Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Sep 5

NEW: Our look at the many hurdles facing Harvard despite a resounding win in court.

And we tucked in some news: This week the Educ Dept quietly disclosed plan to rewrite civil rights regs to "streamline" process of denying funds to schools in violation.
www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

Harvard beat Trump in court. Here’s what could happen next.

Harvard faces an appeal in court, the prospect of more attacks and a possible delay in restoring the more than $2 billion in frozen federal funding, experts say

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Aug 20

For decades, the federal government has advised schools how to comply with federal law requiring services for kids learning English, with the latest guidance dating to 2015. Suddenly it was rescinded - with no word on whether it will be replaced.

www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

Education Department quietly removes rules for teaching English learners

The move is an acceleration of President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring English the country’s “official language.”

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Aug 18

One of the most striking data points amid many in our look at civil rights enforcement under Trump's Education Department: the backlog of cases rose from about 20,000 to about 25,000 in just five months this year. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

Under Trump, the Education Dept. has flipped its civil rights mission

The administration is prioritizing allegations that transgender students and students of color are getting unfair advantages while a backlog of other cases grows.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Aug 18

Our look at huge changes to civil rights enforcement for schools:
-A reversal in what's considered discrimination w/ reverse racial discrimination and transgender sports cases prioritized
-Severe staff cuts leaving thousands of others unresolved.
www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

Under Trump, the Education Dept. has flipped its civil rights mission

The administration is prioritizing allegations that transgender students and students of color are getting unfair advantages while a backlog of other cases grows.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Aug 5

Arizona has embraced market competition as a central tenet of its K-12 education system, a victory for school choice but with impacts on public education. With enrollment falling, schools are closing. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

Public schools are closing as Arizona’s school voucher program soars

Arizona, with a marketplace of school options and universal vouchers, offers a window into the GOP vision for K-12 education

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Jul 18

Meantime, the public face of the task force, Leo Terrell, has himself been accused of antisemitism – as has President Trump, repeatedly. W/ Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Susan Svrluga, Perry Stein, @emilydavies.bsky.social -‬ All this and more at wapo.st/413jE3p 6/6

How Trump’s antisemitism task force is leading an assault on DEI, colleges

The Trump administration is using antisemitism investigations as a pretext to pursue an unrelated conservative agenda, critics say.

wapo.st

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Jul 18

In February, the antisemitism task force promised to visit 10 schools that have experienced antisemitism and meet with a wide range of people on campus to investigate. Four of those schools said no visits have been requested. (The others didn’t comment.) wapo.st/413jE3p 5/x

How Trump’s antisemitism task force is leading an assault on DEI, colleges

The Trump administration is using antisemitism investigations as a pretext to pursue an unrelated conservative agenda, critics say.

wapo.st

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Jul 18

The administration wrote to 60 schools in March to warn that they might be subject to “enforcement actions” based on their responses to antisemitism, though more than 20 of them have heard nothing from the administration since then, according to a Washington Post survey. wapo.st/413jE3p 4/x

How Trump’s antisemitism task force is leading an assault on DEI, colleges

The Trump administration is using antisemitism investigations as a pretext to pursue an unrelated conservative agenda, critics say.

wapo.st

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Jul 18

There’s been a mishmash of enforcement that has frightened universities across the country. In some cases, the administration issues public threats but never follows up. In others, they pull billions of funding without investigation or attempts to find a solution as civil rights law dictates. 3/x

How Trump’s antisemitism task force is leading an assault on DEI, colleges

The Trump administration is using antisemitism investigations as a pretext to pursue an unrelated conservative agenda, critics say.

wapo.st

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Jul 18

Big picture: Trump officials argue antisemitism and DEI are both racist and therefore related. Critics say they are using antisemitism as a pretext to go after unrelated conservative complaints. “It’s self-evident it’s not about antisemitism,” said one Jewish leader. wapo.st/413jE3p 2/x

How Trump’s antisemitism task force is leading an assault on DEI, colleges

The Trump administration is using antisemitism investigations as a pretext to pursue an unrelated conservative agenda, critics say.

wapo.st

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Jul 18

NEW: Our look at how the Trump antisemitism task force and how it is pressing to reshape universities on DEI and other matters unrelated to antisemitism. It is truly packed with news and tidbits from a great team of reporters 1/x wapo.st/413jE3p

How Trump’s antisemitism task force is leading an assault on DEI, colleges

The Trump administration is using antisemitism investigations as a pretext to pursue an unrelated conservative agenda, critics say.

wapo.st

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Jun 27

Big setback for the school choice movement as Senate parliamentarian nixes school voucher program from giant tax bill. Ruling says plans needs 60 votes to pass Senate-- unlikely if not straight up impossible. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Live updates: More hurdles emerge for passing Trump’s massive legislative package by July 4

Get the latest news on President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House and the Republican-led Congress.

www.washingtonpost.com

Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Jun 11

Public schools are facing a host of new pressures from all corners of government on a range of subjects. Check out our virtual schoolhouse to see some of the biggest headwinds. www.washingtonpost.com/education/in...

How Washington is stressing out American schools

Take a journey through our schoolhouse to see some of the headwinds facing K-12 education in America today.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Jun 4

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Wednesday she is not sure whether teaching about Ruby Bridges or the Tulsa Race Massacre would amount to illegal diversity, equity and inclusion education. “I’d have to get back to you on that," she told a House committee.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Live updates: Trump’s ‘big’ bill projected to add $2.4 trillion to national debt over coming decade

Get the latest news on President Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the Republican-led Congress.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Jun 1

For decades, the fed’l gov’t used data analysis - known as disparate impact - to ferret out discrimination, winning cases and reaching settlements in housing, education, policing and more. Now the Trump admin is unwinding those cases. w/
@julez.bsky.social

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Discrimination cases unravel as Trump scraps core civil rights tenet

The administration is dismissing cases and unwinding settlements built on "disparate impact," which holds that even neutral policies can lead to biased outcomes.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · May 13

Actually I believe there’s a provision barring that

Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · May 12

Reupping this story. The tax bill includes the school voucher tax credit described here -- a 100% tax credit for donations to voucher orgs - so taxpayers would essentially get their money back when they file their taxes. A huge win for school choice movement. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

GOP voucher plan would divert billions in taxes to private schools

Donations to scholarship programs would be fully reimbursed through a new tax credit, creating the largest federal tax incentive for charitable giving.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Apr 13

A very personal essay about something many of us have dealt with: Dementia and grief have complicated my decades-long relationship with my stepfather. We visit a lot — and not enough. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

The hardest thing my family does each week

The most obvious thing would be to connect through shared memories, but all our shared memories involve my mom, but whenever I mention her name, Michael gets visibly upset.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Apr 8

SCOOP: The Educ Dept's civil rights office has terminated an already agreed-to agreement with a SD school district regarding equal treatment of Native American students because, they said, the agreement included DEI. More reviews like this are coming. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

Feds end a civil rights agreement on treatment of Native students, citing DEI

The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights will review other discrimination resolutions to determine if they violate Trump’s orders.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Apr 4

Head of Anti-Defamation League questions Trump’s aggressive effort to find and deport foreign students who have protested on behalf of Palestinians, suggesting admin is betraying American values, denying due process and punishing people for their views. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

Leading Jewish group condemns deportations of pro-Palestinian protesters

The Anti-Defamation League’s CEO called the deportation effort against campus protesters a violation of due process and possibly punishment for “thoughtcrimes”

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Mar 25

The request was highly unusual. Normally investigations ask for info about how the school handled incidents, not for the names of those who might have committed the harassment. The administration says the info was needed for its probes but others fear misuse. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

New Trump demand to colleges: Name protesters — and their nationalities

The demand for student information came after the administration promised to deport non-citizens who participated in what it called “pro-jihadist protests”

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Mar 25

NEW: In investigating universities' handling of antisemitism, the Trump admin demanded names and nationalities of protesters, according to sources + documents. The request raised questions about whether the info would be used for immigration enforcement. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

New Trump demand to colleges: Name protesters — and their nationalities

The demand for student information came after the administration promised to deport non-citizens who participated in what it called “pro-jihadist protests”

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Mar 6

These "painful" staff layoffs at Sesame Street come amid existential questions for the show and the nonprofit that produces it. Read my look at the show's challenges -- and my look behind the scenes at how it's all created -- here: www.washingtonpost.com/style/intera...

Inside ‘Sesame Street’ as it fights to survive

Go behind the scenes as “Sesame Street” takes on the emotional health of children — and, with an HBO deal ending, the health of the show itself.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Mar 6

Significant staff cuts underway at Sesame Street, as the iconic show searches for a new streaming deal. I took a short break from the news flood driven by the Trump administration to write about this today (though this too has a Trump element). www.washingtonpost.com/style/2025/0...

Layoffs to hit Sesame Workshop amid streaming woes, Trump attacks

Sesame Workshop announced layoffs at it searches for a new “Sesame Street” streamer.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Laura Meckler @laurameckler.bsky.social · Mar 2

The new FAQ clearly states that by law the federal government cannot dictate curriculum. It also narrows the definition of which types of DEI programs that might draw scrutiny and adheres more closely to traditional court doctrines and interpretation of civil rights law, experts said Saturday.

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