Most clicked story of the week:
Teacher turnover contributes to higher rates of student suspensions and office disciplinary referrals, according to a New York University study based on New York City Public Schools data over a decade. A teacher’s midyear departure increases the probability of students receiving a suspension or referral by 20% to 30% on average for each year of experience the departing teacher had. On the other hand, students are less likely to be disciplined when teachers stay.
Number of the week:
2 million
The number of students who took the SAT this year versus 2.22 million test takers pre-pandemic in 2019. Only 1.38 million students took the ACT in 2025, compared to 1.78 million in 2019. The numbers released by the testing companies show that five years after COVID-19 shut down classrooms and shifted college admissions testing policies, the SAT and ACT are still drawing fewer students than during pre-pandemic years.
Federal policy shifts trickle down
- A U.S. Department of Education spokesperson confirmed this week that the agency is “exploring additional partnerships” with other federal agencies to support special education programs. As the department emphasizes returning education to the states, special education and public school advocacy groups are warning that a lack of federal government oversight could increase the burdens on states and districts for complying with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Reduced Education Department involvement in special education could also lead to more procedural mistakes, added compliance burdens on teachers and delays in student services, they said.
- Districts are experiencing notable increases in chronic absenteeism, which some educators and advocates credit to heightened federal immigration enforcement. Amid that climate, states should give clear guidance on how school districts should respond to immigration enforcement near school buildings, according to recommendations issued by nonprofit EdTrust this month.
- A prolonged federal government shutdown is threatening early learning services for thousands of infants, toddlers and preschoolers from low-income families who participate in Head Start, according to a statement from the National Head Start Association. Currently, six Head Start programs serving almost 7,000 children are drawing on emergency local resources to stay open. Over 130 programs serving nearly 59,000 more children across 41 states and Puerto Rico are in jeopardy if federal funding is not restored by Nov. 1.
The ups and downs of education leadership
- Thirteen years ago, California’s Compton Unified School District had a graduation rate of 58%. Today, it boasts a 94% graduation rate. In an interview with K-12 Dive, longtime superintendent of the district, Darin Brawley, discusses what led to his success in turning around the district.
- Georgia's Oglethorpe County School System was sued this week after it fired a veteran high school teacher because of her social media posts critical of recently killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk. In her lawsuit, the teacher alleges that the district penalized her for her social media post, while it allowed speech in school supporting Kirk. However, the lawsuit contends, the district has no clear standards for employee social media use.
- The number of education degrees awarded in the U.S. steadily decreased in the nearly two decades between 2003-04 and 2022-23, according to a new analysis of federal data by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Bachelor’s degrees in education dipped from 109,622 annually to 90,710, while master’s degrees declined from 162,632 to 143,669 in that time span, AACTE said in its report. This could spell worry for education leadership, who are already facing a scarce teacher pipeline.
