1️⃣ Leadership Insights
New EdWeek Research Center data shows immigration enforcement is increasingly shaping student attendance and well-being. Schools report higher absences, elevated anxiety, and families disengaging out of fear, especially in immigrant communities. While some districts are communicating protections and partnering with local organizations, many lack clear plans, leaving school leaders to navigate safety, trust, and attendance challenges at the same time.
2️⃣ AI in Schools
A Class Disrupted conversation with AIEDU’s Alex Kotran argues that AI readiness goes well beyond teaching students how to use tools. The focus should be on durable skills, strong content knowledge, and assessment models that can’t be shortcut by AI, paired with system-level change that supports teachers first. With the future of work still unclear, the message for school leaders is to stop chasing tech trends and instead build learning experiences that help students adapt, think critically, and thrive in a fast-changing world.
3️⃣ Teaching & Learning
Civics education hasn’t kept pace with how students learn and engage in a digital world. Memorizing facts about government falls short in an era shaped by social media, misinformation, and polarization, where students need skills like media literacy, civil disagreement, and collaboration. The takeaway for schools is to pair core civic knowledge with real-world, nonpartisan experiences that help students practice responsible participation in a modern democracy.
4️⃣ Future Ready
The U.S. Department of Education has added a new warning to the FAFSA that alerts students if colleges they list have graduates who earn less than peers with only a high school diploma. The disclosure compares graduates’ median earnings four years after completion to state or national benchmarks and links directly to College Scorecard data. The move aims to give families clearer signals about return on investment while stopping short of limiting college choice or federal aid eligibility.
5️⃣ School Safety
Drawing on 50 years of crisis intervention work, this piece argues there’s no quick fix for school violence and that reactive, high-visibility solutions often miss the mark. While shootings on school grounds remain relatively rare and may be declining, the author warns against cycles of blame, litigation, and expensive hardware that overlook prevention. The emphasis is on five actions educators can take: be kind, be aware, be assertive, be prepared, and be proactive in strengthening long-term safety systems like threat assessment and community-based supports.
6️⃣ Policy Watch
A new analysis warns that overturning the Supreme Court ruling that guarantees all children access to free public education, regardless of immigration status, would have major economic, workforce, and public health consequences. Since 1982, this protection has boosted GDP, reduced poverty, strengthened the workforce, and lowered healthcare costs, benefits that would be reversed if access were denied. As some states revisit immigration-related education policies, districts are already seeing enrollment and attendance declines among newcomer students.
7️⃣ Final Findings
New NWEA research finds that summer school delivers modest gains in math but shows no measurable impact on reading. The math improvement equals about two to three weeks of school-year learning, especially when summer programs are paired with academic supports during the year. Rather than pulling back on summer literacy, the findings point to the need for longer programs, stronger attendance, and more intensive, targeted reading instruction.
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