Amanda Litvinov

Washington, D.C., United States

Senior Education Writer at NEA Today Magazine

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Articles

Why Block Grants Are Bad News for Students

1 week ago | nea.org | Amanda Litvinov

The Trump administration’s torrent of firings and funding cuts at the U.S. Department of Education has drawn broad criticism from experts and former education secretaries in both parties. President Trump and Elon Musk’s stated intention to “move education back to the states” is equally concerning to public education supporters and experts. Why?
NEA Files Suit to Defend Public Schools from Trump’s Reckless Cuts

1 month ago | nea.org | Amanda Litvinov

By: Amanda Litvinov, Senior Writer/Editor Key Takeaways The Trump administration has cut the workforce of the Department of Education by 50 percent since January. The massive staff reductions have eliminated all or nearly all employees in certain offices, rendering them non-functional. Dismantling the Department of Education or slashing existing federal funding will have devastating effects on students.
Five Reasons Educators Are Wary as Second Trump Term Begins

Jan 21, 2025 | nea.org | Amanda Litvinov

Betsy Perry is a National Board Certified Teacher who works with special needs students in Montgomery County, Md. She spent most of her 30-year career as a special education teacher at Harmony Hills Elementary School in Silver Spring, Md. There, she worked with many students who have layers of needs: “Some have had interrupted schooling, some are fleeing instability or violence or experienced trauma, and many are learning English,” says Perry.
Three Election Wins That Matter for Public Education

Jan 3, 2025 | nea.org | Amanda Litvinov

250,000 the number of NEA members who volunteered through their union in the 2024 election cycle—a record high number. This month, educators will see a new Congress sworn in and a new presidential administration take shape in Washington. Conditions for public education and labor unions will be challenging. But voters delivered some important wins in election 2024 that hold promise for educators, students, and families who rely on public education. Here are three bright spots:1.
Top Three Reasons Linda McMahon Should Not Be Secretary of Education

Nov 20, 2024 | nea.org | Amanda Litvinov

When President-elect Donald Trump named Linda McMahon as his nominee for Secretary of Education on Tuesday, the news did not sit well with the nation’s public-school educators. McMahon is not only unqualified to run the agency, she has spent years pushing policies that would defund and destroy public schools. If this description sounds familiar, it’s because McMahon is strikingly similar to Trump’s Secretary of Education in his first term, Betsy DeVos.
U.S. House Takes Historic Leap toward Social Security Fairness

Nov 15, 2024 | nea.org | Amanda Litvinov

On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal two provisions of the Social Security law that take a devastating toll on the retirement security of some public employees, including educators. The move comes after decades of advocacy on the part of NEA and NEA-Retired to explain to lawmakers how the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) hurt teachers.
Educators Find Meaningful Election Wins for Public Education

Nov 13, 2024 | nea.org | Amanda Litvinov

As results rolled in on Election Day, NEA members across the nation realized that many of the pro-public education candidates who had earned the backing of their union would not win their elections this year. The losses were deep at the federal level. In the presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris and former teacher and Minnesota Gov.
Educators Lead the Charge to Elect Public Education Champions

Oct 18, 2024 | nea.org | Amanda Litvinov

This summer Eugene Johnson, a high school social studies teacher from Lancaster County, Penn., achieved a long-time goal: to gain turf-cutting experience. No, his goal had nothing to do with landscaping. Through his union, the Pennsylvania State Education Association, Johnson learned to use political campaign technology to create lists of likely voters by neighborhood that his team of door-knockers should speak with about the election.
How to Stop Disinformation

Aug 13, 2024 | nea.org | Amanda Litvinov

Consider how you would respond in this scenario: You come across a Facebook post that talks about your school, but the facts are all wrong. The post—which has dozens of shares—claims that the school library is stocked with inappropriate titles for your elementary students, which you know to be false. Should you:a) Comment on the Facebook post to debunk the false narrative; b) comment on the article itself; or c) both?
Issues and Action: What Reduces Income Inequality? Unions!

Apr 23, 2024 | nea.org | Amanda Litvinov

Laurel Smith-Doerr, a professor and organizational sociologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, studied the pay gap at her own university with mostly satisfying results: Female professors at the top of the pay scale make as much or even more than men in similar positions—which is not usually the case in higher education.