Today's reading runs toward the quirky end of the news cycle.
In Lenox, Massachusetts, a century-old high school mascot is on the ballot. The Wall Street Journal captures a town split over its "Millionaires" nickname — a Monopoly Man with a top hat and dollar sign — with students tired of snide remarks from opposing teams squaring off against class-of-'77 alums who can't imagine anything else. "If I die tomorrow, I'm a Lenox Millionaire," one told the paper.
In understaffed statehouses, legislators are quietly leaning on AI chatbots for research and drafting. The Economist files the trend under a headline that doubles as a slogan: "Vote for Claude." One Kansas Republican in the piece frets that "your constituents aren't electing Claude or ChatGPT. They're electing you." Which makes me ask: how many anti-edtech bills are being drafted by AI?
And at Spelman College, students have built PlantGPT, an AI device that lets you have real-time conversations with your houseplants about their needs. The team is aiming first at plant owners, then at farmers.
One unrelated note, for DC readers whose tap water currently smells like a swimming pool — that's the annual chlorine switch, running through May 4. The real gift, which I recently discovered, is DC Water's 2018 Britney Spears parody, "Chlorinate Me One More Time." Eight years and 14,000 views later, it somehow hasn't earned the local TV rotation it deserves. Press play.
As always, if something crossed your desk today that deserves a wider audience, I'd love to hear about it.
K-12 Education
The For-Profit Education Company Scooping Up Millions of Welfare Dollars - The Wall Street Journal (subscription model) - April 23, 2026
The Business Case Against Judging Schools Like Businesses - The 74 - April 23, 2026
Districts Relying More on Data to Identify Gifted Students - EdSurge - April 23, 2026
2025 broke record for censorship: Less than 3% of book challenges came from parents - K-12 Dive - April 23, 2026
How creepy crawlies can unlock science curiosity for young learners - K-12 Dive - April 23, 2026
Tony Bennett and the lost playbook of education reform - Fordham Institute - April 23, 2026
Special education doesn't just work—it reverses academic decline - Fordham Institute - April 23, 2026
Why outcomes-based partnerships and accountability in the classroom are the future of education - DATIA K12 - April 23, 2026
This High School Student Is Teaching Kids Across the Globe How to Code - The 74 - April 23, 2026
Higher Education
A 'Life Skills Ecosystem' for College Students in the Age of AI - U.S. News & World Report - April 23, 2026
The case for college hasn't changed — but the narrative has - The Hill - April 23, 2026
At 'AI Coachella,' Stanford Students Line Up to Learn From Silicon Valley Royalty - WIRED (subscription model) - April 23, 2026
Spelman College students invent a way for plants to talk with the help of AI - NBC News - April 23, 2026
Opinion: Professors Are Too Old - The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription model) - April 23, 2026
The Four Paths to Enrollment Growth - The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription model) - April 23, 2026
Chapel Hill Keeps Refusing to Release $1.2M Report on SCiLL - Inside Higher Ed - April 23, 2026
Florida for-profit flight college shuts down suddenly - Higher Ed Dive - April 23, 2026
Financial aid for students without financial need: What does it mean for public policy? - Brookings Institution - April 23, 2026
Federal Policy & Politics
A Federal School Cellphone Policy? Big Barriers Stand in the Way - Education Week (subscription model) - April 23, 2026
As deadline looms, $289 million in federal education research funding may go unspent - The Hechinger Report - April 23, 2026
Early Learning & Child Care
Experts Discuss the Importance of Early Childhood Education - Time - April 23, 2026
The Reading Crisis Is Real. So Is the Tool We Keep Ignoring - The 74 - April 23, 2026
State & Local News
California | Bay Area student sues teachers and principal, alleging 'unrelenting' antisemitic harassment - San Francisco Chronicle - April 23, 2026
Massachusetts | A Millionaire Mascot Is Dividing a Wealthy Massachusetts Town - The Wall Street Journal (subscription model) - April 23, 2026
Memphis | Tennessee Republicans vote to take over Memphis-Shelby County schools - Chalkbeat Tennessee - April 23, 2026
Michigan | Michigan State, University of Michigan face over 60% cut under state funding bill - Higher Ed Dive - April 23, 2026
Nebraska | Amid DOJ Lawsuit, Nebraska Poised to End In-State Tuition for Noncitizens - Inside Higher Ed - April 23, 2026
North Carolina | NC lawmakers could restrict LGBTQ+ books in elementary school libraries - The News & Observer - April 23, 2026
Philadelphia | Philadelphia's school closure plan: answering big questions as key vote nears - Chalkbeat Philadelphia - April 23, 2026
Texas | Texas names new superintendent, board to lead Lake Worth ISD under takeover - Fort Worth Report - April 23, 2026
AI & Technology
The Gen Z stare meets the mysterious perfect homework assignment in the age of ChatGPT. Enter the oral exam - Fortune (subscription model) - April 23, 2026
This major school district just voted to ditch screens and go back to pen and paper - Fast Company - April 23, 2026
This Year's College Grads Are AI-Savvy — and a Little Brain-Rotted - Business Insider - April 23, 2026
The future of AI in the classroom - The Hechinger Report - April 23, 2026
What Schools Should Ask Before Buying An AI Tool - Tech & Learning - April 23, 2026
The Algorithm Arms Race: A Survival Guide for Students and Creators in the Age of AI Detectors - TechBullion - April 23, 2026
Student Health, Safety & Nutrition
Legislative Tracker: 2026 School Nutrition Bills in the States - FutureEd - April 23, 2026
Youth Suicides Declined After Creation of National Hotline - The New York Times (subscription model) - April 22, 2026
Workforce & Career Pathways
Grading the growth of apprenticeships - Community College Daily - April 23, 2026
School Choice
The school choice tax credit may mean fewer students in public schools - Chalkbeat - April 23, 2026
SC education officials ask court to freeze charter school authorizer's spending - The State - April 23, 2026
Also Reading
Artificial intelligence is creeping into American lawmaking - The Economist (subscription model) - April 23, 2026
Meet the Artemis Generation — students studying space in the new era of exploration - Houston Public Media - April 23, 2026
A New York 'Times' Crossword Error Causes Existential Crisis - Vulture - April 23, 2026
Job Opportunities
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