Aliyya Swaby
I write about children, families and inequality in the South.
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What I Cover
I report on issues affecting children and families including education, criminal justice, health care and the social safety net. Recently, I’ve been investigating how states handle threats of mass violence at schools.
My Background
I joined ProPublica’s South unit in 2021, after spending several years covering public education and state politics at The Texas Tribune. My reporting in Texas exposed school officials criminalizing students for vaping, highlighted the state’s role in remote learning failures and drew attention to mental health challenges among young children. My series on the legacy of school segregation in Texas was a Livingston Award finalist. I also won a prize in the 2020 National Awards for Education Reporting for beat reporting that investigated the impact of the coronavirus on Texas public schools.
“Where Is There to Go?” He Needs Gender-Affirming Surgery, but His State Is Fighting to Deny Coverage.
A North Carolina policy that denies state employees coverage for gender-affirming care has been on hold pending appeal. For one transgender worker still awaiting surgery, the anxiety is “like somebody has got their hands around my neck.”
Coverage of Gender-Affirming Care Is an Unequal Patchwork
Lawsuits brought by transgender employees show how state agencies fight against paying for gender-affirming care for some people while others are covered.
Have You Faced Barriers to Getting Gender-Affirming Care? Help Us Investigate.
Gender-affirming care is medically necessary but can be hard to access. ProPublica is investigating the ways transgender people are blocked from getting quality health care related to gender transitions.
This Georgia County Spent $1 Million to Avoid Paying for One Employee’s Gender-Affirming Care
Officials in Houston County, Georgia, said gender-affirming surgery for sheriff’s deputy Anna Lange was too costly. They spent more than $1 million on private lawyers in a fight to keep transition-related care from being covered by their health plan.
America’s Adult Education System Is Broken. Here’s How Experts Say We Can Fix It.
Experts say that more money is critical to improving the national system. Many states have developed creative solutions in spite of their limited funding.
A Fifth of American Adults Struggle to Read. Why Are We Failing to Teach Them?
The nation’s approach to adult education has so far neglected to connect the millions of people struggling to read with the programs set up to help them.
For Helping Voters Who Can’t Read, She’s Been Criminally Charged — Twice. That Hasn’t Stopped Her.
Olivia Coley-Pearson offered help to voters who struggle to read. For taking on one of America’s oldest forms of voter suppression, she got threats, a trip to jail and a reminder of the nation’s long legacy of weaponizing literacy.
New Voting Restrictions Could Make It Harder for 1 in 5 Americans to Vote
Across the country, from California to Georgia, people like Olivia Coley-Pearson and Faye Combs are working through stigma and increased restrictions as they help people who struggle to read exercise their right to vote.
Meet the Woman Fighting for the Rights of Voters Who Can’t Read
Olivia Coley-Pearson offered help to voters who struggle to read. For taking on one of America’s oldest forms of voter suppression, she got threats, a trip to jail and a reminder of the nation’s long legacy of weaponizing literacy.
How We Analyzed Literacy and Voter Turnout
For decades, researchers have studied the factors that influence voter participation, including the impact of educational attainment on whether people vote. But literacy skills are less commonly examined. So we sought to understand the connection.