schools Archives

Learner agency comes first in AI-driven digital literacy

October 5, 2026 by Dr. Mark Taormino, College of Southern Nevada

Curriculum must evolve beyond AI tools and teach learner agency, judgment, verification, and critical thinking for true digital literacy.

For many schools, the path to AI literacy remains unclear. The challenge is not simply AI’s rapid evolution, but its ability to generate answers almost instantly, forcing educators…

Edtech Trends

Parents worry about ed tech. Most still see a place for it, polls suggest.

September 30, 2026 by Lily Altavena, Chalkbeat

Moderate parents who support some screen time could be important people to consider, as big school districts start to pass limits on ed tech.

Some parents are organizing campaigns to opt their kids out of classroom tech. Others are suing education software companies. But there may be a quieter majority: Parents who…

E-rate Funding

What E-Rate makes possible: Four lessons from our district

September 30, 2026September 28, 2026 by Dr. Chris Smallen, Lenoir City Schools & Rachel Little, United Data Technologies

Lenoir City Schools uses E-Rate to create an environment where all district students have access to the same opportunities and resources.

For nearly three decades, E-Rate has helped school districts build and sustain the network infrastructure that supports teaching, learning, safety, and the many systems educators rely on every…

College and Career Readiness

Inspiring curiosity for career exploration and mentoring for pathway success

September 24, 2026September 23, 2026 by Michael Collins, Ruben S. Ayala High School

Career exploration should be combined with visible connections to career pathways that align with a student’s interests and aspirations.

In my eight years as a high school CTE, Engineering and Architecture Pathway instructor, I have witnessed students and their families struggle to navigate their career trajectory. Every…

AI in Education

The oral exam is back, and AI may be the reason

September 18, 2026 by Nesreen El-Baz, Bloomsbury Education Author & School Governor

AI is forcing educators to reconsider what actually counts as evidence that learning has taken place, and oral exams may be the answer.

In 2023, Catherine Hartmann, a professor at the University of Wyoming, gave students in a history of meditation course a deeply personal assignment: try a contemplative practice and…

K-12 Cybersecurity

Why K-12 cybersecurity education needs practice, not just awareness

September 14, 2026 by Paul Cuffe, GetIntoCyberJobs.com

K-12 cybersecurity education can do is help students build habits that remain useful as technology changes.

Students are already making cybersecurity decisions every day. Giving them a list of rules is not the same as teaching them how to recognize a threat.

Universal Design for Learning

The compliance trap waiting on the other side of Title II

September 11, 2026 by Luis Pérez, CAST

A Web Content Accessibility Guidelines audit tells you if a tool passes a test--it won't tell you if students can actually use it.

Every few years, something shifts how schools think about accessibility. A law changes, a new technology arrives, or a group of advocates succeeds in bringing attention to the…

Building & Campus Security

The everyday access control gaps schools overlook

September 10, 2026 by Mike Garcia, HID Global and Mercury Security

Modern access control connects people, policies, technologies, and emergency procedures into a coordinated safety program.

School leaders have invested heavily in campus security over the past decade. Cameras, visitor management systems, emergency communication platforms, and access control upgrades have become standard parts of…

AI in Education

AACTE releases national framework on AI in educator preparation

September 9, 2026 by ESchool News Staff

The widespread adoption of AI is changing educator preparation what educators need to know and what they need to be able to do.

A new national framework from AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education) aims to help educator preparation programs (EPPs) navigate the rapidly changing role of artificial intelligence…

AI in Education

Career readiness in the AI era needs decision practice, not just tool access

September 4, 2026 by Gleb Tsipursky, PhD, Disaster Avoidance Experts

When it comes to career readiness, the best prep for an AI-shaped labor market is more practice making decisions when AI is in the room.

Schools are racing to teach students how to use AI. That is necessary, but it is not enough. The workplace advantage will increasingly belong to people who can…

AI in Education

Building an everyday equitable practice for AI in schools

September 3, 2026 by Chelsie Thielen, Winona State University

Ai in schools must move beyond superficial bans and passive policies to everyday practice grounded in scrutiny, judgment, and equity.

AI technology is advancing rapidly in schools, but research is increasingly showing that Large Language Models (LLMs) lack the common sense, morality, and knowledge of individual classroom dynamics…

District Management

A blanket screen-time ban won’t fix what’s broken in edtech

August 31, 2026 by Todd Wirt, Discovery Education & Former Public School Superintendent

A ban on edtech and screen time won't work if we want to prepare students for the future and help them build digital fluency and AI literacy.

Many parents, policymakers, and educators are worried about screens in schools. They’ve observed the positive effects of cell phone bans and are wondering how edtech might contribute to…

AI in Education

Beyond spotting deepfakes: Teaching multilingual learners to interrogate AI

August 25, 2026August 25, 2026 by Nesreen El-Baz, ESL Educator

Helping multilingual students spot deepfakes in the age of AI will help them better assess authenticity of online content.

Long before computers entered our homes and classrooms, photographs helped shape what people believed. Images carried a particular kind of authority: We did not simply look at them;…

Education Policy & Funding

Public schools at the starting line: Beginning a new pathway with scholarship granting organizations

August 14, 2026 by Dr. Harold Jeffcoat, Van Buren School District

Scholarship funds from SGOs can be used for qualified expenses, which include academic tutoring and special needs services and supports.

For the first time, a federal tax credit is opening a clear path for public school students to access expanded learning opportunities through Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs).

AI in Education

Schools are building AI rules before they know the destination

August 12, 2026August 7, 2026 by Scott Laband, Colorado Succeeds

America’s schools are moving quickly to respond to the rise of artificial intelligence, with parents, teachers, administrators, and lawmakers working to wrap their arms around what this means…

District Management

Does school design help or hinder adolescent learning?

August 12, 2026August 4, 2026 by Heidi Neumueller AIA, NCARB, LEED AP®, Amy Keller Frye

How one school reimagined learning spaces–and what others can learn

Adolescence is one of the most consequential periods of human development, yet the environments designed to support it often fail to reflect its complexity. Spanning ages 10 to…

Literacy

The one literacy metric schools miss: Students’ love of reading

July 31, 2026 by Dr. Jared Bloom, Franklin Square Union Free School District

Literacy technology that amplifies teachers’ expertise ensures students spend less time on their screens and more time reading and learning.

To ensure children build foundational reading skills in the early elementary years, educators have embraced the Science of Reading with its emphasis on phonics and phonemic awareness.

District Management

Chronic absenteeism isn’t the problem–it’s the signal

July 22, 2026 by Dr. Natasha Scott, Cumberland County Schools

Chronic absenteeism will not be solved by a stricter attendance policy--it will be solved by people who focus on belonging and support.

Every school leader I know has a version of the same moment: You pull up a student's attendance record expecting to find a discipline problem, and instead you…

Digital Learning Tools

Not all screen time is equal

July 20, 2026 by Dr. Carolyn Brown, WordFlight

Screen time debates should center on if individual technologies, programs, and digital learning experiences support student growth.

With the growing movement to limit technology in schools, parents and educators are right to question how much time students spend on screens. But, as schools reconsider the…

Student Well-Being

Rethinking MTSS: How schools can turn student data into meaningful support

July 10, 2026July 10, 2026 by Erin Hornbeck, RethinkEd

The future of MTSS lies in helping educators turn information into meaningful, timely support that improves outcomes for every student.

Schools today are navigating an unprecedented convergence of academic gaps, behavioral challenges, chronic absenteeism and rising student mental health needs.

Student Well-Being

Schools need behavioral assessments to fight chronic absenteeism

August 4, 2026July 9, 2026 by Jennifer Robitaille, Riverside Insights

Districts need evidence-based SEL frameworks and tools to find and quell chronic absenteeism in the earliest stage possible.

Our schools face a paradoxical challenge: chronic absenteeism, which is being treated as an attendance problem, actually isn’t.

K-12 Cybersecurity

For schools, cyber resilience starts at the data layer

June 24, 2026 by Katherine Hennessey, Everpure

In cyber resilience, protect the data layer and build recovery plans around the data and services that keep learning and operations moving.

Cyber resilience in education starts at the data layer. That is because the data layer is where schools' most important information lives and where recovery begins when something…

Durable Skills

Career-connected learning and life skills development in the middle grades

June 23, 2026 by Thomas O'Brien, Winward Academy & Dr. T.J. Vari, MaiaLearning

We must move beyond isolated skill instruction and integrate durable skills into curriculum, school programming, and extracurriculars.

The future of high-quality middle level engagement will include career exposure and exploration with a focus on transferable skills and the development of career goals.

Literacy

6 keys to building a high-impact summer reading program

June 17, 2026 by Samantha Krzyzanowski, Hope for Youth and Families

A nonprofit literacy director shares how her organization creates and perfects a 4-week summer reading program that changes students’ lives.

In 2023, Bob Bolduc, the founder of Hope for Youth and Families, identified a gap in our student’s reading success here in Springfield, Massachusetts. He sought to identify…

Education Policy & Funding

We need to start giving agency to educators instead of edtech vendors

June 8, 2026 by Priten Soundar-Shah, PedagogyVentures

Teachers and students need agency as they are voicing concern and disagreement over administrators’ edtech purchasing decisions.

American schools spent roughly $30 billion on educational technology in 2024--a figure that's projected to nearly double by 2033. Superintendents are constantly bombarded with emails, brochures, and demos…

AI in Education

My students need real connection, not AI feedback

June 5, 2026 by Andrew Rodgers, Chicago High School for the Arts in Chicago & 2025-2026 Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow

No AI algorithm can replace the human dialogue that helps students feel seen, challenged, and understood by their teachers.

As I wrapped up my student conferences, one conversation stuck with me. Steven had barely touched his final project for our computer science course, a virtual simulation of…

Curriculum & Assessment

Finding the “low way”: Reclaiming creativity in schools

May 28, 2026 by Joel Kupperstein, Project Lead The Way

Assessment and accountability matter, but we also need space for creativity that allows students to explore, revise, and discover.

When my daughter was little, every time we climbed into the car, she’d look up and ask, “Are we going to take the low way?”

District Management

When it comes to absenteeism, the real work begins in summer

May 26, 2026 by Piper Bognar, Van Dyke Public Schools

The effort required to maintain student connection to school and combat chronic absenteeism is extensive, continuous, and human-centered.

Every June, once the last bus leaves and the halls go quiet, I get the strong desire to take a deep breath and to allow the pressure of…

Teaching Trends

Summer isn’t just a season, it’s a strategy

June 12, 2026May 22, 2026 by Liz McChesney, National Summer Learning Association & Joan Brooks, Blue Star Education

Research from 35 years in literacy help to close opportunity gaps, build partnerships, and make summer learning count for every child.

Summer is full of learning opportunities that many children miss. When back-to-school season begins, some kids are already starting behind. That's all due to a lack of access…

Student Data Security

The hidden cost of fragmented student data in K–12 schools

May 1, 2026 by Aruna Adoor, SchoolCues

Addressing fragmented student data is not just an operational improvement--it directly impacts the school-home connection

In many K–12 schools today, fragmented student data has quietly become one of the most significant barriers to effective decision-making and day-to-day operations. While digital tools have expanded…

Student Well-Being

Why students disengage before they fall behind

April 21, 2026 by Lynna Martinez-Khalilian

The belonging gap emerges when students experience school as a place where they’re not fully known, seen, or valued for who they are.

I once met a student who had attended three different schools before arriving at mine. His parents described him in familiar terms: quiet, disengaged, unmotivated.

College and Career Readiness

Education in a connected world: Preparing students for global careers

April 17, 2026April 16, 2026 by Shaun Fuchs, Centennial Schools

To prepare learners for this world of work, education must prioritize advanced literacy and communication from the earliest years

The world of work is changing fast. Careers no longer sit neatly within a single industry, city, or even country; they span disciplines, time zones, technologies, and cultures.

Emergency Planning & Response

Protecting teachers from workplace violence as student behavior challenges rise

April 17, 2026April 14, 2026 by Dr. Roderick Sams, CENTEGIX

Violence against teachers in the workplace contributes to issues like burnout and some educators leaving the profession altogether.

Schools have seen rising problems with student behavior since the pandemic. For too many K-12 districts, these student behavior challenges are leading to violence against teachers.

Curriculum & Assessment

It’s time to rewrite math standards for the future–and to stop expecting AI to do it for us

April 12, 2026April 9, 2026 by Jill Diniz & James Tanton, SmartWithIt

$As we look ahead and begin to redefine math education, one thing is abundantly clear: AI won’t fix bad pedagogy.$

While nearly every industry is racing to integrate artificial intelligence, most schools are still teaching high school math the way it’s been done for decades--rooted in instructional material…

Digital Learning Tools

A viral case against screens in schools is winning converts. Does the evidence hold up?

April 1, 2026 by Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat

In his book and Senate testimony, a neuroscientist offers a three-pronged case against screens and edtech in schools.

Schools have been struggling for nearly a decade with stagnant or declining test scores. Some have blamed external factors like the pandemic or children’s screen use outside of…

K-12 Cybersecurity

Why digital resilience is critical for U.S. K-12 schools

March 23, 2026 by James Griffin, CyberSentriq

Education depends on stability--in a digital-first environment, that stability increasingly rests on cyber resilience.

While prevention remains essential, 2025 has reinforced a hard lesson for district leaders: it’s not a question of if a cyber incident will occur, but how prepared a…

District Management

When it comes to student attendance, are districts measuring the wrong thing?

March 6, 2026 by George Philhower, Ed.D., Eastern Hancock Schools

As the pressure to improve student attendance mounts, it’s silencing the alarm that kids are still struggling once they return to classrooms.

Across the country, schools are raising alarms about chronic absenteeism. News stories highlight rising numbers of missed days, legislators are demanding answers from districts, and educators are feeling…

District Management

In districts, reaching readiness, retention, and success

March 5, 2026 by Laura Ascione

Using data to drive decisions through every district process helps you retain teachers who give their best to students. teacher retention

It's critical that schools create an environment where students thrive and teachers and staff feel supported and empowered.

District Management

Strengthening the PK-12 leadership pipeline during a succession crisis

February 26, 2026 by Dr. Martin Yousef, LaFetra College of Education, University of La Verne

Without intentional investment, the PK-12 leadership pipeline will continue to narrow as retirements outpace preparation.

Across the country, districts are confronting a growing PK-12 leadership pipeline crisis. Veteran principals, assistant principals, and district administrators are retiring at increasing rates, yet there is not…

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