Opinion: Stop Trying to Teach 21st Century Financial Literacy With 20th Century Tools
The United States still struggles with financial illiteracy, with only 57 % of adults meeting basic competency standards. Household debt has swelled to $18.8 trillion and bankruptcy filings rose 11 % in 2025, underscoring the stakes. While 35 states now require a personal‑finance class for high‑school graduation, the author argues that traditional worksheets are ineffective for today’s digital natives. He proposes AI‑powered, gamified simulations that let students experience budgeting, credit, and investing in real time, turning abstract concepts into practical muscle memory.
Opinion: Why Blue State Governors Should Sign Up for New Federal Scholarship Tax Credit
The federal government will launch a $1,700 Scholarship Tax Credit on Jan. 1, 2027, allowing individuals to claim a credit for donations to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). Governors must opt their states in, and Democratic leaders like Colorado’s Jared Polis have already done...
California Students Author New ‘Digital Wellness’ Bill, Say Phone Bans Fall Short
California Assembly Bill 2071, authored by student activist Elise Choi and the GenUp coalition, would require every public school to embed digital‑wellness instruction into health curricula. The bill, moving through a committee hearing with bipartisan backing, mandates a Department of...
Indiana Teachers Union Staff File Unfair Labor Charges After Alleged Retaliation
The Indiana Professional Staff Organization (PSO) filed unfair‑labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board on April 7, alleging retaliation after the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) put its president, vice‑president and a regional director on administrative leave. ISTA’s proposed...
Dolly Parton’s Reading Initiative Hits Snag in California
The California State Library allocated $70 million in 2022 to boost childhood literacy, channeling part of the funding through a newly created nonprofit, Strong Reader Partnership, to work with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The partnership spent over $1 million of taxpayer money...
Pay Equity Fund for D.C.’s Early Educators Faces Possible Elimination
Washington, D.C.’s Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, which has boosted salaries by up to $14,000 and lifted average earnings to about $67,000, faces a $60 million cut in the mayor’s FY 2027 budget. The proposed elimination would strip more than 3,000...
Lincoln Mother Continues Fight for Nebraska Literacy, Dyslexia Awareness
Nebraska lawmakers are debating an amendment to Legislative Bill 1050 that would require the State Board of Education to develop a model policy for reading interventions, dyslexia screening and a parental opt‑out on grade retention for third‑graders. The amendment advanced...
Opinion: Rebuilding the Black Teacher Pipeline, for the Benefit of All Students
Pennsylvania’s public schools employ only 3.7% Black teachers while Black students comprise roughly 14.5% of the K‑12 population, a gap rooted in post‑Brown v. Board policies that dismantled the Black educator pipeline. Recent initiatives, such as the Freedom Schools Literacy...
Five Things to Know About the New Khan TED Institute
The Khan TED Institute, a joint venture of Khan Academy, TED and ETS, will launch an AI‑focused bachelor’s degree in applied AI that can be completed in as little as two years and costs under $10,000. The competency‑based program blends...
K-12 Telehealth Provider Faces Uncertain Future as Funding Dries Up
Hazel Health, once the nation’s largest K‑12 telehealth provider, has slashed 135 jobs, reducing its workforce to roughly 500 employees. The company lost its $28 million Los Angeles County contract and saw Chicago’s agreement shortened, while several districts are letting contracts...
Pilot Program Provides Early Childhood Educators with Rent-Free Business Spaces
Worcester’s Guild of St. Agnes and Seven Hills Foundation launched a two‑year, rent‑free incubator for family child‑care entrepreneurs, giving educators like Minerva Caba Toribio a classroom for up to ten children. The pilot, funded by a $1 million Health Foundation grant, supplies...
Opinion: How Child Care & Coffee Helped My Small Rural District Improve Staff Retention
Clyde‑Savannah Central School District, a rural New York district of 750 students, tackled chronic teacher turnover by focusing on culture rather than salary. In 2023 it launched a free, district‑run child‑care center serving 18 children daily, and converted a classroom...
Gen Z Increasingly Skeptical of — And Angry About — Artificial Intelligence
A Gallup poll of 1,572 U.S. Gen Zers shows a sharp swing in attitudes toward artificial intelligence. Anger toward AI rose to 31%, up nine points from the prior year, while excitement fell to 22% and hope to 18%. Confidence...
Opinion: When Work Isn’t 9-to-5, Child Care Can’t Be Either
Universal child‑care pilots in New York City and New Mexico aim to provide affordable, citywide care, yet they largely assume a traditional 9‑to‑5 workday. Research shows up to half of children under six have a parent working nonstandard hours, and...
A Seasoned Pediatrician on What the Latest Vaccine Victory Means for Kids
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in mid‑March that temporarily halted the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) from implementing controversial changes to the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule. The stay follows a lawsuit filed by the American Academy...