Jo Napolitano has been covering public education for decades. She was hired as a full-time freelancer for The New York Times’ national desk in 2002 and left the paper two years later to join the staff of the Chicago Tribune. Her work at the paper sparked what was then the largest investigation of a school district in Illinois history. It led to the indictment of a superintendent who squandered money earmarked for poor children.
Hired by Newsday in 2010 as a special (senior) writer, Napolitano spent six years exposing cheating scandals, exploring the nation’s controversial teacher evaluation laws and shining a light on a local school district that refused to enroll unaccompanied immigrant minors.
As a Spencer Fellow, Napolitano focused on the plight of young refugees unlawfully refused admission to a Pennsylvania high school. Her book on their ensuing legal battle, The School I Deserve: Six Young Refugees and Their Fight for Equality in America, was published by Beacon Press in 2021. She joined the staff of The 74 that same year, focusing on immigration and mathematics.
Born in Bogota, Colombia, Napolitano was soon placed in an orphanage and adopted to the United States. She is a native New Yorker.
Examples of Napolitano’s work:
Hundreds of U.S. High Schools Wrongfully Refused Entry to Older, Immigrant Student
Older Immigrant Students Say High School Admission Bettered Their Lives in U.S.
Long Island School Failed to Properly Enroll Hispanic Students