Pulse #36: Why Connection Is Showing Up as a Strategy

Here’s what stood out to us this week:

Four national Superintendent of the Year finalists shared how they’re navigating AI, funding pressure, and workforce challenges. Leaders described using AI to reduce administrative load while keeping humans in charge, expanding career pathways beyond college through deep community partnerships, and rethinking leadership pipelines to retain teachers. What these leaders share is a focus on tools and structures that support educators, strengthen family connections, and help districts stay steady amid financial and political uncertainty.

Mindset CoPilot has publicly launched a literacy-first AI platform designed to strengthen professional judgment, not replace it. The tool lets educators rehearse high-stakes literacy decisions in realistic classroom scenarios, using AI to support feedback, reflection, and consistency while keeping instructional decisions firmly in human hands. The move reflects a broader shift in education AI, away from content generation and toward practice-based learning that helps teachers apply research reliably in real classrooms.

Well-intentioned local and state policies that reduce testing, soften grading, and ease accountability are quietly stripping schools of reliable signals about student learning. New evidence shows the result is students advancing with strong grades but arriving unprepared for college-level work, leaving educators and policymakers without clear data on what’s working. While federal rollbacks draw attention, this grassroots erosion may be doing just as much damage to student outcomes.

New research from NWEA finds that post-pandemic summer school programs produced small but meaningful math gains across 10 districts, even when implementation wasn’t perfect. That contrasts with large tutoring initiatives that often stalled due to staffing and scheduling challenges. For district leaders stuck on uneven recovery, summer school may be a more reliable lever for progress.

Teachers are using open mic sessions to develop students' writing abilities and social-emotional skills by creating supportive environments where students share original work like poetry, stories, and personal essays. Experts emphasize that involving students in planning these activities and establishing clear guidelines for respectful listening helps even reluctant participants feel comfortable participating. These structured sharing opportunities give students authentic audiences for their writing while building confidence and communication skills that extend beyond the classroom.

Evergreen School District launched a “Lunch With Students” program where grant funding pays for staff meals when they eat with students outside classroom settings. In just three months, 24 staff members participated nearly 200 times, with teachers reporting stronger classroom management and a better understanding of student needs. The initiative shows how districts are using relationship-building as a practical response to rising student mental health concerns.

The 74 Million identified 255 public schools nationwide where third-grade reading proficiency far exceeds what poverty rates would predict. Schools serving overwhelmingly low-income students posted reading outcomes well above predicted levels, pointing to the power of instructional practice and school-level decisions. The takeaway is clear: demographics matter, but they are not destiny.

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