Quick Answers to Common Questions About Early Childhood Education
Early childhood education in the United States remains fragmented, with 17 states and the District of Columbia mandating kindergarten attendance as of 2023. Preschool programs lack a national standard, varying between publicly funded and private tuition‑based models. The federal Head Start program serves roughly 532,000 low‑income children, while universal pre‑K is available in four states and DC for the 2025‑26 school year. Parents in optional‑kindergarten states weigh factors such as emotional maturity, physical size, and childcare availability when deciding to enroll.
MTSS + AI in Action: Reimagining Student Support
North Kitsap School District in Washington is piloting an AI‑driven framework that integrates real‑time academic, behavioral and attendance data to reinforce its Multi‑Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). The initiative uses AI to generate instant feedback, easing teacher workload while sharpening...
How a School Uses AI to Address Student Behavior Problems
Holmen School District in Wisconsin has built a custom AI assistant using Google Gemini to support its behavior intervention team. The tool draws on the district’s social‑emotional learning (SEL) playbook, helping staff quickly brainstorm conversation starters and skill‑building steps for...
A Potential Breach of an Anonymous Tip App Could Have Exposed Sensitive Student Data
Navigate360, a K‑12 safety solutions provider, disclosed a possible breach of its anonymous tip platform, P3 Global Intel, after a hacker claimed access to data from more than 30,000 U.S. schools. The attacker, identifying as Internet Yiff Machine, alleged the...
'Treated as a Professional': How District and School Leaders Can Boost Teacher Morale
Education Week’s State of Teaching panel in San Francisco highlighted that teacher morale, measured by the Teacher Morale Index, sits at +13 nationally and +16 in California for 2026, a modest dip from the previous year. Panelists argued that administrators can...
5 Things That HR Directors Wish Teachers Knew (Opinion)
HR directors in school districts want teachers to understand the true scope of human‑resources work, its limits, and how early, documented communication improves outcomes. They clarify that HR handles contracts, benefits, leave, and policy guidance, but does not provide therapy....
Mentorship That Matters: Strengthening Educator Growth & Retention
Mentorship programs are increasingly recognized as a critical lever for educator development, yet many districts still rely on informal buddy systems. A recent Education Week webinar highlighted how structured mentorship can evolve into a strategic initiative that supports teacher growth,...
Managing AI in Schools: Practical Strategies for Districts
Education Week’s upcoming webinar tackles the surge of AI tools in K‑12 classrooms, offering district leaders a roadmap for responsible adoption. Attendees will learn how to craft clear AI usage guidelines, control access, monitor risks, and communicate transparently with parents....
Educators Want Schools Delivering Broad Array of SEL Skills, Survey Shows
A recent EdWeek Research Center survey of 499 teachers, principals and district leaders finds that over 75% of educators believe core social‑emotional learning (SEL) skills—self‑management, cooperation, problem‑solving and communication—should be taught in K‑12 classrooms. Only 2% oppose any SEL instruction,...
The HirED Report Newsletter
The HirED Report is a new monthly newsletter targeting HR leaders in K‑12 education. It addresses the acute teacher shortage, burnout crisis, and shifting workforce expectations that make district HR a high‑stakes function. The brief promises zero‑fluff, actionable insights and...
My Surgeon Gave Me a Lesson in School Leadership (Opinion)
Sarah Whaley, an associate director of exceptional student services, recounts how a serious health issue forced her to disclose her diagnosis and leave plans to staff. By sharing limited but essential information, she discovered that transparency can deepen trust without...
Child Care From Age 2: New York City's Plan to Improve Student Outcomes
New York City is rolling out a universal child‑care program for 2‑year‑olds, starting with about 2,000 seats in four neighborhoods this fall. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul aim to expand free, high‑quality care to all children under five...
Removing Transportation and Attendance Barriers for Homeless Youth
Homeless students face chronic attendance gaps, prompting districts to seek transportation solutions. A webinar featuring HopSkipDrive and SchoolHouse Connection will showcase how districts leverage the McKinney‑Vento Act and innovative rideshare models to bridge these gaps. Attendees will learn to identify...
Assessing Kindergarten Readiness—During Routine Pediatric Checkups
Nationwide Children’s Hospital has embedded an early‑literacy screening into routine pediatric well‑visits for 3‑ and 4‑year‑olds, targeting primarily Medicaid families in Columbus. The program uses the Reading House tool, a five‑minute assessment followed by a ten‑minute parent coaching session and...
What Makes for a Good Social Studies Curriculum?
The Knowledge Matters Campaign has introduced the History Matters Review Tool, a new framework for evaluating K‑5 social studies curricula. The tool fills a gap left by the scarcity of review instruments that exist for ELA and math, focusing on...
AI in Schools: What 1,000 Districts Reveal About Readiness and Risk
A new Education Week webinar highlights data from more than 1,000 U.S. school districts that track real‑time student interactions with artificial intelligence. The findings show widespread AI tool usage across curricula, reveal emerging safety and wellness signals, and challenge the...
AI Isn’t the Real Threat to Special Education (Opinion)
Dawn Fleming‑Kendall argues that the biggest threat to special education is an overwhelmed system, not artificial intelligence. She points to chronic caseloads, staffing shortages, and excessive paperwork driving teachers out of the field. The author highlights Ohio’s move toward AI...
Beyond Teacher Tools: Exploring AI for Student Success
Education technology firm TrekAi hosted a webinar highlighting the shift from teacher‑focused AI tools to student‑centered solutions. By allowing students to interact freely with AI during independent study, the platform captures authentic comprehension gaps and organic questions, generating real‑time actionable...
AI Is Different From Other Ed Tech. Here's How (Opinion)
Larry Ferlazzo’s opinion piece highlights the stark polarization surrounding AI in education, contrasting fears of runaway artificial general intelligence with skepticism about its practical value. He urges educators to claim agency rather than passively accept tech‑driven mandates. Ferlazzo proposes four...
Simulations Aim to Prepare Superintendents to Handle Political Controversies
Superintendents are confronting increasingly political challenges, yet most leadership programs overlook this dimension. Harvard’s Initiative on Superintendent as Civic Leader, unveiled at the AASA conference, introduces case studies and upcoming interactive simulations to fill the gap. The simulations, co‑developed with...
Do Teachers Have the Skills to Use AI? New Test Aims to Find Out
ETS’s Futurenav Adapt AI test, a 30‑minute assessment, gauges teachers’ ability to recognize, ethically navigate, evaluate, and apply generative AI in classrooms. The test, piloted with 75 secondary teachers, delivers individual and district‑level dashboards of strengths, gaps, and equity concerns....
Too Many Initiatives, Not Enough Alignment: A Change Management Playbook for Leaders
The session led by Dr. Terra Greenwell, former Chief Academic Officer of Jefferson County Public Schools, tackles the problem of initiative overload in K‑12 districts. Attendees will learn how to evaluate every tool, program, and purchase against a clear strategic...
K-12 Lens 2026: What New Staffing Data Reveals About District Operations
Frontline Education’s 2026 K‑12 Lens survey, based on over 1,000 district leaders, shows teacher shortages easing in many regions while hard‑to‑fill roles and uneven funding persist. The data fuels a webinar where practitioners discuss managing staffing changes, vacancy tracking, administrative...
Kim Kardashian Says the Moon Landing Was Fake. There's a Lesson Here for Schools (Opinion)
Kim Kardashian’s viral claim that the moon landing was faked sparked a surge of conspiracy content across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. The article argues that schools cannot simply block online access; they must teach students how to evaluate and verify...
