What We're Reading started off as something pretty simple: a daily email for clients and friends, curating education stories that our team was paying attention to.
I remember the day in 2018 when we hit Outlook's 500-recipient BCC limit — which, if you've ever been the person responsible for making sure a daily email actually goes out, you know is both a moment of celebration and a moment of panic.
Since then, our little newsletter has grown to more than 10,000 readers, and we've launched additional newsletters under the Whiteboard Media brand: Whiteboard Notes, The EdSheet, and a special edition of What We’re Reading focused on workforce trends and corporate learning.
With so much happening in education every single day, I'm excited to be stepping into the editor's chair for What We're Reading. I'm taking over from Kelly Branning, who has shepherded this newsletter since 2022.
One new thing you'll notice going forward: each edition, starting tomorrow, I'll be flagging a few stories that rose to the top for me — the ones I talked about with a colleague, forwarded to a client, or couldn't stop thinking about. And I want to hear from you — if there's a story on your radar or a topic you think we should be covering, drop me a line.
Otherwise, expect the same newsletter you've come to rely on — the same breadth across PK-12 and higher education, the same four-day-a-week cadence, and the same commitment to surfacing what matters. And with that, here is What We’re Reading today:
Federal Policy & Politics
Meet the Trump Cabinet Secretaries Taking Over Ed. Dept. Programs - Education Week (subscription model) - March 31, 2026
Trump Axes Student Mental Health Grants and One California Charter Suffers - LA School Report - April 1, 2026
See Which Ed. Dept. Programs Are Moving to New Agencies: A Tracker - Education Week (subscription model) - April 1, 2026
K-12 Education
A New Approach to Algebra in 8th Grade Seems to Produce Big Benefits - Education Week (subscription model) - April 1, 2026
The Real Culprit of Our Literacy Gap? Time. - The 74 - April 1, 2026
Parents and Kids Feel Shut Out of Policymaking. What Schools Should Know - Education Week (subscription model) - March 31, 2026
How Scaffolding Prior Knowledge Into New Concepts Can Build Engagement - K-12 Dive - April 1, 2026
Higher Education
At Syracuse, Classics, Ceramics and Italian Out as Majors in Overhaul - The New York Times (subscription model) - April 1, 2026
Professors Are Designing AI Apps Meant to Help Students Think Through Problems - The Washington Post (subscription model) - April 1, 2026
Higher Ed Groups Urge GSA to Rescind Anti-DEI Certification Proposal - Higher Ed Dive - April 1, 2026
Judge Says Penn Must Turn Over Information About Jewish Employees in US Discrimination Probe - Associated Press - March 31, 2026
More colleges get delay on submitting new admissions data - Higher Ed Dive - April 1, 2026
Navigating AI Partnerships in Higher Ed: Governance, Procurement, and Scaling Student Success - Campus Technology - March 30, 2026
Early Learning & Child Care
Kentucky Passes Bill to Overhaul Child Care System With Microcenters - Louisville Courier Journal - April 1, 2026
Has the Practice of Redshirting Kindergartners Peaked? - Education Week (subscription model) - April 1, 2026
State Child Care Assistance Funding to Last Through June, at Least - Chalkbeat Colorado - March 31, 2026
Special Education Experts Urge California Schools to Invest in Early Education Amid Rising Costs - Record-Bee - April 1, 2026
Mamdani's Free Child Care Plan Raises Questions on Manhattan's Upper East Side - The New York Times (subscription model) - March 31, 2026
AI & Technology
A $17-million bet brought ChatGPT to CSU campuses. A year later, AI distrust leaves many divided - Los Angeles Times (subscription model) - April 1, 2026
California Middle Schools Are Ground Zero for Testing AI in Classrooms - EdSource - April 1, 2026
A Tale of Two AI Design Projects - Learning Curve - April 1, 2026
Texas Is Taking a Systematic Approach to Leveraging AI to Support Student Success - The EduLedger - April 1, 2026
Workforce & Career Pathways
The Missing Link in the Education-to-Employment Pipeline: Human Connection - SHRM - March 25, 2026
CTE Programs' Earnings Boosts May Diminish Over Time, Study Finds - K-12 Dive - April 1, 2026
State & Local News
Michigan | Michigan Lawmakers Aim to Fix State's K-12 School Literacy Crisis - The 74 - April 1, 2026
Michigan | Michigan's Statewide Re-Enrollment Success Drives 14,000 Enrollments, $57 Million in Recaptured Tuition - National Today - March 31, 2026
Missouri | Missouri Lawmakers Consider Shuffling Public Higher Ed - Inside Higher Ed - April 1, 2026
Texas | Florida Educator Tapped to Lead Fort Worth Schools Under Texas Takeover - The 74 - April 1, 2026
Mississippi | Legislature Votes to Add $6M to Private School Tax Credit Program - Mississippi Today - April 1, 2026
New York | At Syracuse, Classics, Ceramics and Italian Out as Majors in Overhaul - The New York Times (subscription model) - April 1, 2026
North Carolina | Lawmakers Asked for Funding for Advanced Teaching Roles, Workforce; Hear Updates on Math Standards and Cellphones in Classrooms - EdNC - April 1, 2026
Before You Go
A few non-education reads that caught our eye today:
If you've ever used AI to compare insurance plans or automate your grocery list, you're not alone — and apparently it's working. The WSJ profiles people who are offloading life's tedious tasks to AI and spending the freed-up time on guitar lessons, better sleep, and even trapeze classes.
The People Who Are Using AI at Home to Free Up Their Time - The Wall Street Journal (subscription model) - March 30, 2026
For something slower, the NYT Book Review sends a 52-year-old journalist to a weekend retreat where 16 strangers take turns reading an entire novel aloud. The chairs were terrible. The experience was not.
16 Strangers, One 304-Page Novel and a Weekend of Reading Aloud - The New York Times (subscription model) - April 1, 2026
And finally, because it's April 1: The Verge's annual roundup of the best and worst corporate pranks is here. Trackable socks, a cat holder for your monitor, and Dyson styling tools for your pets all made the cut.
April Fools' Day 2026: The Best and Cringiest Pranks - The Verge - April 1, 2026
W/A has occasionally published a special edition of Whiteboard Notes on April Fools' Day. Check out the 2016 and 2021 versions!
Job Opportunities

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