Laura Meckler is senior national education writer for the Washington Post, where she covers the news, politics, policies, and people shaping American schools.

She previously reported on the White House, presidential politics, immigration, and health care for the Wall Street Journal, as well as on health and social policy for the Associated Press. Before coming to Washington, Laura covered state government in Columbus, Ohio. She got her start covering everything from schools and cops to the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame festival at The Repository in Canton, Ohio.

Laura graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, and serves as vice president of the board that oversees her college newspaper.

Her honors include a Nieman Fellowship, as well as Livingston Award for National Reporting, for her coverage of organ transplantation. She also was part of a team that won the George Polk Award for Justice Reporting for a series on the life of George Floyd, and she was part of the Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2026 for coverage of the Trump administration's chaotic overhaul of federal agencies. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two sons.