later: The story of Brown v. Board of Education in pictures

    The landmark ruling spurred resistance, desegregation orders, busing and school choice. Here's a look back — and forward to where integration stands today.

    Naaz Modan, Kara Arundel, Anna Merod, Shaun Lucas and Jasmine Ye Han • May 16, 2024
  • A crowd of people, representing a mix of genders and ethnicities, hold signs advocating for DEI.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

    Image attribution tooltip

    Special education advocates warn of ‘chilling effects’ from anti-DEI efforts

    A researcher at the Heritage Foundation, however, says DEI rollbacks would benefit the special education community.

    Kara Arundel • March 20, 2024
  • A student stands in front of a row of lockers with their back to the camera. The student is reaching into an open locker. There are materials like notebooks on the floor in front of the lockers.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Jon Cherry via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    How lockerless schools are shaping building design

    As locker popularity wanes, schools are removing them and finding other uses for the spaces; educators and parents note an end of an era.

    Kara Arundel • Feb. 20, 2024
  • A cooler full of various brands of milk in half-pint containers.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Lindsey Shuey/The Republican-Herald via AP

    Image attribution tooltip

    School milk carton shortage may last through school year, but brandless packaging brings relief

    Manufacturer Pactiv Evergreen said it’s producing half-pint cartons at maximum capacity as a supply chain disruption still challenges dairies and schools.

    Katie Pyzyk • Jan. 16, 2024
  • An adult stands behind a podium near the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. To the adult's right, there is a large photo of a child. People are standing behind the adult.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Win McNamee via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Another record high: Counting school shootings in 2023

    Varying — and in some cases lacking — definitions and data make the issue hard to track, as experts continue to pursue solutions for both prevention and recovery.

    Naaz Modan and Kara Arundel • Dec. 20, 2023
  • Students hold protest signs
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Ani Chaglasian
    Image attribution tooltip

    Duties Deferred: The price students pay when schools pass the buck on Title IX

    Case records document a pattern of schools deferring to law enforcement and other outside agencies — and failing to protect students in sexual assault and harassment cases in the process.

    Naaz Modan and Julia Himmel • Dec. 13, 2023
  • College students climb up the stairs to a campus building.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Vladimir Vladimirov via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Why more colleges are adopting direct admissions

    The practice — which notifies students that they’re admitted before they even apply — is taking off at public systems and some private institutions.

    Lilah Burke • Dec. 12, 2023
  • An adults stands in a school hallway talking to a student. Other students are passing by in the hallway
    Image attribution tooltip
    Kara Arundel/K-12 Dive, data from https://stmdc.org/
    Image attribution tooltip

    ‘Opportunity’ knocked — and stayed: Successes and flaws of DC’s private school voucher program

    While some credit the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program as a "lifeline" for thousands of low-income students, others are pushing for its demise.

    Kara Arundel, Shaun Lucas and Julia Himmel • Nov. 21, 2023
  • Two adults stand, facing each other outside. In the background is the dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Tom Williams/Roll Call/Newscom

    Image attribution tooltip

    ‘Opportunity’ knocked — and stayed: Two decades of private school vouchers in the nation’s capital

    As private school choice programs increase across the U.S., the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program gets credit, and blame, for leading the way.

    Kara Arundel, Shaun Lucas and Julia Himmel • Nov. 20, 2023
  • A group of students outside in a school yard.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Jae C. Hong/AP

    Image attribution tooltip

    Equity in IDEA: Finding solutions to racial disproportionality in special ed

    Efforts to remedy overrepresentation of students with disabilities takes time and collaboration with general education, experts say.

    Kara Arundel, Shaun Lucas and Julia Himmel • Aug. 1, 2023
  • A yellow school bus with "mt diablo unified school district" written on the side.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Smith Collection/Gado/Sipa/AP

    Image attribution tooltip

    Equity in IDEA: Why racial disparities are increasing in special ed programs

    A nearly 100% increase in the number of districts identified as significantly disproportionate is causing school leaders to examine data and practices.

    Kara Arundel, Shaun Lucas and Julia Himmel • July 31, 2023
  • 3D digital circular dynamic wave.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Vitalii Pasichnyk/Getty via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    MOVEit mass exploit timeline: How the file-transfer service attacks entangled victims

    The slow-moving disaster has ensnared some of the world's largest enterprises. Cybersecurity experts expect further damage to come.

    Matt Kapko • July 18, 2023
  • A row of six teenagers are sitting on a outdoor bench. Most are looking down at cellphones in their hands.
    Image attribution tooltip
    LeoPatrizi via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    ‘Wave’ of litigation expected as schools fight social media companies

    Districts are joining a complaint against Meta, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, but some doubt the firms can be blamed for teens’ mental health struggles.

    Kara Arundel • June 1, 2023
  • New
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Martin Romine
    Image attribution tooltip

    K-12 anticipates a summer of school construction

    As schools plan for a surge of ESSER-supported upgrades over summer break, many administrators remain concerned about spending deadlines.

    Kara Arundel • May 10, 2023
  • Students walk through an AI gun detection monitoring system at Fayetteville High School in Georgia.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Evolv
    Image attribution tooltip

    Districts turn to AI to keep guns out of schools

    With school shootings on the rise, some educators seek solutions in artificial intelligence as others urge caution.

    Kara Arundel and Anna Merod • Feb. 15, 2023
  • A couple stands among a memorial for the children and teachers killed on May 24, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas
    Image attribution tooltip
    Jordan Vonderhaar / Stringer via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    School shootings reach unprecedented high in 2022

    There’s been an on-campus shooting ‘pretty much every single school day’ this fall, the founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database said.

    Naaz Modan and Kara Arundel • Dec. 21, 2022
  • An adult teacher is in the front of a classroom sitting in a chair reading a book and showing the young students sitting in front of the teacher on the floor the pages in the book.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Jenn Adams
    Image attribution tooltip

    ‘Tripledemic’ upends school operations, requires adjustments

    Administrators share strategies on how they are working to minimize sickness and missed class time.

    Kara Arundel • Dec. 19, 2022
  • A child holds a sign that read, "please let me use the girl's room."
    Image attribution tooltip
    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Star-Spangled Bans: No place for Pride in some schools after anti-LGBTQ laws spread

    Counselors, educators and students are paying the price for policies that make students feel unsafe as their mental health and lives hang in the balance.

    Naaz Modan, Jasmine Ye Han and Shaun Lucas • Nov. 17, 2022
  • A person moves a large poster behind U.S. Senator Ted Cruz. The poster reads,"Confess when being racist; Nothing disrupts racism more than when we confess the racist ideas that we sometimes express."
    Image attribution tooltip
    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Star-Spangled Bans: Anti-CRT policies lead schools to downplay race, history

    “Divisive concepts” regulations are dividing entire communities, with people and children of color caught in the middle.

    Naaz Modan, Jasmine Ye Han and Shaun Lucas • Nov. 16, 2022
  • Several students hold signs that read "protect trans kids," "we deserve to learn queer history," and "vote out book banners" in front of a brick building.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/TNS/Newscom

    Image attribution tooltip

    Star-Spangled Bans: How Trump’s call to preserve U.S. history energized a movement to erase it

    As classroom censorship laws spread, school cultures, climates, and even curricula are shifting at all levels of the education system.

    Naaz Modan, Jasmine Ye Han and Shaun Lucas • Nov. 15, 2022