Today's edition has a thread worth pulling on: the teacher workforce is getting squeezed from every direction at once. Education Week crunched the numbers on what a starting teacher salary actually buys you in different cities — and the variation is striking. Meanwhile, a separate piece finds that teacher prep programs aren't equipping aspiring educators to handle student behavior challenges, which is one of the top reasons early-career teachers leave the profession. The 74 explores whether national service could help close the gender gap in teaching, and K-12 Dive reports that districts facing enrollment declines are responding with layoffs and hiring freezes. Recruitment, retention, preparation, and pay — four pressure points, all in one day's news.
Also in today's reading: LAUSD averted a historic three-union strike overnight with tentative deals that include an 11.65% teacher raise and a $77K starting salary, a new report finds that 68 percent of Gen Z students are turning to TikTok to search for scholarships — and first-generation students are 1.5 times more likely to actually land one they found on the platform, and Indiana's governor is putting $200 million into child care vouchers to take 14,000 kids off the waitlist.
As always, I'd love to hear what's resonating with you.
—Thomas
K-12 Education
America Has a Million Untapped Tutors. Here's How to Activate Them - The 74 - April 14, 2026
Restorative Practices Aren't Consequence-Free, Says a Student Discipline Expert - Education Week (subscription model) - April 14, 2026
Perspective | Students Find Shared Humanity and Deepened Learning Through Bilingual Performance - EducationNC - April 14, 2026
Higher Education
Colleges Find Removing Small Obstacles Can Help Students Who Dropped Out to Reenroll - Associated Press - April 14, 2026
A $10K College Built From Scratch for the AI Era - Axios - April 14, 2026
Universities Struggle to Adapt as Students Reconsider Majors Amid AI - The Hill - April 14, 2026
In Admissions Data Legal Fight, Colleges Want Protection From Punishment - Inside Higher Ed - April 14, 2026
Students Turning to TikTok to Find Scholarships - Inside Higher Ed - April 14, 2026
Donations to Colleges Hold Steady Amid Higher Ed Disruption - Higher Ed Dive - April 14, 2026
Hampshire College in Amherst Will Permanently Close in the Fall - WBUR - April 14, 2026
From Programs to Systems: What Retention Rates Reveal About Institutional Design in an HBCU Context - The Edu Ledger - April 14, 2026
Federal Policy & Politics
Education Department Officials Determined to Push Through College Oversight Revamp - Politico Pro (subscription model) - April 14, 2026
How the Education Department Will Prioritize AI in Awarding Grants - K-12 Dive - April 14, 2026
Dozens of Colleges Get More Time to Submit Race and Sex Admissions Data - Higher Ed Dive - April 14, 2026
In the Push to End Plyler, a Blurring of the Truth About English Learners - The 74 - April 14, 2026
How the Return of the Education Department's Payment Counter Impacts Your Loan Forgiveness - Investopedia - April 14, 2026
Early Learning & Child Care
Governor to Pump $200M Into Child Care Vouchers, Take 14K Kids Off Waitlist - Indiana Capital Chronicle - April 14, 2026
New Child Care Scholarships Available for Louisville Families Earning Up to $132K - WDRB - April 14, 2026
The Last Day at Kids of Faith: Parents Navigating a Child Care Crisis - The New York Times (subscription model) - April 13, 2026
Army to Begin Improving Pay, Benefits for Child Care Providers to Increase Staffing Levels - Stars and Stripes - April 13, 2026
AI & Technology
Opinion: Schools Are Urged to Embrace AI—and Ban Phones. Can We Resolve the Tension? - Education Week (subscription model) - April 14, 2026
A Call to Action for AI to Promote Mathematical Reasoning - Getting Smart - April 13, 2026
Student Health, Safety & Nutrition
Free School Meals Are Popular. Hawaiʻi Isn't Sold. - Civil Beat - April 14, 2026
MAHA and School Nutrition Experts Have a Message for Trump: Don't Put Kids on the Carnivore Diet - Chalkbeat - April 13, 2026
Workforce & Career Pathways
Achieve Partners Backs FutureFit AI to Help Young Workers Navigate the AI Economy - ImpactAlpha - April 14, 2026
Don't Count Out Computer Science Just Yet - WorkShift - April 14, 2026
School Choice
Voucher Expansion Defies Logic and Tennessee Voters - Tennessee Lookout - April 13, 2026
More Than 20,000 WV Students Apply for Hope Scholarship Voucher After Eligibility Broadens - West Virginia Watch - April 13, 2026
Educator Talent & Staffing
How Far Can You Stretch a Starting Teacher Salary? We Crunched the Numbers - Education Week (subscription model) - April 14, 2026
Aspiring Teachers Aren't Being Prepared to Handle Student Behavior Problems - Education Week (subscription model) - April 14, 2026
Real Men Serve: National Service As a Key to Closing the Gender Gap in Teaching? - The 74 - April 14, 2026
Layoffs, Hiring Freezes Pick Up in Districts Amid Declining Enrollment - K-12 Dive - April 14, 2026
State & Local News
Alaska | Juneau School Board to Decide on Contract With Teachers Union - KTOO - April 13, 2026
Arkansas | Arkansas Education Officials Seek Waivers to Reduce Federal Oversight of State's School System - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - April 10, 2026
Connecticut | High-Need Connecticut School District Doing 'Things People Don't Believe Are Possible' - The 74 - April 14, 2026
Kansas | Kansas State Board of Education Turns Inward for New State Commissioner of K-12 Education - Kansas Reflector - April 14, 2026
LA | LAUSD Strike Averted; Schools Open Tuesday as Unions Reach Tentative Deals With Raises - Los Angeles Times - April 14, 2026
LA | Los Angeles Teachers Secure Hefty Raise in Standoff With District - The Wall Street Journal (subscription model) - April 14, 2026
New Jersey | Newark Board of Education's April Election: Here's What Parents and Students Want - Chalkbeat Newark - April 13, 2026
NYC | She was expelled from high school. Now, she’s one of NYC’s top teachers. - Chalkbeat New York - April 13, 2026
Oklahoma | Major Changes to Reading Education Laws Pass Oklahoma House - Oklahoma Voice - April 13, 2026
Oregon | State Education Officials Propose New Accountability Targets for Districts, Students' Success - Oregon Capital Chronicle - April 14, 2026
Job Opportunities
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