Jill Barshay

Students, parents and school principals all instinctively know that some teachers are better than others. Education researchers have spent decades trying — with mixed success — to calculate exactly how much better. What remains far more elusive is why. A ... See more

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This year, a lot of my reporting focused on the dismantling of federally funded education research and statistics inside the Department of Education. (If you want the full post-mortem, you can read my year-end recap.) But 2025 wasn’t only about watchdog w... See more

California finally rolled out free preschool for all 4-year-olds in the 2025-26 school year, after more than a decade of expanding what the state calls transitional kindergarten. Many advocates hoped the move would ease child care shortages and close lear... See more

California's Free Preschool Initiative Sparks Child Care Crisis California's free preschool initiative has led to the closure of many child care centers in Los Angeles, causing challenges for families seeking care. By Jill Barshay California’s Ambitious F... See more