Articles
For new grads, landing a job may be hard. Navigating the workplace may be harder
Colleges are rewriting career services for a generation that prioritizes mental health and well-being
The Hechinger Report
May 20, 2025
Colleges revamp career services to address Gen Z’s work-life expectations
Many colleges are rewriting the way they prepare students for jobs — and life.
The Washington Post
May 20, 2025
Facing Legal Threats, Colleges Back Off Race-Based Programs
College programs designed to give students from underrepresented groups a foothold in careers are being reframed or disappearing
The Hechinger Report, The Nation, MinnPost
November 27, 2024
A principal lost her job after she came out. Her conservative community rallied around her
In a wealthy suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, a beloved school leader tests the limits of tolerance in her hometown
The Hechinger Report. Salon, AL.com
September 19, 2024
Title IX regulations on sex discrimination can be Trump-era or Biden-era, depending on your state or school
Laura Pappano, Nirvi Shah and Sarah Butrymowicz report on how a spate of lawsuits, including one brought by Moms for Liberty, have yielded a patchwork of Title IX enforcement rulings — and confusion — as a new school year begins
The Hechinger Report
August 28, 2024
At Moms for Liberty’s national summit, a singular focus on anti-trans issues
Laura Pappano and Nirvi Shah report from the third Moms for Liberty Summit in Washington, D.C. over Labor Day weekend.
The Hechinger Report, Slate
September 3, 2024
Amid Clampdown on DEI, Some on Campuses Push Back
“Let’s not get tricked Into being quiet,” a college president says about attacks on what can be taught.
The Hechinger Report, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, USA Today
May 2, 2024
‘School Moms’ Fight Back Against Book Bans: Laura Pappano Talks to Mom-Activist Kate Nazemi
Kate Nazemi, co-founder of Advocates for Inclusive Education talks about success in Central Bucks School Board races — and why they’re not done. Plus advice for grassroots parent groups fighting for public education.
Mutha Magazine
April 12, 2024
The Page 99 Test: Laura Pappano’s School Moms
"Open the book to page ninety-nine and read, and the quality of the whole will be revealed to you." --Ford Madox Ford
The Page 99 Test
January 29, 2024
The Heroes Fighting For Public Education
In the face of far-right extremist groups like Moms for Liberty, “school moms” have become the frontline defenders of education for all.
YES! Magazine
January 23, 2024
The magic pebble and a lazy bull: The book ban movement has a long timeline
Adapted excerpt from School Moms.
The Hechinger Report
January 15, 2024
Idaho’s School Board Battles Against the Far Right
(Mostly) Republican moms fight to reclaim their Idaho school district from the far right.
Vanity Fair | The Hechinger Report
December 11, 2023
Who picks school curriculum? Idaho law hands more power to parents
What are the consequences when the state legislature passes "parental rights" laws to control what happens in the classroom?
The Guardian | The Hechinger Report
August 14, 2023
Inside the Weekend’s Gathering of America’s Most Unhinged Right-Wing Moms
When is talk about schools not about education? When you’re at the Moms for Liberty National Summit.
Slate | The Hechinger Report
July 5, 2023
Florida Just Expanded School Vouchers — Again. Here’s What it Could Mean for Public Education.
Vouchers and “school choice” sound good. But it’s more complicated. What is the impact on public schools, which 90 percent of children in America attend?
The Hechinger Report | USA Today
April 24, 2023
Back to School and Back to Normal. Or At Least Close Enough
The fizzle and fun of school is mostly back. And students are embracing it. A snapshot of the start of school in the Methow Valley, WA.
The New York Times
October 11, 2022
College Students to Administrators: Let’s Talk About Mental Health
Covid has cracked open a conversation students are desperate to have.
The Hechinger Report
March 3, 2022
Pandemic Leads Colleges to Revise, Improve Mental Health Efforts
Students want to raise the profile of mental health talk on college campuses
The Washington Post
March 3, 2022