Happy Thursday! Here's what caught my eye today.
Artemis II is preparing to splash down in California this week, wrapping up the first crewed mission to the moon since 1972. I wanted to be an astronaut as a kid, so I've been glued to the coverage — and enjoyed this Education Week report on how educators are using the mission to reinforce the connection between science and creativity.
Robert Pondiscio has a sharp opinion piece in The 74 asking why education is so fad-prone — cycling from one framework to the next before the last one has had time to show results. His answer isn't that educators lack judgment. It's that the system rewards the appearance of change over the reality of improvement. It's worth reading alongside the Artemis mission: getting to the moon took over a decade of sustained commitment, not a pivot every three years.
A new Walton Family Foundation/GSV Ventures/Gallup survey finds Gen Z's excitement about artificial intelligence has cratered — down from 36% to 22% in a single year — while the share who say AI makes them angry jumped to 31%. Yet their usage hasn't budged. Gallup's researcher calls it "reticent acceptance." The generation that grew up online isn't buying the hype. They want guardrails, not cheerleading. And schools are responding: 74% of K-12 students now say their school has AI rules, up from 51% last year, and 56% believe they'll have the skills to use AI after graduation — a 12-point jump. The full report is here.
As always, if something crossed your desk today that deserves a wider audience, I'd love to hear about it.
K-12 Education
States Are Learning the Wrong Lesson From the 'Mississippi Miracle' - The Atlantic (subscription model) - April 9, 2026
Lessons Learned for Schools From Artemis II - Education Week (subscription model) - April 8, 2026
Why 'Year 0' Is the Most Critical Time in a Curriculum Rollout - K-12 Dive - April 8, 2026
Districts, States Grapple With 4-Day School Week - K-12 Dive - April 9, 2026
Why Is Education So Fad-Prone? 4 Reasons Schools Can't Resist the Shiny New Thing - The 74 - April 7, 2026
Opinion: Lessons From COVID School Aid: We Need Clearer Goals - The Hill - April 9, 2026
Higher Education
Per-Student State Funding for Higher Ed Dips for First Time in Years - Higher Ed Dive - April 9, 2026
Dozens of Colleges, Higher Ed Groups Ask to Delay ACTS Survey - Higher Ed Dive - April 9, 2026
The Small Private Colleges Dying in a Winner-Take-All University Marketplace - The Wall Street Journal (subscription model) - April 8, 2026
Colleges Scramble to Help Students With Tuition Ahead of Loan Limits for Parents - The Washington Post (subscription model) - April 9, 2026
Presidents Puzzled by Rebuilding Public Trust in Higher Ed - Inside Higher Ed - April 9, 2026
Federal Policy
For Second Time, Trump Seeks to Eliminate Federal Funding for Tribal Colleges and Universities - Associated Press - April 9, 2026
Trump Administration Investigating L.A. Schools' Gender Disclosure Policies - The New York Times (subscription model) - April 8, 2026
Education and Labor Departments Launch First K-12 Grant Competitions Under Interagency Agreement - Politico Pro (subscription model) - April 9, 2026
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State & Local News
Alabama | Alabama Senate Passes Bill Changing Tenure, Limiting Faculty Senates - Alabama Reflector - April 9, 2026
Chicago | CPS Board Calls on Gov. Pritzker to Reject Federal Program That Funds Private School Tuition - Chicago Sun-Times - April 8, 2026
Illinois | State Education Officials Present $10.9B Budget Request to Fund Public Schools - Capitol News Illinois - April 2026
Minnesota | Minnesota Districts Ask Judge to Restore Limits on Immigration Enforcement Near Schools - Associated Press - April 8, 2026
Nebraska | U.S. Education Secretary's Nebraska Visit Highlights K-12 Literacy, Workforce Needs - Nebraska Examiner - April 9, 2026
North Carolina | Facing Uncertain Funding, How Much Do NC School Districts Have Saved? - EducationNC - April 2026
NYC | PODCAST: Students Interview NYC Chancellor Kamar Samuels About AI, School Mergers, and More - Chalkbeat New York - April 9, 2026
NYC | Most of Mamdani's Free Child Care for 2-Year-Olds Will Last All Day and Through Summer - Gothamist - April 2026
Philadelphia | Child Victims of Gun Violence Are Growing Share of Philly Victims - Chalkbeat Philadelphia - April 9, 2026
San Antonio | San Antonio's Innovative Programs Encourage High School Students to Pursue Teaching Careers Amid Shortages - The Education Advocate - April 2026
Tennessee | What’s next for the Memphis schools takeover plan? - Chalkbeat Tennessee - April 9, 2026
Utah | Fewer Phones, More Books: Gov. Spencer Cox Signs New Education Laws - Utah News Dispatch - April 9, 2026
Washington, D.C. | As D.C. Struggles With Childcare Costs and Cuts, Wards 7 and 8 Lose Three Affordable Early Learning Centers - WAMU - April 8, 2026
Early Learning & Child Care
Gaps in Early Childhood Investment Drive Up K-12 Costs - K-12 Dive - April 9, 2026
AI & Technology
Gen Z's Growing AI Anger - Axios - April 9, 2026
Gen Z Increasingly Skeptical of — And Angry About — Artificial Intelligence - The 74 - April 9, 2026
Going Analog in the Writing Classroom - The Seattle Times - April 7, 2026
How K-12 Schools Should Approach Cyber Readiness - EdTech Magazine - April 2026
Sal Khan Reflects on AI in Schools and Khanmigo - Chalkbeat - April 9, 2026
Student Health, Safety & Nutrition
Why the Social Media Addiction Case Isn't Over Yet - EdSurge - April 8, 2026
Afterschool Program Sustainability Concerns Are Rising Among Providers - K-12 Dive - April 8, 2026
Workforce & Career Pathways
Congress Created Workforce Pell. Now States Must Make It Work - Community College Daily - April 2026
School Choice
In America's First Solar-Powered Town, Education Options Abound - The 74 - April 9, 2026
Job Opportunities
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