Gail Cornwall
@gailcornwall.com
Former teacher & lawyer who now works as a mother & writer. Bylines for the Atlantic, Nation, NYT, Good Housekeeping, Guardian, New York Mag, USA Today, & many more. Stories tackle education, psychology, parenting, etc.
Pinned
Gail Cornwall
@gailcornwall.com
· Nov 11
The hidden financial aid hurdle derailing college students
Little-known rules requiring that students make ‘satisfactory academic progress’ to receive federal grants have derailed countless college students. But legislators are finally taking notice.
hechingerreport.org
A little-known requirement meant to incentivize academic performance has been doing the opposite for decades, disqualifying capable students from financial aid for life & becoming “a de facto end” to their education. It’s not fair or smart. My latest for @hechingerreport.org & @washingtonpost.com.
It’s one thing to suspect kids and teens are getting a horrifying amount of screen time at school - and another to have it confirmed by teachers (via one of my very favorite NYT writers). @clairecm.bsky.social & Sarah Mervosh for @upshot.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
How Much Screen Time Is Your Child Getting at School? We Asked 350 Teachers.
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM
It’s one thing to suspect kids and teens are getting a horrifying amount of screen time at school - and another to have it confirmed by teachers (via one of my very favorite NYT writers). @clairecm.bsky.social & Sarah Mervosh for @upshot.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
Writing for a great editor, who demands your full potential, can feel like imbibing undiluted frustration and discouragement. If Susan Cain can keep doing it anyway, we can too. thequietlife.net/p/the-letter...
The Terrible First Draft that Saved My Book
Here's the brutally honest feedback that reshaped QUIET -- and what it means for your own creative work.
thequietlife.net
November 18, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Writing for a great editor, who demands your full potential, can feel like imbibing undiluted frustration and discouragement. If Susan Cain can keep doing it anyway, we can too. thequietlife.net/p/the-letter...
The line between "it's okay you lost your cool" and "abuse is never okay" can be a hard one for parenting journalists to walk. Melinda Wenner Moyer does it beautifully in this new post questioning gentle/modern parenting's lionization of staying "zen."
melindawmoyer.substack.com/p/calmness-i...
melindawmoyer.substack.com/p/calmness-i...
Calmness Is Not a Parenting Virtue
Why trying to stay zen around our kids might actually make things harder—for them and for us.
melindawmoyer.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 10:05 AM
The line between "it's okay you lost your cool" and "abuse is never okay" can be a hard one for parenting journalists to walk. Melinda Wenner Moyer does it beautifully in this new post questioning gentle/modern parenting's lionization of staying "zen."
melindawmoyer.substack.com/p/calmness-i...
melindawmoyer.substack.com/p/calmness-i...
There’s a big gap between the narrative about higher ed and the data, explains @mattbarnum.bsky.social for @chalkbeat.org. Tuition is actually more affordable, and both the value of a bachelor’s degree and four-year college enrollment remain “near historic highs.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/11/i...
Is college enrollment plummeting?
Reports of the death of the bachelor’s degree have been greatly exaggerated.
www.chalkbeat.org
November 12, 2025 at 10:50 AM
There’s a big gap between the narrative about higher ed and the data, explains @mattbarnum.bsky.social for @chalkbeat.org. Tuition is actually more affordable, and both the value of a bachelor’s degree and four-year college enrollment remain “near historic highs.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/11/i...
Over 25 years, the # of youth behind bars dropped 75%. Why? Fewer arrests for drug offenses, diverting those arrested from jail into education & treatment programs, & shorter sentences & more parole for the imprisoned, says Yale prof James Forman Jr. for @nytimes.com. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/m...
What Happened When America Emptied Its Youth Prisons
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Over 25 years, the # of youth behind bars dropped 75%. Why? Fewer arrests for drug offenses, diverting those arrested from jail into education & treatment programs, & shorter sentences & more parole for the imprisoned, says Yale prof James Forman Jr. for @nytimes.com. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/m...
I have been waiting for someone to write this article for years, and Jessica Winter knocks the ball out of the freaking park: “much of the centrist manosphere’s rhetoric is predicated on refusing to see half of what’s in front of you.” www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
What Did Men Do to Deserve This?
Changes in the economy and in the culture seem to have hit them hard. Scott Galloway believes they need an “aspirational vision of masculinity.”
www.newyorker.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:27 PM
I have been waiting for someone to write this article for years, and Jessica Winter knocks the ball out of the freaking park: “much of the centrist manosphere’s rhetoric is predicated on refusing to see half of what’s in front of you.” www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
Reposted by Gail Cornwall
New: In September, the Trump administration canceled more than $20 million for teacher-training programs at HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions.
Now some college students training for teaching careers may have to take out loans or drop out altogether. www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...
Now some college students training for teaching careers may have to take out loans or drop out altogether. www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...
Ed. Dept. Cuts Grants That Were Helping College Students Become Teachers
Ten universities collectively lost more than $20 million for efforts to diversify the teacher workforce.
www.edweek.org
November 5, 2025 at 6:48 PM
New: In September, the Trump administration canceled more than $20 million for teacher-training programs at HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions.
Now some college students training for teaching careers may have to take out loans or drop out altogether. www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...
Now some college students training for teaching careers may have to take out loans or drop out altogether. www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...
“Melissa Ann Pinney photographed the everyday moments of adolescence inside Chicago Public Schools … as [students] navigate identity, community and the many transformations of growing up.” @npr.org www.npr.org/sections/the...
A photographer captures life inside Chicago Public Schools
Melissa Ann Pinney's photographs capture everyday moments of adolescence inside Chicago Public Schools over the course of a seven-year artist residency.
www.npr.org
November 9, 2025 at 3:21 PM
“Melissa Ann Pinney photographed the everyday moments of adolescence inside Chicago Public Schools … as [students] navigate identity, community and the many transformations of growing up.” @npr.org www.npr.org/sections/the...
“Melissa Ann Pinney photographed the everyday moments of adolescence inside Chicago Public Schools … as [students] navigate identity, community and the many transformations of growing up.” @npr.org www.npr.org/sections/the...
A photographer captures life inside Chicago Public Schools
Melissa Ann Pinney's photographs capture everyday moments of adolescence inside Chicago Public Schools over the course of a seven-year artist residency.
www.npr.org
November 9, 2025 at 3:21 PM
“Melissa Ann Pinney photographed the everyday moments of adolescence inside Chicago Public Schools … as [students] navigate identity, community and the many transformations of growing up.” @npr.org www.npr.org/sections/the...
"An employee of a Chicago day care center and preschool was detained by immigration authorities at work as children were being dropped off on Wednesday." www.edweek.org/leadership/c...
Chicago Day Care Employee Detained by ICE as Children Arrive
ICE detained a Chicago day care worker during drop-off, alarming parents and witnesses.
www.edweek.org
November 7, 2025 at 8:34 AM
"An employee of a Chicago day care center and preschool was detained by immigration authorities at work as children were being dropped off on Wednesday." www.edweek.org/leadership/c...
"Food banks alone cannot make up for what would be lost for [SNAP recipients].... 'There is no way that we alone can make up for a $44 million food budget shortfall.... [It's different than a] natural disaster where we could rely on our sister food banks for support.'" www.npr.org/2025/10/29/g...
'The helpers need help'. Food banks brace for impact as SNAP cliff looms.
Food banks have already been contending with higher food prices and increased need. Administrators say demand will skyrocket if federal nutrition benefits stop in a few days because of the government ...
www.npr.org
November 3, 2025 at 1:07 AM
"Food banks alone cannot make up for what would be lost for [SNAP recipients].... 'There is no way that we alone can make up for a $44 million food budget shortfall.... [It's different than a] natural disaster where we could rely on our sister food banks for support.'" www.npr.org/2025/10/29/g...
Bottom line: Health guidance matters. Even more reason to be worried about misinformation coming from the very top of our science communication establishment.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/w...
Peanut Allergies Have Plummeted in Children, Study Shows
www.nytimes.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Bottom line: Health guidance matters. Even more reason to be worried about misinformation coming from the very top of our science communication establishment.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/w...
Why are Andrew Tate and his sound-alikes so appealing to boys and men? And is there any way to inoculate our sons against these toxic ideas? This multimedia masterwork from @theguardian.com helped me wrap my head around it all. www.theguardian.com/technology/n...
Money, muscles and anxiety: why the manosphere clicked with young men – a visual deep dive
The manosphere is known for misogyny, but that’s not the only thing that influencers in this space offer. Young men explain the allure and the problems of the manosphere in their own words
www.theguardian.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Why are Andrew Tate and his sound-alikes so appealing to boys and men? And is there any way to inoculate our sons against these toxic ideas? This multimedia masterwork from @theguardian.com helped me wrap my head around it all. www.theguardian.com/technology/n...
The incomparable @nhannahjones.bsky.social on why firing federal workers isn’t just downsizing government, it’s downsizing rights - so much so that they’re effectively being eliminated. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/p...
How Trump Upended 60 Years of Civil Rights
www.nytimes.com
October 29, 2025 at 9:22 PM
The incomparable @nhannahjones.bsky.social on why firing federal workers isn’t just downsizing government, it’s downsizing rights - so much so that they’re effectively being eliminated. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/p...
Reposted by Gail Cornwall
Schools and districts are not equipped to deal with the dysregulation students are going to experience due to excessive hunger and familial stress over food insecurity.
We’re just not in any way prepared.
We’re just not in any way prepared.
October 29, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Schools and districts are not equipped to deal with the dysregulation students are going to experience due to excessive hunger and familial stress over food insecurity.
We’re just not in any way prepared.
We’re just not in any way prepared.
“I’ve watched the lines on 2 graphs move in opposite directions: male loneliness climbs as male reading & writing scores drop. Are these trends correlated, & if so, can reading help address loneliness?” YES, says JT Torres of Harte Center for @hechingerreport.org hechingerreport.org/opinion-youn...
OPINION: Young men are increasingly lonely and isolated. Could reading more to boys be the answer?
Male loneliness is climbing as male reading and writing scores drop. Are these trends correlated, and if so, can reading help address loneliness?
hechingerreport.org
October 29, 2025 at 12:31 AM
“I’ve watched the lines on 2 graphs move in opposite directions: male loneliness climbs as male reading & writing scores drop. Are these trends correlated, & if so, can reading help address loneliness?” YES, says JT Torres of Harte Center for @hechingerreport.org hechingerreport.org/opinion-youn...
The first installment of @chalkbeat.org’s new “ideas” column does not disappoint. @mattbarnum.bsky.social brings his characteristically open mind, thorough research, and even-handed assessment to education’s much-discussed “Southern surge.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/10/28/l...
Has there been a ‘Southern surge’ in student learning?
Not exactly — but there have been some Southern success stories.
www.chalkbeat.org
October 28, 2025 at 9:35 PM
The first installment of @chalkbeat.org’s new “ideas” column does not disappoint. @mattbarnum.bsky.social brings his characteristically open mind, thorough research, and even-handed assessment to education’s much-discussed “Southern surge.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/10/28/l...
Anat Leonard-Wookey of LifeMoves with tips for school staff and parents on handling student homelessness compassionately and productively for @edsource.org. What should we do when “elementary-age kids … fall asleep in class,” wear soiled clothes, ask questions, and more? edsource.org/2025/support...
COMMENTARY: What I wish more adults understood about children without housing
Tens of thousands of California students carry the hidden weight of housing insecurity with them every day. It's our duty as a society to make them feel safe and secure, that they belong despite their...
edsource.org
October 28, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Anat Leonard-Wookey of LifeMoves with tips for school staff and parents on handling student homelessness compassionately and productively for @edsource.org. What should we do when “elementary-age kids … fall asleep in class,” wear soiled clothes, ask questions, and more? edsource.org/2025/support...
The choices we make now matter. History is coming for us. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
What if the Big Law Firms Hadn’t Caved to Trump?
It’s not inconceivable that, had the firms resisted the President’s executive orders, his momentum for lawlessness might have been curbed.
www.newyorker.com
October 26, 2025 at 11:14 AM
The choices we make now matter. History is coming for us. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
Reposted by Gail Cornwall
The day after Donald Trump announced his plan for a ceasefire, Israel struck more homes in Gaza City, reportedly killing dozens, including a three-month-old baby. In a new essay, @mosababutoha.bsky.social shares what’s happening to people he knows in Gaza.
There is No Peace in Gaza
Since President Trump announced his plan for a ceasefire, people I know have continued to be killed. One described torture during a year in Israeli custody.
www.newyorker.com
October 24, 2025 at 2:39 PM
The day after Donald Trump announced his plan for a ceasefire, Israel struck more homes in Gaza City, reportedly killing dozens, including a three-month-old baby. In a new essay, @mosababutoha.bsky.social shares what’s happening to people he knows in Gaza.
Reposted by Gail Cornwall
This morning’s Big Story newsletter from @propublica.org:
📌 Oklahoma’s shift toward conservatism and Christianity in public schools has come amid abysmal test scores and high dropout rates.
www.propublica.org/article/trum... by @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
📌 Oklahoma’s shift toward conservatism and Christianity in public schools has come amid abysmal test scores and high dropout rates.
www.propublica.org/article/trum... by @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
October 22, 2025 at 1:31 PM
This morning’s Big Story newsletter from @propublica.org:
📌 Oklahoma’s shift toward conservatism and Christianity in public schools has come amid abysmal test scores and high dropout rates.
www.propublica.org/article/trum... by @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
📌 Oklahoma’s shift toward conservatism and Christianity in public schools has come amid abysmal test scores and high dropout rates.
www.propublica.org/article/trum... by @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
Trump admin changes to immigration courts are alegal in the same way that their aims are amoral.
Today, “I don’t think the immigration-court system is a court system,” a former senior eoir official and military judge told E. Tammy Kim for @newyorker.com.
www.newyorker.com/inside-donal...
Today, “I don’t think the immigration-court system is a court system,” a former senior eoir official and military judge told E. Tammy Kim for @newyorker.com.
www.newyorker.com/inside-donal...
Inside Donald Trump’s Attack on Immigration Courts
Judges describe a campaign of firings and interference which threatens the system’s independence.
www.newyorker.com
October 26, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Trump admin changes to immigration courts are alegal in the same way that their aims are amoral.
Today, “I don’t think the immigration-court system is a court system,” a former senior eoir official and military judge told E. Tammy Kim for @newyorker.com.
www.newyorker.com/inside-donal...
Today, “I don’t think the immigration-court system is a court system,” a former senior eoir official and military judge told E. Tammy Kim for @newyorker.com.
www.newyorker.com/inside-donal...
Reposted by Gail Cornwall
Trump’s agents have detained innocent American citizens and residents, from children asleep in their homes to an Alderman’s staffers.
All demanding proof of citizenship, without probable cause, with only the victim’s skin color as a reason.
This isn't about crime or safety.
All demanding proof of citizenship, without probable cause, with only the victim’s skin color as a reason.
This isn't about crime or safety.
Border Patrol Agents Detain 2 City Employees During ‘Lawless’ Little Village Raids, Ald. Rodriguez Says
“These federal agents are operating lawlessly, demonstrating utter disregard for our constitutional rights,” Ald. Mike Rodriguez (22nd Ward) said.
news.wttw.com
October 23, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Trump’s agents have detained innocent American citizens and residents, from children asleep in their homes to an Alderman’s staffers.
All demanding proof of citizenship, without probable cause, with only the victim’s skin color as a reason.
This isn't about crime or safety.
All demanding proof of citizenship, without probable cause, with only the victim’s skin color as a reason.
This isn't about crime or safety.
I am zero percent surprised. Citing graduation rate, when districts determine who graduates, is like using self-assessment to grade student essays. It tells you something but isn’t a reliable measure of quality. @jakobmcwhinney.bsky.social for @voiceofsandiego.org voiceofsandiego.org/2025/10/21/2...
20 Years of Impact: Investigating San Diego Unified's Graduation Rate
In May of 2016, then-San Diego Unified Superintendent Cindy Marten touted a jaw-dropping statistic: 92 percent of the class of 2016 was on track to graduate. That graduation rate, one […]
voiceofsandiego.org
October 22, 2025 at 6:54 PM
I am zero percent surprised. Citing graduation rate, when districts determine who graduates, is like using self-assessment to grade student essays. It tells you something but isn’t a reliable measure of quality. @jakobmcwhinney.bsky.social for @voiceofsandiego.org voiceofsandiego.org/2025/10/21/2...
Reposted by Gail Cornwall
Bob Dylan on Like a Rolling Stone: “It’s like a ghost is writing a song like that. It gives you the song and it goes away, it goes away. You don’t know what it means. Except the ghost picked me to write the song…"
October 20, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Bob Dylan on Like a Rolling Stone: “It’s like a ghost is writing a song like that. It gives you the song and it goes away, it goes away. You don’t know what it means. Except the ghost picked me to write the song…"