Laura Meckler

Washington, D.C.

Reporter covering K-12 education across the country, as well as federal education policy and politics

Education: Washington University in St. Louis, A.B. in political science and international development

Laura Meckler is national education writer for The Washington Post, where she covers education across the country as well as federal education policy and politics. She came to The Post from the Wall Street Journal, where she covered presidential politics, the White House, changing American demographics, immigration and health care. Before that, she worked at the Associated Press's Washington bureau and covered state government in Columbus, Ohio. She got her start writing about everything from schools and cops to the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival at the Repository newspaper in Can
Latest from Laura Meckler

Okla. Catholic school set to become nation’s first religious charter

An state board approved the application of St. Isidore of Seville, a Catholic school, testing the constitutional bounds of taxpayer funding for religious education.

June 5, 2023

Trans kids crave acceptance at school in a nation that often resists it

Some people realize they are transgender at a young age. What are schools doing about it?

May 24, 2023

New York City requires reading instruction to be phonics-based

It is the latest example in a national shift toward what supporters call “the science of reading," where children are explicitly taught how to sound out words.

May 9, 2023

Most Americans support anti-trans policies favored by GOP, poll shows

A majority of adults say a person's gender is set from birth. Most would limit the rights of transgender children, too.

May 6, 2023

Two Alabama districts show stark divide in pandemic’s toll on schools

Test scores in two Alabama school districts — Macon County and Pike Road schools — highlight the disparate impact the coronavirus pandemic had on students.

April 27, 2023

House Republicans vote to bar transgender athletes from women’s sports

In addition to the two-page legislation introduced by a Florida congressman, scores of other bills are being proposed at the state and local level that target LGBTQ rights.

April 20, 2023

Biden administration says schools may bar trans athletes from competitive teams

The Biden administration on Thursday proposed new regulations that would allow schools to bar transgender athletes from participating in elite high school and college sports, but disallow blanket bans on the athletes that have been approved across the country.

April 6, 2023

Employee strike shuts down Los Angeles schools for 420,000 students

Los Angeles Unified School District teachers are not directly involved in the dispute, but a major union has said that educators will not cross the picket line.

March 21, 2023

Teenager fatally shot by U.S. Park Police officer in Northeast D.C.

The Park Police officer climbed into the back seat of the vehicle and shot the victim after he started driving away, authorities said. Police said they believe the car had been stolen.

March 18, 2023

6-year-old boy dies of injuries from Southeast D.C. apartment fire

The fire broke out on March 9 on the first floor of a three-story apartment building in the 3300 block of Sixth Street SE.

March 18, 2023