Elizabeth Shockman
@eshockmanwrites.bsky.social
Journalist at MPR News, reporting on K-12 education. Author of "Behind the Red Velvet Curtain: An American Ballerina in Russia." Parent. Minnesotan.
Pinned
Behind the Red Velvet Curtain: An American Ballerina in Russia
This book an unflinching, complex, and compassionate true tale of the first American ballerina to sign a contract with the Bolshoi Ballet Theater in Moscow, Russia. The narrative is drawn from mor...
rowman.com
My book is out today! "Behind the Red Velvet Curtain" took me 12 years to report and write. You can request it at the library, buy online or at Subtext or come get a signed copy at The Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis next month! rowman.com/ISBN/9781538...
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
Trump's Education Policies Spurred 70 Lawsuits in 2025. How Many Is He Winning?: The legal challenges show which policies have had a big impact and how 2026 could go.
Trump's Education Policies Spurred 70 Lawsuits in 2025. How Many Is He Winning?
The legal challenges show which policies have had a big impact and how 2026 could go.
www.edweek.org
December 22, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Trump's Education Policies Spurred 70 Lawsuits in 2025. How Many Is He Winning?: The legal challenges show which policies have had a big impact and how 2026 could go.
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
For more than five decades, the Assad family name has been synonymous with brutal autocracy in Syria. Now, the Assads are fugitives living in Moscow. Reporters for The New York Times have uncovered glimpses into a life of luxury and impunity in Russia.
Assad, Ousted Syrian Ruler, Leads Life of Luxury in Russia
Bashar al-Assad’s long, brutal reign ended swiftly, but he and his close circle have had a soft landing in Russia.
nyti.ms
December 22, 2025 at 11:10 PM
For more than five decades, the Assad family name has been synonymous with brutal autocracy in Syria. Now, the Assads are fugitives living in Moscow. Reporters for The New York Times have uncovered glimpses into a life of luxury and impunity in Russia.
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
Federal Appeals Court Upholds 8th Grader's Expulsion Over Gun Comments in Class: Shortly after a nearby mass school shooting, a student allegedly discussed bringing a gun to school.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds 8th Grader's Expulsion Over Gun Comments in Class
Shortly after a nearby mass school shooting, a student allegedly discussed bringing a gun to school.
www.edweek.org
December 22, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Federal Appeals Court Upholds 8th Grader's Expulsion Over Gun Comments in Class: Shortly after a nearby mass school shooting, a student allegedly discussed bringing a gun to school.
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
The New York Times investigated 346 people who donated at least $250,000 to Trump and found that more than half of them (197) have received pardons, jobs, government contracts, special treatment, or favors.
Hundreds of Big Post-Election Donors Have Benefited From Trump’s Return to Office
Well into his second term, the president and his allies have continued aggressively raising money. Many donors have interests before his administration, The Times found.
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:41 PM
The New York Times investigated 346 people who donated at least $250,000 to Trump and found that more than half of them (197) have received pardons, jobs, government contracts, special treatment, or favors.
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
In many states across the U.S., Uber’s guidelines allow people with serious criminal convictions to drive, as long as those convictions are more than seven years old, a New York Times investigation found. Some of those drivers have gone on to sexually assault or harass passengers.
Uber Cleared Violent Felons to Drive. Passengers Accused Them of Rape.
The ride-hailing giant’s background check process was intended to speed drivers onto its network while keeping costs down, internal documents show.
nyti.ms
December 22, 2025 at 5:30 PM
In many states across the U.S., Uber’s guidelines allow people with serious criminal convictions to drive, as long as those convictions are more than seven years old, a New York Times investigation found. Some of those drivers have gone on to sexually assault or harass passengers.
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
Breaking news: The Trump administration plans to shift the federal government away from directly recommending most vaccines for children and suggest parents consult with doctors to make their own vaccine choices.
U.S. plans to stop recommending most childhood vaccines, defer to doctors
The plan, which is not finalized, suggests children get fewer shots and shifts to a model telling parents to consult doctors to make their own vaccine choices.
wapo.st
December 19, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Breaking news: The Trump administration plans to shift the federal government away from directly recommending most vaccines for children and suggest parents consult with doctors to make their own vaccine choices.
"Multiple staff members expressed discontent with executive leaders and top managers. They characterized the work environment as disrespectful and chaotic. And they described what they saw as efforts to silence internal dissent..." www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Staff complaints, financial pressures roil Planned Parenthood in Minnesota
Planned Parenthood faces external pressures from federal budget cuts and hostile state governments. But current and former employees at the organization’s Minnesota-based Midwest affiliate complain th...
www.mprnews.org
December 17, 2025 at 6:34 PM
"Multiple staff members expressed discontent with executive leaders and top managers. They characterized the work environment as disrespectful and chaotic. And they described what they saw as efforts to silence internal dissent..." www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
"The board will meet again in early January to consider more cuts, including a possible closure of a fine arts magnet middle school program." www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Robbinsdale school board votes to close 3 schools amid budget shortfall
Robbinsdale Area Schools will close three schools and its district headquarters building at the end of this school year to address a significant budget shortfall.
www.mprnews.org
December 17, 2025 at 6:23 PM
"The board will meet again in early January to consider more cuts, including a possible closure of a fine arts magnet middle school program." www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
Authorities identify the suspected gunman in Friday's shooting in Stewartville as a former student wrestler who graduated last year.
Police identify gunman as former Stewartville student as classes resume after Friday shooting
Classes started late on Monday morning at schools in Stewartville, as authorities continue to investigate a shooting early Friday that left a student critically injured and the suspected gunman dead.
www.mprnews.org
December 15, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Authorities identify the suspected gunman in Friday's shooting in Stewartville as a former student wrestler who graduated last year.
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
A 7-year-old child was recently separated from their parents in an operation carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Burnsville. Advocates are helping parents make caretaker arrangements in case they are detained.
As ICE operations continue, immigrant parents look to make arrangements for their children
A 7-year-old child was recently separated from their parents in an operation carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Burnsville. Advocates are helping parents make caretaker ...
www.mprnews.org
December 15, 2025 at 2:01 PM
A 7-year-old child was recently separated from their parents in an operation carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Burnsville. Advocates are helping parents make caretaker arrangements in case they are detained.
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
Union leaders in the state’s largest school district say more than 90 percent of union members have signed a pledge saying they would vote to strike if necessary. The authorization vote will take place Dec. 17-20.
Anoka-Hennepin teachers set strike authorization vote
Union leaders in the state’s largest school district say more than 90 percent of union members have signed a pledge saying they would vote to strike if necessary. The authorization vote will take plac...
www.mprnews.org
December 9, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Union leaders in the state’s largest school district say more than 90 percent of union members have signed a pledge saying they would vote to strike if necessary. The authorization vote will take place Dec. 17-20.
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
Mothers in New Hampshire who were downstream of sites contaminated with “forever chemicals” experienced triple the rate of infant deaths and had more premature births or babies with low birth weights, according to a new study.
‘Forever chemicals’ could cause more infant deaths and preterm births
Mothers in New Hampshire who were downstream of sites contaminated with “forever chemicals” experienced triple the rate of infant deaths, according to a new study.
wapo.st
December 9, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Mothers in New Hampshire who were downstream of sites contaminated with “forever chemicals” experienced triple the rate of infant deaths and had more premature births or babies with low birth weights, according to a new study.
"Districts across the state have mobilized following the president’s latest verbal attack on Somalis. From St. Cloud to the Twin Cities, school leaders say they’re connecting families to legal resources and enforcing policies to keep students safe at school." www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Minnesota schools back families as Trump’s anti-immigrant comments stoke new fears
President Donald Trump’s anti-Somali rhetoric has frightened students, families and staff across the state. Minnesota school leaders say they’re connecting families to legal resources and enforcing po...
www.mprnews.org
December 8, 2025 at 6:38 PM
"Districts across the state have mobilized following the president’s latest verbal attack on Somalis. From St. Cloud to the Twin Cities, school leaders say they’re connecting families to legal resources and enforcing policies to keep students safe at school." www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
FYI: If you have news tips regarding ICE activity in the Twin Cities, especially if you have friends or relatives who have been detained, please contact me securely on Signal.
December 7, 2025 at 3:40 PM
FYI: If you have news tips regarding ICE activity in the Twin Cities, especially if you have friends or relatives who have been detained, please contact me securely on Signal.
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
I also wrote a book about survivors’ experiences in the Title IX system. The last substantive chapter is about the impact of sexual violence on their educations.
bookshop.org/p/books/on-t...
bookshop.org/p/books/on-t...
On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence
How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence
bookshop.org
December 2, 2025 at 8:02 PM
I also wrote a book about survivors’ experiences in the Title IX system. The last substantive chapter is about the impact of sexual violence on their educations.
bookshop.org/p/books/on-t...
bookshop.org/p/books/on-t...
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
Parents at Txuj Ci HMong Language and Culture School want the school board to vote on a short-term solution to ease overcrowding — and are tired of feeling invisible.
Written by @bzosiad.bsky.social
Written by @bzosiad.bsky.social
Hmong parents plan one-day boycott of St. Paul Public Schools
As St. Paul Public Schools weighs changes to its Hmong cultural school, parents plan a stay-at-home day to urge faster action on space needs and program stability.
sahanjournal.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Parents at Txuj Ci HMong Language and Culture School want the school board to vote on a short-term solution to ease overcrowding — and are tired of feeling invisible.
Written by @bzosiad.bsky.social
Written by @bzosiad.bsky.social
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
A lot has happened this year. If you'd like a recap of what's happened to education research and statistics, here's my attempt. This might be a good one to listen to on your commute today. (Audio play button below headline. 16 minutes long.) hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
How Trump 2.0 upended education research and statistics in one year
Decades of carefully built infrastructure aimed at improving and tracking how American children learn vanished in an ideological attack
hechingerreport.org
December 1, 2025 at 12:35 PM
A lot has happened this year. If you'd like a recap of what's happened to education research and statistics, here's my attempt. This might be a good one to listen to on your commute today. (Audio play button below headline. 16 minutes long.) hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Alabama's new state Senate map was designed by an 18-year-old University of Alabama freshman who submitted his proposals, unsolicited, to a federal court hearing a lawsuit over the districts.
University of Alabama freshman draws state's court-ordered Senate map | Alabama Reflector
TUSCALOOSA — Daniel DiDonato says he’s been passionate about elections since he was a young child. He submitted six maps to a federal court.
alabamareflector.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Alabama's new state Senate map was designed by an 18-year-old University of Alabama freshman who submitted his proposals, unsolicited, to a federal court hearing a lawsuit over the districts.
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
Breaking News: The Trump administration announced an aggressive plan to continue dismantling the Education Department.
Trump Administration Announces Steps to Dismantle Education Department
Responsibilities for K-12 and college programs, among others, will be moved to other federal agencies.
nyti.ms
November 18, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Breaking News: The Trump administration announced an aggressive plan to continue dismantling the Education Department.
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
Fire in the sky.
What we just saw Tuesday night was a once in a lifetime northern lights event for many Minnesotans.
Here are more remarkable photos & explainers on what just happened last night.
There's a (lesser) chance we could see more tonight.
#mnwx
www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
What we just saw Tuesday night was a once in a lifetime northern lights event for many Minnesotans.
Here are more remarkable photos & explainers on what just happened last night.
There's a (lesser) chance we could see more tonight.
#mnwx
www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Fire in the sky: Remarkable once in a lifetime northern lights show dazzles Minnesotans
A powerful geomagnetic storm caused one the best best northern lights displays of a lifetime for many Minnesotans. There is a chance for more northern lights Wednesday night.
www.mprnews.org
November 12, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Fire in the sky.
What we just saw Tuesday night was a once in a lifetime northern lights event for many Minnesotans.
Here are more remarkable photos & explainers on what just happened last night.
There's a (lesser) chance we could see more tonight.
#mnwx
www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
What we just saw Tuesday night was a once in a lifetime northern lights event for many Minnesotans.
Here are more remarkable photos & explainers on what just happened last night.
There's a (lesser) chance we could see more tonight.
#mnwx
www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
Since the start of the Trump administration, the Justice Department has lost thousands of experienced attorneys and filled only a fraction of the vacancies amid hiring freezes, delays, and a shortage of qualified candidates.
Justice Department struggles as thousands exit — and few are replaced
The Justice Department has lost thousands of experienced attorneys and backfilled a fraction of the open jobs, in part because of a lack of qualified candidates.
wapo.st
November 10, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Since the start of the Trump administration, the Justice Department has lost thousands of experienced attorneys and filled only a fraction of the vacancies amid hiring freezes, delays, and a shortage of qualified candidates.
Reposted by Elizabeth Shockman
“It’s kind of a shocking number."
The median age of first-time home buyers in the U.S. hit an all-time high of 40 in 2025, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors. nyti.ms/4hKc58V
The median age of first-time home buyers in the U.S. hit an all-time high of 40 in 2025, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors. nyti.ms/4hKc58V
November 6, 2025 at 9:58 PM
“It’s kind of a shocking number."
The median age of first-time home buyers in the U.S. hit an all-time high of 40 in 2025, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors. nyti.ms/4hKc58V
The median age of first-time home buyers in the U.S. hit an all-time high of 40 in 2025, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors. nyti.ms/4hKc58V