Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: Accessibility as a Superpower - SPONSOR CONTENT
Educational technology that embeds accessibility features is becoming a cornerstone of Universal Design for Learning. Tools like the Learner Variability Navigator help educators match student needs—attention, language, memory—to evidence‑based strategies. Research shows that when accessibility is built in, both disabled and non‑disabled students retain more content and rate materials as more engaging. Teachers also report reduced preparation time and lower burnout because the same tool supports multiple learning modes.
School Leadership Can Feel Painfully Lonely. It Doesn’t Have To (Opinion)
Principal Nicole Forrest describes the isolation felt when moving from a collaborative secondary team to a solo elementary leadership role. She argues that school leadership need not be a solitary endeavor and outlines three practical strategies—executive coaching, local learning networks,...
More Schools Are Providing AI Training for Teachers. Is It Any Good?
President Trump’s 2025 executive order mandated AI integration across K‑12 schools, prompting a surge in teacher professional development. National surveys show the share of teachers with no AI training fell from 60% in 2024 to 42% in early 2026, while...
Who’s Responsible for Toilet Training? Schools or Families?
Toilet training milestones have shifted, with children now mastering independence around age three instead of the early‑toddler years of the 1950s. A recent EdWeek survey of over 1,100 early educators shows rising numbers of kindergarteners arriving in pull‑ups, prompting districts...
There's a New AP Business Course. College Board's CEO Explains Why (Opinion)
College Board CEO David Coleman announced the launch of AP Business with Personal Finance, a new Advanced Placement course debuting this fall. The curriculum blends core undergraduate business subjects—finance, accounting, marketing, strategy—with personal‑finance skills, giving students practical tools for entrepreneurship...
A New Group Looks for Ways to Draw Men Into Teaching
The newly launched Male Educator Network and Policy Institute (MEN) released an analysis showing men account for just 20% of grades 1‑8 teachers, 3% of pre‑K/kindergarten staff, and 43% of high‑school teachers, with notable gaps in English, world languages, and special...
Kids of All Ages Need Regular Recess, Pediatricians Group Says in New Guidance
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued its first recess policy update in 13 years, urging schools to protect unstructured play time. The guidance responds to a trend where up to 40% of districts have cut or eliminated recess, despite...
A District Expects to Save $200K From AI-Powered 'Vibe Coding.' Here's How
Peninsula School District in Washington built its own AI‑coding platform, AI Studio, and used Claude Code to "vibe code" custom tools such as LessonLens, a teacher‑feedback app. By generating apps in‑house, the district estimates annual savings of roughly $220,000 and...
How These Schools Doubled Teacher Planning Time
Alliance College‑Ready Public Schools piloted a schedule redesign at four charter schools, doubling in‑day teacher planning time to 8‑12 hours per week without cutting instructional minutes. The change eliminated supervision duties and reduced departmental meetings, giving teachers two dedicated planning...
This School District Wants Students to Turn Off Their Phones and Sleep
Spokane Public Schools, serving 29,000 students, launched a new sleep initiative that adds a nightly phone curfew to its existing Engage IRL program. The district is pairing stricter cellphone rules with a broader slate of after‑school clubs to give teens alternatives...
If We Want Teachers to Stay, Principals Must Lead Differently (Opinion)
High‑school principal S. Kambar Khoshaba argues that teacher retention hinges on principal‑driven support, not slogans. He outlines three actionable levers: protecting teachers' planning time, reducing professional isolation, and making workload feel shared. By de‑implementing low‑value tasks and fostering collaborative decision‑making, principals can...
Trump Brings the Presidential Physical Fitness Award Back, Reviving Annual Test
President Donald Trump revived the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, part of a broader effort to reinstate the historic annual fitness test in American schools. The award, tied to a test dating back to the 1950s, was phased out under President...
What If Ed Tech Does More Harm Than Good? (Opinion)
Neuroscientist Jared Cooney‑Horvath argues that widespread classroom technology is eroding core cognitive skills. He cites a reversal of the Flynn effect and PISA data showing a 66‑point deficit for heavy computer users, while meta‑analyses place the overall ed‑tech effect size...
Kids' Executive Function Skills Took a Hit During COVID. What Can Schools Do?
A Harvard‑led longitudinal study of 3,100 Massachusetts children found that executive function skills grew more slowly during the COVID‑19 pandemic than in pre‑pandemic years. The research, published in Child Development, tracked children ages 3‑11 from 2018 to 2023, covering the...
AI Can Help Teachers Craft Their Assessment Portfolios. Is That Cheating?
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used by teachers to analyze student data, craft lesson plans, and assemble professional portfolios, but the rapid adoption has outpaced policy guidance. While many states require portfolios for licensure or recertification, few have clear rules...