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Talia Richman

Talia

Talia Richman is the Montgomery County education reporter at The Banner. She previously covered schools for The Dallas Morning News, where she wrote about shoddy teacher preparation programs, discipline disparities and the lingering impact of COVID-19 on children. The Education Writers Association has recognized Talia as among the best education beat reporters in the nation. Prior to her time in Texas, she covered schools and City Hall for The Baltimore Sun. Talia is a Dallas native who made her way to the East Coast to study journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.

The latest from Talia Richman

For about $65K, this AI-powered Bethesda school plans to offer 2 hours of academics a day
The national Alpha Schools network is expanding into Maryland. Tuition will be about $65,000. Starting salaries for teachers could be upward of $100,000.
Alpha School students are showing the the skills they learned during a CPR workshop.
Ethan has autism. Can Montgomery County find the right school for him?
A mother has spent months fighting with the district over where her son can best learn.
Ethan walks out of Paint Branch High School during his second week at the comprehensive campus, which is 28 times the size of his last school.
Former Montgomery County student sues school board over alleged abuse in the late 2000s
The case revolves around Daniel Picca, who worked at several MCPS elementary schools from 1985 to 2021 and faced numerous allegations of inappropriate conduct, starting in at least 1993.
The Montgomery County Public Schools headquarters in Rockville, Maryland.
School bus driver who died in Gaithersburg crash identified by union
Rodney Givens was identified by the SEIU 500 as the Montgomery County Public Schools bus driver who had a medical emergency and died after crashing into a utility pole in Gaithersburg on Tuesday.
‘They’re building it just for me’: Montgomery County students welcomed onto new campus
The $59 million Burtonsville Elementary building was years in the making.
Nicole Stennett holds her 6-year-old son Nicholas so he can watch the ribbon-cutting ceremony at his new elementary school.
Montgomery County schools facing a $3 billion maintenance backlog, officials say
The Montgomery County Public Schools system is operating with an estimated $3 billion deferred maintenance backlog, officials said.
Rachel DuBois of Montgomery County Public Schools points out damage as she leads a tour of the district’s warehouse and operations in Rockville.
How a fifth grader with autism ended up sedated, handcuffed and in the ER
Hundreds of times a year, Maryland students are removed from school using a legal maneuver known as an emergency petition.
A 10-year-old boy, who is diagnosed with autism, was handcuffed by a Washington County sheriff’s deputy, sedated by a medic against his mother’s wishes and transported from school to a hospital.
Do students have too much Chromebook time? One Maryland district will find out.
The screen time audit comes as parents across the country are revolting over how much of class is spent on computers.
A child uses a laptop.
Why have Maryland’s school test scores stalled?
Maryland posted lackluster scores on the annual standardized tests, but experts say they expect greater improvement in years to come and the results are in keeping with the national trend.
DECEMBER 11, 2025 - Students in Yongsul Cho's Algebra I class at Greenbelt Middle School complete function problems during their daily class.
Montgomery County schools’ test scores show one grade is outpacing the rest
Montgomery County students made modest gains in reading and math, though not all groups improved.
MCPS spends millions on portable classrooms. New boundaries could make some disappear.
Roughly 60% of the district’s portable classrooms are on elementary campuses.
Arcola Elementary is home to four portable classrooms because its main campus is over-capacity. Fifth-grade teacher Karen McKiernan has taught in the trailers for a decade.
Think high school redistricting was tough? Get ready for an elementary boundary study.
Montgomery County will consider closing campuses and changing attendance zones.
District leaders say a shake-up is necessary as Montgomery County Public Schools confront declining enrollment, uneven building utilization and other factors.
This street saw a stabbing, then a police shooting. Leaders want to know what could help.
Community leaders will gather Thursday evening near a Gaithersburg bus stop where police fatally shot a man last weekend. They plan to talk with residents about strategies to stem persistent violence in the area.
Community leaders, including Amar Mukunda, will gather Thursday evening near a Gaithersburg bus stop where police fatally shot a man last weekend.
Voters should expect party politics in this nonpartisan school board race
Montgomery County residents should brace for a decidedly partisan tone ahead of November’s general election for an at large seat on the school board.
Montgomery County residents should brace for a decidedly partisan tone ahead of November’s general election for an at large seat on the school board.
Lazo, Diaz and McCarthy looking strong in the Montgomery County school board primary race
Two of the board’s eight seats were on the ballot in the June 23 primary, even though the board is technically nonpartisan. The winners advance to November’s general election.
Four of the board’s eight seats were on the ballot in the June 23 primary, though only two of them were competitive.
High school students promised free access to college courses may now have to pay
Montgomery County’s superintendent acknowledged that this would ‘disproportionately impact Black and brown students.’
The Montgomery College campus in Takoma Park, Md.
For some Montgomery County children, free summer meals are too far away
The closest summer food site to Poolesville Elementary, for example, is more than 10 miles away — at least a 20-minute drive.
District officials encourage MCPS families in need of assistance during the summer to apply for the state’s SUN Bucks program.
These student journalists want administrators’ hands off their work
In an open letter to district leadership, high school reporters decried a memo that instructed administrators to review the final drafts of student publications.
Student journalists in Montgomery County Public Schools are warning about new guidance that calls for administrators to review their publications.
Who’s running for Montgomery County school board — and why?
There are elections for four of the board’s eight seats in the June 23 primary, though only two of them are competitive.
There are elections for four of the board’s eight seats in the June 23 primary, though only two of them are competitive.
MCPS board cuts 415 staff positions but protects school psychologists
In a tense vote, the Montgomery County school board approved a roughly $3.7 billion budget.
The Montgomery County Public Schools headquarters Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Rockville.
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