Colorado School District's 'Technanigans' Summit Showcases Ed Tech
The Thompson School District hosted its second‑annual Technanigans summit as part of the two‑day "Redefining Learning" professional‑development series. Keynote speaker Holly Clark illustrated how artificial‑intelligence tools can help students with dyslexia and dysgraphia create video‑based assignments instead of handwritten work. District leaders highlighted the AI feedback platform Snorkl, which is already delivering instant guidance in math classrooms. The event aimed to fuse learning and technology teams, giving teachers a forum to share real‑world AI use cases.
Michigan's Education Database Moves From Vision to Infrastructure
Michigan is advancing its MiGreatDataLake project by focusing on secure, interoperable infrastructure before deploying AI-driven analytics. The proof‑of‑concept phase, launched in January 2025, validates a medallion‑style data pipeline that moves raw student records through bronze, silver, gold, and platinum layers....
New York Lawmakers May Postpone Electric School Bus Deadline
New York lawmakers are poised to extend the deadline for school districts to replace diesel buses with electric models from 2027 to 2032, while the full‑fleet conversion target shifts from 2035 to 2040. The amendment will be woven into the...
What Kind of Infrastructure Will K-12 Schools Need for AI?
K‑12 districts are confronting a new wave of AI‑related infrastructure pressures, even though AI has not yet caused outright network failures. A 2025 CoSN report shows only 16% of schools feel fully prepared, while 61% struggle with fragmented data. Leaders...
Digital Hall Passes Help Track Students Who Skip or Lag Behind
High School District 230 piloted Raptor Technologies' Smart Pass digital hall‑pass system at Andrew High School, giving students up to three five‑minute passes per day while capturing real‑time location data. The pilot uncovered a pattern of sophomores leaving class frequently, enabling...
Boston Schools Prohibit Any Non-Sanctioned Uses of AI
Boston Public Schools unveiled a draft AI policy that sets strict limits on classroom use of artificial‑intelligence tools, bans unapproved data uploads, and prohibits AI‑generated deepfakes without consent. The proposal, built on feedback from over 500 stakeholders, also requires AI...
Some Canvas Users Receive Ransomware Threat After Data Breach
A ransomware threat surfaced on Thursday when students and staff in North Carolina logged into the Canvas learning management system, displaying a pop‑up allegedly from the ShinyHunters group. The extortion message gave users until May 12, 2026 to contact the hackers...
Opinion: K-12 Needs Deeper State-Vendor Collaboration
The 2025 K‑12 landscape was marked by a surge in cybersecurity breaches, funding volatility, and swings in classroom technology use, exposing flaws in the traditional transactional state‑vendor model. As 2026 begins, educators and policymakers argue that merely reacting to crises...
CoSN Report: Cybersecurity Is Top Concern, AI Guardrails Needed
The Consortium for School Networking’s 2026 State of EdTech report shows K‑12 leaders are refocusing on cybersecurity and governance after a year of AI enthusiasm. While 79% of districts now have formal AI policies, 65% still cite budget shortfalls as...
Study Finds School Phone Bans Boost Student Wellness, Not Grades
A new working paper analyzing 40,500 schools from 2019 to 2026 finds that mandatory phone bans boost students' self‑reported mental wellness but have little effect on academic performance. The study shows a 30% drop in on‑site phone pings and an...
CMU Program Gives High Schoolers Access to VR Lessons
Bullock Creek High School joins a USDA‑funded pilot that equips four Michigan high schools with Meta Quest 3 headsets for Central Michigan University’s HSC 211 anatomy and physiology course. Students like junior Gavin Hockstra can virtually explore organs, earn college credit, and...
Consultant Helps Anniston, Ala., Teachers Workshop AI
Anniston City Schools hosted an AI workshop for roughly 170 teachers, led by Chicago consultant Dr. Stacie Chana. The session combined a primer on AI fundamentals with hands‑on exercises, emphasizing ethics, bias, privacy, and deep‑fake risks. Educators voiced excitement about...
National Initiative Centers Rural Schools in AI Design, Implementation
The Rural AI Strategy Lab, a six‑month initiative by FullScale and All4Ed, selected 13 school and district teams from 10 states out of 114 applicants to test AI strategies tailored to rural needs. The cohort will receive hands‑on AI coaching,...
Miami-Dade Schools to Reinstall Controversial Bus Cameras
Miami-Dade Public Schools is restarting its school‑bus camera enforcement program on May 4 after a year‑long suspension caused by citation errors. The district will pay $225 per bus each month for the technology, while BusPatrol receives $65 for every $225 fine...
Sacramento Schools Turn to Electric Buses Amid Spiking Fuel Costs
Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) introduced seven electric buses this year, saving roughly 7,000 gallons of diesel fuel. The district aims to have electric buses make up 80% of its 105‑vehicle fleet within five years, a shift driven by...