Curriculum

  • A person walks in front of the exterior of the headquarters for the U.S. Department of Education.
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    NAEP innovations on track despite NCES layoffs

    The Education Department said it "continues to pursue cutting-edge innovations" and that NAEP will be administered primarily on school devices next year.

    By • Dec. 22, 2025
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    Week In Review: K-12 Dive Awards and AI’s march in curriculum

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from a report on teens’ pronoun usage to milk in school lunches.

    By • Dec. 22, 2025
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    Trendline

    STEM

    From AI to quantum physics, STEM learning opportunities in K-12 are expanding to keep pace with related fields.

    By K-12 Dive staff
  • Top Oklahoma education official Ryan Walters speaks at a podium with his hand raised
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    Retrieved from Superintendent Ryan Walters.
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    Oklahoma Supreme Court strikes down controversial social studies standards

    The standards were already on pause, but the court ruled this week that the state board of education violated the law in creating and adopting them. 

    By • Dec. 19, 2025
  • Two students work with an artificial intelligence-enabled mannequin in a healthcare career education program.
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    Permission granted by Baldwin Union Free School District
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    AI brings medical ‘manikins’ to life for New York district’s students

    Students in a Baldwin Union Free School District health science program are gaining real-world experience working with realistic training robots.

    By Ed Finkel • Dec. 17, 2025
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    Georgia district creates AI ambassadors with ‘train the trainer’ initiative

    The model is helping a suburban Atlanta district’s small instructional technology staff to scale artificial intelligence professional development.

    By Ed Finkel • Dec. 17, 2025
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    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    Dive Awards

    The K-12 Dive Awards for 2025

    Whether they’re driving postsecondary pathways, district marketing strategies or school turnarounds, these leaders are raising the bar for K-12.

    By , • Dec. 16, 2025
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    Permission granted by Iowa City Community School District
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    Dive Awards

    Superintendent of the Year: Matt Degner, Iowa City Community School District

    This district leader focuses on making academic programs unique as he strives to set his school system apart at a time of growing competition for students.

    By • Dec. 16, 2025
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    Permission granted by Beaverton School District
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    Dive Awards

    District of the Year: Beaverton School District

    The Oregon district has taken career and technical education, dual language programming and cost-saving school transportation to new heights.

    By • Dec. 16, 2025
  • A principal is pictured standing among students, speaking to them as they use an embroidery machine in a commercial art course.
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    Dive Awards

    Principal of the Year: Pierre Orbe, DeWitt Clinton High School

    One educator’s unplanned detour from medical school into education led to a turnaround for one of New York City’s most storied high schools.

    By • Dec. 16, 2025
  • a young student with ponytails has their back to the camera and is facing a wall of shelves with multicolor books
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    Week in Review: Book ban litigation and students’ online privacy protections

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from OCR employees’ return-to-work to the impact of summer school participation.

    By • Dec. 15, 2025
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    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    POP QUIZ

    Test yourself on the past week’s K-12 news

    From data on summer school impacts to the Supreme Court denying an education-related case, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • Dec. 12, 2025
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    FatCamera via Getty Images
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    Summer school boosts math — but not reading — achievement, NWEA finds

    The analysis says summer school literacy instruction shouldn't be abandoned, but “more work is needed” to identify effective program approaches.

    By • Dec. 10, 2025
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    The scientific method: It’s not just for science anymore

    The same exercises in logic and reason can extend to assignments in the social sciences, humanities and more.

    By Ed Finkel • Dec. 10, 2025
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    BY THE NUMBERS

    Most states still don’t tie AI literacy and computer science together

    Only four states currently focus on AI in their computer science standards, according to new research from Code.org and CSforALL.

    By • Dec. 10, 2025
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    Supreme Court turns down book ban case

    The case would have been the first on book bans to be heard in over four decades and is part of a cascade of similar lawsuits.

    By • Dec. 9, 2025
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    Week in Review: Superintendents’ job satisfaction and the status of education degrees

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from a major ed tech data security settlement to the latest on a federal school voucher program.

    By • Dec. 8, 2025
  • A girl student in a yellow t-shirt and overalls stares down at paper, pen in hand, writing notes in a notebook while silently contemplating classroom lessons.
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    Take note: Annotation can provide a powerful tool for reading, writing

    The practice can improve reading comprehension, analytical ability and communication skills, one researcher says.

    By Ed Finkel • Dec. 3, 2025
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    When should students begin learning about AI?

    Regardless of how early students start, experts agree that its crucial to make sure students understand how the tech works, not just how to use it.

    By Ed Finkel • Dec. 3, 2025
  • Rows of colorful books sit in shelves of a school library.
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    ‘Aztecs Read’ initiative sparks fluency, proficiency in Missouri charter

    Despite lacking a librarian, the school engaged its high English learner population with classroom libraries, author visits and reading challenges.

    By Ed Finkel • Nov. 26, 2025
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    How to combat misinformation and disinformation in the classroom

    Socratic questioning is among strategies educators can use to prompt students to think critically and become more media-savvy, experts say.

    By Ed Finkel • Nov. 26, 2025
  • The camera shows the exterior of an off-white stone building with the working "U.S. Department of Education" on the side of the building
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    Kayla Bartkowski via Getty Images
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    Week In Review: Fallout from the Education Department’s breakup

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from 8th grade algebra to the latest legal pushes on religion in schools.

    By • Nov. 24, 2025
  • A photo illustration of a circle encompassing a question mark, pencil, and scantron test.
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    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    POP QUIZ

    Test yourself on the past week’s K-12 news

    From another shakeup at the Education Department to growth in Arizona’s universal school choice program, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • Nov. 21, 2025
  • Three young students are laying on their stomachs on the ground with an open book in front of them.
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    How California ensured cultural responsiveness in early literacy screenings

    The state prioritized inclusivity for English learners in the tools it uses to screen for reading difficulties, a university researcher says.

    By Ed Finkel • Nov. 19, 2025
  • Two students and one adult gather around a lab table to observe a robot
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    Hands-on learning provides an opportunity to engage students with both hard and soft skills

    One expert advises educators to start small with a few community partners when implementing these experiences.

    By Ed Finkel • Nov. 19, 2025
  • A hand holding a pencil is shown writing out algebra equations.
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    bluestocking via Getty Images
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    Access to 8th grade algebra divided along socioeconomic, racial lines

    About 3 in 5 schools offer algebra in 8th grade, with access much lower in rural areas, high-poverty schools and for Black students in particular, NWEA said.

    By Lara Ewen • Nov. 18, 2025