A quick note before today's reading list: SXSW EDU PanelPicker proposals are due Sunday, July 26. If you've been sitting on an idea, this is the time to get it in.
I've spent the last few years on the SXSW EDU Advisory Board, reading hundreds of proposals from the reviewer's side of the table. Last summer, I wrote up what separates the proposals that make the stage from the ones that don't. It's from last year, but the fundamentals don't change:
Tell a story, not a synopsis. "This session will cover best practices in..." puts a reviewer to sleep. Open with the problem you were staring down and what you found when the usual fixes stopped working. The hook carries everything else.
Skip the sales pitch. Some of the best topics get buried because every sentence routes back to a product. If the session is really about your platform, it reads as a platform, and it loses.
Put speakers together who disagree. The dull panels are the ones where four people nod at each other. Give me the researcher, the teacher who says "not in my classroom," and the policy person who thinks they're both missing the point. That tension is the session.
Pick the format that fits the content. There are seven formats and most people reach for a panel by default. A close conversation between two experts is its own format with its own feel. Choose the one that serves what you're trying to do.
I also wanted to note one scheduling change to plan around: 2027 moves EDU to the opening weekend of the wider festival, with programming starting Saturday, March 13, and the Crossover Day expanding to two days. An EDU badge now gets you into the first stretch of SXSW proper.
Are you submitting a SXSW EDU proposal this year?
— Thomas
K-12 Education
Chronic Absenteeism Is Linked to Slower Academic Recovery in Math, Reading - Education Week (subscription model) - July 22, 2026
America's Trillion-Dollar School System: 5 Trends Explain Where the Money Goes - The 74 - July 22, 2026
Nearly all districts require civics, but fewer offer hands-on opportunities - K-12 Dive - July 22, 2026
Back-to-school season's almost here, so what's on Americans' minds? - Deseret News - July 22, 2026
Chronic absenteeism isn't the problem–it's the signal - eSchool News - July 22, 2026
Can the Prospect of 3rd Grade Retention Improve Early Literacy? Yes, Study Says - Education Week (subscription model) - July 21, 2026
Higher Education
Americans say four-year colleges cost too much - The Washington Post (subscription model) - July 22, 2026
Why It's So Hard to Kill Legacy Admissions - The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription model) - July 22, 2026
Survey: Majority of Americans Say College Not Affordable - Inside Higher Ed - July 22, 2026
Community colleges beat student outcome predictions. Now Texas can't afford related incentives. - Texas Tribune - July 22, 2026
More than 'vibes and history': How HBCU's are appealing to a new generation - University Business - July 22, 2026
Federal Policy & Politics
If your degree doesn't pay enough, you can't borrow. Federal loans cut for low-wage programs - Los Angeles Times - July 22, 2026
In First School Visit, President Urges Atlanta Crowd to Support 'Trump Accounts' - The 74 - July 22, 2026
K-12 Community Urges Trump Administration to Rethink Grant Rule Changes - Education Week (subscription model) - July 21, 2026
Early Learning & Child Care
Denver mayor proposes universal child care plan in State of the City address - Axios Denver - July 22, 2026
Hawaii's Childcare Shortage Is One of the Nation's Worst - Honolulu Civil Beat - July 22, 2026
Employment in childcare and early education in the United States, 2000–23 - Bureau of Labor Statistics - July 21, 2026
State & Local News
Florida: Henry Mack named Florida education commissioner - Tampa Bay Times - July 22, 2026
Idaho: Idaho's average per-pupil spending edges up - Idaho Education News - July 22, 2026
Louisiana: Louisiana needs more affordable pathways to higher education, not tuition increases - Louisiana Illuminator - July 22, 2026
Maryland: Maryland colleges raised tuition again. See how much. - The Baltimore Banner (subscription model) - July 22, 2026
Massachusetts: As Massachusetts codifies science of reading, experts expect results to take a few years - K-12 Dive - July 22, 2026
Michigan: Michigan expands college aid, tuition-free programs in new education budget - MLive - July 22, 2026
NYC: At NYC's first all-virtual high school, this award-winning teacher knows it's not 'one-size-fits-all' - Chalkbeat New York - July 22, 2026
Texas: Texas' longstanding "Robin Hood" school finance system will face a new legal challenge - Texas Tribune - July 22, 2026
Texas: Higher education agency prepares to cut 3% of spending as ordered by Texas leaders - Texas Tribune - July 22, 2026
Washington: Washington's Board of Education proposes new high school graduation requirements - OPB - July 22, 2026
Washington: Financial literacy should be part of WA's new graduation requirements - The Seattle Times (subscription model) - July 22, 2026
Educator Talent & Staffing
We're Talking About Teacher Shortages the Wrong Way (Opinion) - Education Week (subscription model) - July 22, 2026
AI & Technology
We Must Stop Using AI to 'Level-Down' Our Students - EdSurge - July 22, 2026
The Great Screen Debate Is Really a Choice Debate - RealClearEducation - July 21, 2026
Student Health, Safety & Nutrition
Free school lunches to end for thousands of Miami-Dade students. Here's what to know - Miami Herald (subscription model) - July 22, 2026
New study links ADHD symptoms in boys and addictive social media use - The Washington Post (subscription model) - July 17, 2026
Workforce & Career Pathways
The AND Is The Point - The EduLedger - July 22, 2026
How colleges, business leaders can co-design the future of work in the age of AI - Phoenix Business Journal (subscription model) - July 22, 2026
AI skills gap persists despite widening personal use - CIO Dive - July 21, 2026
Andrea Sáenz and Anna Truong: Chicago's untapped treasure is our first-generation professionals - Chicago Tribune (subscription model) - July 20, 2026
School Choice
Voucher oversight fight tilts GOP superintendent primary toward Kimberly Yee over Tom Horne - AZ Mirror - July 21, 2026
Job Opportunities
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