Ann Dornfeld
Reporter
About
Ann is a reporter on KUOW's Investigations Team. Previously, she covered education stories for KUOW for a decade, with a focus on investigations into racial and socioeconomic inequities.
Her ongoing series exposing Seattle Public Schools’ lenient discipline of staff who abused students has won investigative reporting awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Radio Television Digital News Association, and the Education Writers Association. She was also lauded for her years of work covering disparities in the amount of recess and P.E. time students received in low-income schools.
Previously, Ann worked at Alaska Public Radio Network, in Anchorage, and KLCC, in Eugene, Oregon. Her freelance work, focusing on science and environmental issues, has appeared on national outlets including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Marketplace and The World.
Ann’s marine and underwater photography has appeared in the American Museum of Natural History and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
She lives with her husband and two children in South Seattle.
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors
Stories
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Seattle teachers strike nears end as union, district reach tentative agreement
After four days of striking, Seattle teachers late on Monday evening came to a "tentative agreement" with the school district over the details of their contract. Teachers will likely vote to suspend the strike at an 8:30 a.m. vote, so that members may consider the proposed agreement. Seattle Public Schools said it would send a message to families later in the day on Tuesday with more information about when school might start.
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No school for Seattle kids Wednesday as teachers prepare to strike; union talks stall
Seattle Public Schools has delayed the first day of school as teachers and other staff threaten to strike.
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Kent teachers threaten strike if contract not reached Wednesday
Kent School District and its teachers union have until Wednesday night to reach a contract for school to start on time Thursday.
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Seattle Schools and its educators are in contract talks
Seattle Public Schools and its teachers union, Seattle Education Association, are hammering out a new contract this summer.
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WA charter school under audit for 'improper receipt' of state funding
The state’s charter school oversight agency said Impact Public Schools improperly received approximately $790,000 in state funds when it enrolled more than 60 four-year-olds in kindergarten. The agency referred the matter to the State Auditor’s Office for possible repayment.
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Legislator calls for fraud audit of state's largest charter school chain
State Rep. Gerry Pollet has called for fraud and performance audits of Impact Public Schools, Washington’s largest charter school chain, following a KUOW investigation that found scant services for students learning English and a lack of support for students with disabilities.
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Inquest begins into police shooting of Charleena Lyles
An inquest began today into the 2017 Seattle Police killing of Charleena Lyles, a 30-year-old with mental illness who was gunned down in front of her children. Lyles' killing sparked ongoing public outrage. The petite mother of four was pregnant when she called police to her apartment to investigate an alleged burglary.
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'Where is the accountability?' for WA's largest charter school chain, ask parents and staff
Although Washington state's charter schools are granted more flexibility and freedom than other public schools, charter school backers have pledged to keep the schools subject to strict oversight, including annual performance reviews. But that accountability is lacking for the state’s largest charter school chain, Impact Public Schools, staff and parents told KUOW, and the students most affected are also the schools’ most vulnerable.
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A KUOW investigation shows area charter schools broke their promises to parents and students
Charter schools were legalized in Washington state in 2012, and were designed to serve students who often struggle with traditional education in public schools. Frequently, those students come from marginalized communities, including children of color, students with disabilities and refugee families, whose children are in need of English instruction. For the last six months, KUOW reporter Ann Dornfeld has been investigating the largest chain of charter schools in the region: Impact Public Schools. What she’s found is that charter schools are frequently failing to live up to the promises they’ve made to students, leaving staff, students, and parents frustrated.
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A Seattle-area charter school’s controversial approach to holding students back
This is the second story in Broken Promises, a series about Impact Public Schools, the largest charter school chain in Washington state. Art Wheeler’s daughter and son were thriving in the fall of their second year at Impact Puget Sound Elementary, a charter school in Tukwila, Washington. Their grades were high, Wheeler said, and they got glowing reports from their teachers. “Your kids are standouts,” he recalled teachers saying. “They’re a pleasure to have in class.” But two months into the school year, in November, 2019, Wheeler said letters arrived from Impact saying his children were failing, and may have to repeat the year — the year that had just begun. Wheeler was confused. “They messed up,” he thought. “This is for somebody else’s kids.”