The Latest

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    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    POP QUIZ

    Test yourself on this week’s K-12 news

    From a major Supreme Court decision for the Education Department to new school shooting data, what did you learn from our recent stories?

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    Roberto N via Getty Images
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    Trump’s FY 26 budget plan would worsen rural schools’ challenges, analysis finds

    Lower funding would exacerbate issues including teacher recruitment and lack of access to advanced classes, the Center for American Progress finds.

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    Kara Arundel/K-12 Dive
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    CASE-CEC '25

    Special educators call for more school mental health supports

    Education Department data shows the ratio of psychologists to students is 1-to-1,065, much higher than the recommended 1-to-500.

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    Courtesy of Trane Technologies
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    Chicago-area school district deploys geothermal system that’s a US first

    The dynamic closed-loop system uses groundwater to reject and absorb heat to provide year-round space conditioning for a 130-year-old elementary school, Trane Technologies says.

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    Halfpoint via Getty Images
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    How to start the school year with a focus on growth mindset

    Helping students normalize making and reflecting upon mistakes can help them build the confidence to navigate complex issues, says one expert.

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    FatCamera via Getty Images
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    3rd graders flagged for retention make small but meaningful gains, study finds

    Research suggests interventions resulting from students being flagged for retention are more of a key driver of literacy gains than retention itself.

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    John M. Chase via Getty Images
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    Keep special education with Education Department, former officials say

    Officials from Republican and Democratic administrations told Congress of concerns about moving the programs and consolidating their funding.

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    Anna Merod/K-12 Dive
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    UNITED '25

    This New Jersey district tackled chronic absenteeism despite COVID

    A 2018 partnership between Hamilton Township Public Schools and the Foundation for Educational Administration led to notable attendance gains.

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    xavierarnau via Getty Images
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    Labor Department to take on day-to-day management of CTE programs

    Career and technical education is among the workforce development programs to be jointly administered with the Education Department.

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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    Supreme Court green-lights Education Department layoffs

    The decision is a significant victory for the Trump administration as it seeks to close the department to the greatest extent possible.

    Updated July 14, 2025
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    Kara Arundel/K-12 Dive
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    States sue Trump administration over frozen K-12 funds

    The lawsuit says the Education Department and OMB should be compelled to release the money and that the hold is causing nationwide "chaos."

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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    Districts and states could lose invaluable education data, former NCES leader says

    It's "impossible" for NCES to fulfill its statutory obligations after the Education Department's gutting, said Peggy Carr in her first public statement.

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    alptraum via Getty Images
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    After 3-consecutive-year high, school shootings drop 23% in 2024-25

    School shootings were also down in the first half of 2025 overall when compared to the same period in 2024.

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    NicoElNino via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Federal funding delays threaten AI education and America’s tech future

    The delayed obligation of funds will erode the tools and infrastructure needed to scale artificial intelligence education nationwide, writes an industry expert.

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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    School districts grapple with ‘budgetary chaos’ in wake of federal funding freeze

    Programs at risk due to the funding hold include English learner services, academic supports, after-school programming and professional development.

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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Week in Review: School choice, reading gains and looming policy changes

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” to a pair of transgender athletics cases headed to the Supreme Court.

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    The Bold Bureau via Getty Images
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    How Trump is deploying multiple agencies to set education policy

    ​​Rule changes for Energy Department grants to schools are primed to alter policies. Other federal agencies could be next.

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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Trump administration restricts education-related programs for some immigrants

    Head Start and tuition for programs like dual enrollment, college and CTE are set to be impacted by the administration's policy change.

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    FG Trade via Getty Images
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    Michigan district agrees to reform seclusion and restraint policies

    A Justice Department probe found the Montcalm Area Intermediate School District violated the Americans with Disabilities Act in how it punished students.

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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Justice Department sues California over transgender athlete policy

    The Trump administration has threatened to withdraw the state’s $44.3 billion in federal funds if it doesn’t limit girls' sports to cisgender athletes.

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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Trans teacher can be made to keep pronouns quiet, 11th Circuit says

    The appeals court ruled that the teacher’s role as a government employee allowed for limitations to her First Amendment rights when acting in that role.

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    Fly View Productions via Getty Images
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    4-day school week yields mixed results in Oregon study

    Researchers found no evidence of large positive effects, but did see higher math scores and graduation rates for high schoolers in rural schools.

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    BlackJack3D via Getty Images
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    How can AI enhance project-based learning?

    Artificial intelligence could help educators flesh out project assignments and provide students an additional research and feedback tool.

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    Laurence Dutton via Getty Images
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    California high school reimagines classrooms as ‘learning studios’

    Compton High School is using technology-driven communal class spaces in an effort to modernize and create a more collaborative environment.

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    FG Trade Latin via Getty Images
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    Youngest students see big reading gains post-COVID on DIBELS assessment

    Kindergartners showed a 21-percentage-point increase in early reading performance between 2020-21 and 2024-25.