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Most clicked story of the week:
Leaders in Oregon’s Beaverton School District — K-12 Dive’s District of the Year — credit a flexible approach to innovation and problem-solving for systemwide successes in both academics and operations. From expanded pre-K and dual language offerings to a growing fleet of electric school buses and a $723 million bond fueling school and bus upgrades, the district has a lot to boast about — as do our other K-12 Dive Award winners.
Number of the week:
46%
The percentage of transgender and nonbinary young people ages 13-24 who report that most or all of the people in their lives use what they consider to be their pronouns, according to data released by The Trevor Project last week. For teens ages 13-17, that percentage drops to 40%. Transgender and nonbinary young people who were addressed by their pronouns had lower rates of suicide attempts in the past year compared to those whose pronouns were ignored — 11% vs. 17%.
K-12 policy in the spotlight
- In a Wednesday night address to the nation, President Donald Trump celebrated increased state involvement and decreased federal oversight in education, which he said his administration accomplished in the last 11 months. He remained silent, however, on his administration’s education plan for 2026.
- Congressional Republicans on Tuesday suggested that increasing students’ access to and participation in sports could help stem school and gun violence, as Democrats pushed back on whether that’s a viable solution. The disagreement came on the heels of a fatal mass shooting at Brown University that occurred on the eve of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre’s 13th anniversary.
- The House on Dec. 15 passed a bipartisan bill allowing schools to offer students whole milk and nondairy beverage options in school meal programs. The Senate passed the legislation in November, and it now awaits Trump’s signature. Districts are currently permitted to serve only fat-free and low-fat milks in school meals due to concerns over ties to high cholesterol and obesity in young people, according to a House Education and Workforce Committee fact sheet.
AI continues marching forward in curriculum
- Students at Baldwin High School’s Medical and Health Sciences Academy in New York are gaining real-world experience thanks to artificial intelligence-powered medical “manikins” that mimic human movements and speech, as well as medical emergencies like heart attacks, seizures and respiratory failures. More typically found at the college level, if not medical or nursing school, these manikins are situated in classrooms designed like hospital rooms, with a bed and medical equipment.
- With nearly 100 schools, 86,000 students and three instructional technology staff, Fulton County Schools in suburban Atlanta built a “train the trainer” model to scale professional learning around artificial intelligence. The initiative has established at least two trained AI leaders at each school who can then train their colleagues on how to use AI, support them in its safe and effective use, and troubleshoot issues as needed.
