School Models

  • A large crowd of students, staff and parents are lined up for a photo outside a school building near a tennis court.
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    Permission granted by LEAP Academy University School
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    Why this New Jersey school requires parents to volunteer

    Officials at LEAP Academy University School say they work with families to ensure the annual 40 hours of volunteer work aren’t burdensome.

    By • Aug. 8, 2025
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    Davis Turner via Getty Images
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    ‘Bold and necessary effort’: Atlanta Public Schools stares down empty seats

    The district is considering everything from closing buildings and redistricting to consolidations and mergers amid a dip in student population.

    By • Aug. 7, 2025
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    fizkes via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Teacher and Staff Challenges

    Federal policy changes are further complicating K-12 workforce challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, adding to debate over what’s needed to keep teachers and staff in the profession or bring them back.

    By K-12 Dive staff
  • One person is standing and looking to the right. Two other people are in the background and sitting at a table.
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    Kara Arundel/K-12 Dive
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    How can colleges help solve the special educator shortage?

    Speakers at this week’s OSEP conference highlighted an Illinois teacher apprenticeship program and technical assistance for minority serving institutions.

    By • Aug. 6, 2025
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    Kara Arundel/K-12 Dive
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    Education Department eyes special education in school choice expansion

    Increasing choice models will better help meet student and family needs, Diana Diaz-Harrison said at the OSEP conference.

    By • Aug. 6, 2025
  • Houston Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles kneels next to a student in a classroom
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    Retrieved from Houston Independent School District.
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    Houston ISD reports zero failing schools 2 years after takeover

    The improvements follow wholesale reforms in Texas' largest school district, though its state takeover will remain in place at least two more years.

    By • Aug. 5, 2025
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    Just_Super via Getty Images
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    Week In Review: AI, federal funding and ESEA waivers

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from guidance on “unlawful” DEI to how district leaders are navigating school closures.

    By • Aug. 4, 2025
  • A row of six teenagers are sitting on a outdoor bench. Most are looking down at cellphones in their hands.
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    LeoPatrizi via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Want a better society? Teach kids how to be exemplary citizens

    Students must be equipped to focus on making the world a better place, not just on their own self-interests, writes a Virginia independent school leader.

    By Autumn Adkins Graves • Aug. 1, 2025
  • A person stands next to someone while pointing to one of the many black-and-white photos displayed on a wall.
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    Permission granted by Ben Coy/Horry County Schools Communications Department
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    Closing a school is never easy. Here’s how to communicate it with care.

    In one South Carolina district, replacing a building came with the added challenge of preserving a segregation-era school’s history.

    By • July 30, 2025
  • A high school teacher stands to the right of a screen while presenting on a student public relations program.
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    Anna Merod/K-12 Dive/K-12 Dive
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    This Indiana high school is relying on students to tell its story

    In Hamilton Southeastern High School’s media program, students are learning the art of crafting a compelling message.

    By • July 29, 2025
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    pong-photo9 via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    What will ‘big, beautiful’ school choice mean for public schools?

    A new federal private school choice program is adding to existing pressure from state-led programs amid shrinking enrollment and funding.

    By • July 29, 2025
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    Simon Carter Peter Crowther via Getty Images
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    Week In Review: Funding freezes, enrollment concerns and cyberthreats

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from lawsuits against the Trump administration to St. Louis’ proposed school cuts.

    By • July 28, 2025
  • A student is sitting at a desk in a classroom holding a cellphone.
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    monkeybusinessimages via Getty Images
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    More Americans support school cellphone bans

    The uptick comes as research increasingly points to harmful effects for children and as laws proliferate restricting cellphone use in classrooms.

    By • July 28, 2025
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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 potential school closures in St. Louis to ransom demands on schools, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • July 25, 2025
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    aluxum via Getty Images
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    Strong budgeting, revenue flexibility key to weathering K-12 financial storm, says Moody’s

    States are trying to offset the impact of reduced federal support, but their success is uncertain, according to a recent Moody’s Ratings report.

    By • July 25, 2025
  • A group of five college students walk outside on a pathway.
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    Prostock-Studio via Getty Images
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    Tennessee launches direct admissions pilot with student aid component

    The initiative aims to ease high schoolers’ paths to college by providing financial aid information and automatic acceptance to participating institutions.

    By Natalie Schwartz • July 24, 2025
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Week In Review: Education Department cuts move forward and principals convene in Seattle

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from changes to federal oversight to a set of delayed Energy Department rules.

    By • July 21, 2025
  • A district administrator stands at a podium that says "UNITED" while presenting on high-impact tutoring.
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    Anna Merod/K-12 Dive
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    UNITED '25

    How Portland Public Schools can afford to offer high-impact tutoring

    Oregon has been struggling with student literacy for years. The state’s largest public school district is tapping into a tutoring model to reverse that trend.

    By • July 18, 2025
  • geothermal hvac system, Trane Technologies, North Shore school district
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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.

    By Brian Martucci • July 17, 2025
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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.

    By • July 16, 2025
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    Canva / Photo Edit by Grace Diaz

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    Sponsored by Good Reason Houston

    The future demands more than a diploma. It’s time K–12 did too.

    Diplomas don’t guarantee a future. Here’s what schools should measure instead.

    By Cary Wright, CEO of Good Reason Houston • July 14, 2025
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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.

    By • July 14, 2025
  • A desk and chair are pictured in a classroom that has a window. A backpack is hanging off the back of the chair.
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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.

    By • July 11, 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 this week’s K-12 news

    From the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” to notable achievement gains in young students, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • July 11, 2025
  • A student with a backpack gets on a yellow school bus.
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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.

    By • July 10, 2025
  • A Black professional man leads a demonstration on the Python coding language.
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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.

    By Briana Mendez-Padilla • July 9, 2025