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 so, sparking a debate over public‑school benefits versus private‑school enrollment. Proponents argue the credit creates a new revenue stream for enrichment, tutoring and other public‑school programs, while critics fear it could funnel money to private‑school vouchers. The policy sits at the intersection of tax law and education choice, forcing state executives to balance fiscal opportunity with political risk.
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...
Inside Los Angeles Unified’s Hidden World of Art, Archives and Artifacts
Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second‑largest, maintains an Art & Artifact Collection of roughly 100,000 pieces ranging from 19th‑century paintings to 2,100 BCE Mesopotamian tablets. A 2008 appraisal placed the collection’s value at more than $12 million, and the district...
State Finds California District Failed to Handle Sex Abuse Allegations
The California Attorney General reached a stipulated judgment with the El Monte Union High School District, ending an 18‑month investigation into its mishandling of sexual abuse complaints. The settlement mandates sweeping reforms, including a compliance coordinator, centralized record‑keeping, and mandatory...
Florida Educator Tapped to Lead Fort Worth Schools Under Texas Takeover
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath has named former Florida superintendent Peter B. Licata as the new leader of Fort Worth Independent School District, which is currently under state control. Licata, who briefly headed Broward County Public Schools, will oversee a...
Opinion: Teaching Protest in the Age of ICE Raids — Through Songs
Bruce Springsteen’s new track “Streets of Minneapolis” turned the grief from recent ICE raids into a protest anthem, joining a wave of musicians condemning immigration enforcement. Federal ICE presence in Minneapolis fell sharply from roughly 3,000 agents to about 650...
Building a Mindset: Amp Lab Makes Entrepreneurship, Work Skills Its Mission
Amp Lab, a career‑technical high school in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, opened in 2022 to teach an entrepreneurial mindset rather than traditional trade skills. The school places every junior and senior in a real‑world business challenge, internship, or student‑run venture, partnering with...
Opinion: When Language Becomes a Barrier to Special Education
Latino families navigating special education often hit language barriers that delay critical services. A 2022 ISLA NC initiative, *Padres Investigadores*, trained parents to study these obstacles, revealing that over 40% of families waited six months or more for evaluations and nearly...
Oklahoma Has Led the Way on Teacher Pension Funding. Can It Keep It Up?
Oklahoma has dramatically improved its teacher pension health, shrinking the unfunded liability from $10.4 billion in 2010 to $6.1 billion and lifting the funded ratio from 47% to 80% by mid‑2024. The gains stem from benefit cuts, a higher retirement age, longer...
Missouri Doula Program Shows Early Success as Lawmakers Look to Expansion
Missouri’s Medicaid program now offers free doula services to pregnant and postpartum mothers, reaching about 625 participants in its first 15 months. The initiative, championed by bipartisan lawmakers, aims to curb the state’s high maternal mortality rate—70 deaths annually, 80%...
Opinion: Student Data Has Changed. Privacy Rules Haven’t. It’s Time for That to Change
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), enacted in 1974, still governs student data under paper‑based assumptions despite schools now operating in a fully digital environment. Recent high‑profile ed‑tech breaches have highlighted the law’s inability to address modern data‑security...
States Are Increasingly Using Child Care Waitlists, Leaving Parents in Limbo
States across the U.S. are increasingly placing families on child‑care subsidy waitlists, leaving parents like Virginia resident Taylor Moyer in prolonged uncertainty. Fourteen states have recently introduced or expanded these lists, while only about a quarter of the 8 million eligible...
10-Year-Old Debuts a Runway Collection in Paris
Fourth‑grader Max Alexander became the youngest designer ever to present a collection at Paris Fashion Week, debuting his runway show in March 2026. The ten‑year‑old’s collection featured playful silhouettes, bold colors, and sustainably sourced fabrics, drawing attention from industry insiders...
Bill Requiring Immigration Status Checks in Tennessee Public Schools Advances in Legislature
Tennessee lawmakers advanced a bill requiring public schools to collect and report student immigration status data to the state education department. The measure, originally allowing schools to deny enrollment or charge tuition to undocumented students, was stripped of those provisions...
AllHere Set Meeting With LAUSD Leaders Months Before Landing $6.2M Chatbot Deal
In January 2023 LAUSD leaders met with AllHere CEO and consultant Debra Kerr, a close associate of Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, months before the district approved a $6.2 million AI‑chatbot contract. The deal later became the focus of FBI raids, an investigation...
Parents Are Feeding Their Babies Sticks of Butter
A wave of parents and social‑media influencers are giving infants aged six months to two years sticks of butter, touting benefits such as deeper sleep and accelerated development. The practice has spread through short video clips and anecdotal testimonials rather...
The State of Youth Apprenticeships: Policy, Practice and Pathways to Scale
On Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET, The 74 and the Progressive Policy Institute will host a Zoom conversation titled “The State of Youth Apprenticeships: Policy, Practice and Pathways to Scale.” The panel features California’s apprenticeship chief Adele Burns, ApprenticeshipNC director Chris Harrington,...
Opinion: Making Afterschool & Summer Programs More Affordable for Millions of Families
A new America After 3PM study shows that while parents of nearly 30 million children desire after‑school or summer programs, only about 7 million are actually enrolled. Cost remains the primary obstacle, with almost 60 % of families unable to afford participation and...
Worry for Teacher Pensions Prompts Criticism of Oklahoma Ed Funding Plan
Oklahoma Senate leaders unveiled a plan to redirect $254 million from the Teachers’ Retirement System’s apportionment subsidy toward a $2,500 teacher pay raise, additional school funding, and expanded private‑school tax credits. The proposal does not cut current retiree benefits but would...
A Record Share of U.S. Workers Now Have Access to Paid Leave
A record 32 percent of U.S. private‑sector workers—about 46 million people—now have access to paid family and medical leave through state‑run programs, the highest share ever recorded. Fourteen state laws, ten enacted in the past decade, cover workers in 13 blue...
How Early Stress Shapes the Developing Brain
Decades of developmental research, highlighted by Professor Megan Gunnar’s work, show that stress in the first years of life reshapes brain circuitry and later behavior. Sensitive periods make early experiences especially potent, with misbehavior often serving as a visible cue...
Modern Parenting Means Apps for Sports, School and More. Where Is the Data Going?
California Assemblymember Dawn Addis is championing AB 1159, a bill that would tighten privacy protections for K‑12 and college students by closing loopholes in the state’s 2014 education data law and restricting AI companies’ use of student information. The proposal...
NYC Parents Want Career Aptitude Assessments for All High Schoolers
NYC parents, through the Citywide Council on High Schools, have passed a resolution urging the Education Department to implement career aptitude assessments for all ninth‑ and eleventh‑grade students. The proposal argues that standardized, research‑based tools can help students—especially those from...