Author

Elaine S. Povich

Elaine S. Povich

Elaine S. Povich covers consumer affairs for Stateline. Povich has reported for Newsday, the Chicago Tribune and United Press International. She also has worked as a freelancer for the Washington Post, the Fiscal Times, Governing, Kiplinger and AARP Bulletin. She has written three books, including "John McCain: American Maverick," and is at work on a fourth. She is an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of Maryland. Povich received the Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress for her work on how the personal health care stories of members of Congress affect policy. She is a past president of the Washington Press Club Foundation, which helps young women and minorities excel in the field of journalism through internships in Washington, D.C. A native of Bath, Maine, Povich graduated from Cornell University and holds a Master's Certificate in Multimedia Journalism from the University of Maryland.

Anabelle Chao works on a cursive writing exercise

Cursive makes a comeback — by law — in public schools

By: - November 18, 2023

In 2016, California Democratic state Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva sat with then-California Gov. Jerry Brown at an event where he signed baseball-type cards featuring the image of his dog, Colusa. But many of the recipients of the cards couldn’t read his cursive signature, Quirk-Silva recalled, much to the Democratic governor’s dismay. “The governor asked me what […]

Dennis Prager attends Politicon at the Pasadena Convention Center

Controversial PragerU videos gain educational foothold in a handful of states

By: - November 5, 2023

In July, Florida became the first state to allow schools to incorporate instructional videos with a conservative viewpoint from vendor PragerU into their classroom materials. Oklahoma and Montana rapidly followed. New Hampshire in September approved the use of online PragerU videos to satisfy financial literacy requirements in public schools. PragerU and one state education board […]

New graduates line up before the start of a community college commencement in East Rutherford, New Jersey

No more attending classes: These community colleges let students learn at their own pace.

By: - October 29, 2023

Jaqueline Yalda, who has been a campus police officer at El Paso Community College in Texas for a decade, sought a promotion earlier this year. But first, the department required her to complete a college-level course in criminal justice. It had been many years since Yalda had taken any college classes. And at age 38, […]

A security camera pm the CEO;omg is in a classroom with students

Shaken by post-pandemic disruptions, some states take a harder line on school discipline

By: - October 3, 2023

Parents in Boone County, Kentucky, were outraged this past January when a ninth grader who had been suspended a year earlier for threatening violence against his fellow students returned to class as soon as his punishment time was up. The parents packed a school board meeting, excoriating the county superintendent and other officials for the […]

Students walk to buses at Morse High School/Bath Regional Career and Technical Center in Bath, Maine.

Hit the snooze button: States debate later high school start times

By: - September 13, 2023

California and Florida have become the first states to require later public school start times, a response to reams of research showing significant advantages for high school students who can get more sleep by beginning their day at 8:30 a.m. or later. But such changes come with difficult ripple effects — upended bus schedules, later starts […]

A building with "University" written on its facade

Nearly half the states now allow in-state tuition for immigrant students

By: - August 16, 2023

When Cristian Dubon Solis was getting ready to graduate from a Boston high school in 2020, he started planning to apply to college. It was only then he realized that as an immigrant lacking permanent legal status, he wouldn’t qualify for in-state tuition at Massachusetts state universities, nor for state-sponsored financial aid. With no way to […]

An aerial view of the athletic complex and dormitories at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

Students blocked from campus when COVID hit want money back. Some are getting refunds.

By: - August 8, 2023

Thousands of college students will get hundreds of dollars in compensation as colleges and universities move this summer to settle multimillion-dollar lawsuits stemming from canceled classes and activities during COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. While some of the class-action suits against the colleges and universities are still in litigation, and still others dismissed, several major cases have […]

Fourth graders study in a view through a classroom window.

Plagued by teacher shortages, some states turn to fast-track credentialing

By: - July 24, 2023

Faced with alarming teacher shortages, Virginia last month agreed to partner with a for-profit online teacher credentialing company, hoping to get more teachers into classrooms faster and without the higher tuition costs of traditional colleges and universities. While some of the Virginia school board members had qualms about the process, they agreed to give it […]

Aerial view of buildings at the University of California at Berkeley

Campus diversity will be a struggle without race-based admissions, history shows

By: - July 5, 2023

States that have tried to enroll more Black and Hispanic students in state universities without using race-based admissions policies have seen the numbers of those students slip — especially at elite institutions. Nine states had affirmative action bans before last week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking it down nationwide. Those states and others have tried […]

Cars and trucks move along the Cross Bronx Expressway in New York City.

Car insurance premiums based on job, education can ding low-wage workers

By: - June 29, 2023

New Jersey resident Anna “Cuqui” Rivera, a high school graduate who works as a labor and civil rights activist and moonlights as a DJ, was paying almost $3,000 annually for auto insurance with one of the big companies. Now, she pays almost $2,000 less for coverage on her 2016 Jeep. The difference? Her new, smaller insurance company doesn’t take […]

School children running and jumping off staircase from school building

More states use taxpayer dollars to help people pay for private school

By: - June 15, 2023

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which parents and educators reevaluated their relationship with public schools, lawmakers across the country have eagerly embraced state-funded voucher programs, giving public money to students to attend private schools. So far this year, at least 10 states have implemented or expanded programs for vouchers and other state […]

Trays of vegetables are placed along the serving line of a school cafeteria

More states line up to serve free school meals to all kids

By: - May 27, 2023

During his long career as a high school teacher, New York state Sen. John Mannion often reached into his own pocket to cover the cost of lunches for kids who didn’t have the funds. “I watched kids get to the end of the line and not have enough money on their cards,” the Democrat said […]