Sarah Mervosh
Education reporter at The New York Times
Sarah Mervosh (Education reporter at The New York Times) has appeared as a guest on 1 episode in TMT. Topics they speak about most include School closures, Declining enrollment in U.S. public schools, Educational equity.
In their words
Positions and remarks grouped by topic, each with the exact quote and where it was said.
School closures
Mervosh notes other districts face similar choices, citing Philadelphia and Austin votes to close schools.
“Philadelphia voted to close schools. Austin voted to close schools. L.A., Portland, they're having these discussions”
The Daily: Public Schools Have a New Crisis: Not Enough Students (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 44:52
Mervosh describes school closures as among the most unpopular moves in education and argues they raise questions of which children are prioritized.
“I think closing schools is one of the most unpopular things you can do in education”
The Daily: Public Schools Have a New Crisis: Not Enough Students (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 6:32
Declining enrollment in U.S. public schools
Mervosh explains that school costs do not shrink proportionally with enrollment because teachers, principals and buildings remain necessary.
“if your school shrinks by, say, 20 percent, you have fewer students, but you still often need the same number of teachers”
The Daily: Public Schools Have a New Crisis: Not Enough Students (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 5:32
Mervosh reports that since about 2014, K-12 public school enrollment has fallen in 30 states.
“since about 2014, over the last decade, enrollment in K-12 public schools in the country has fallen in 30 states”
The Daily: Public Schools Have a New Crisis: Not Enough Students (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 4:41
Educational equity
Mervosh concludes that Pittsburgh is raising the floor for vulnerable students while risking the loss of higher-achieving, wealthier families.
“they weren't paying as much attention to the ceiling. The students who maybe were higher achieving, maybe wealthier, have more agency and options in their family”
The Daily: Public Schools Have a New Crisis: Not Enough Students (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 45:10
Pittsburgh Public Schools
Mervosh reports that Pittsburgh's schools lost about a quarter of their enrollment over the last decade.
“over the last decade in Pittsburgh, that meant that all of this combined, they've lost about 25 percent of their enrollments”
The Daily: Public Schools Have a New Crisis: Not Enough Students (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 9:40
Declining fertility rate in the United States
Mervosh attributes part of the decline to the U.S. fertility rate, which peaked in 2007, with those children graduating in 2025.
“In the U.S. broadly, the fertility rate peaked in 2007, and it's pretty much been declining since then”
The Daily: Public Schools Have a New Crisis: Not Enough Students (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 9:18
Appearances
Public Schools Have a New Crisis: Not Enough StudentsThe Daily · Nov 11, 2026 · 48 min
Natalie Kitroeff and education reporter Sarah Mervosh examine shrinking U.S. public school enrollment and Pittsburgh's controversial plan to close schools and end most magnet programs.
Often appears with
- Natalie Kitroeff · 1 shared episode
- Gene Walker · 1 shared episode
- Abigail Folds · 1 shared episode