Hello from Baltimore! Several of the W/A team are here for EWA this week. If you're around, say hi, and join us for a happy hour on Thursday afternoon. We'd love to see you.
It's the last stretch before summer, and a lot of today's reading circles the same question from different directions: what do we actually want students learning and who decides?
Four pieces that caught my attention today:
An LAUSD fourth-grade teacher makes the case against the district's proposed screen-time caps. A clock can't tell the difference between 30 minutes of mindless drilling and 30 minutes of genuine research, he writes, but a teacher can. Capping minutes punishes good and bad screen time equally and turns meaningful digital work into yet another compliance fight.
The Chronicle goes inside Auburn's chaotic attempt to "review and certify" its courses under Alabama's divisive-concepts law. It's a deep look at what happens when a vague legal mandate meets a faculty trying to work out exactly what they're being asked to sign, and what it costs in trust along the way.
A smart pre-K op-ed argues that as states pour record money into expanding access, the instructional materials haven't kept pace. The authors push back on a false choice the field keeps making, joyful play-based learning versus academic rigor, and make the case that good materials deliver both.
Code.org rebranded as CodeAI today, marking a shift from teaching kids to code toward what it's calling digital fluency. The case: a foundational computer science education matters more than ever, but on its own it's no longer enough. AI can hand a student an answer in seconds, so the edge goes to students who understand what's happening underneath, how AI works, how to direct it, when to question it, and what to build with it.
The thread running through all four is that limits and mandates are the easy reflex. The harder work is getting clear about what we want students to learn, and trusting the educators closest to them to get there.
K-12 Education
What Education Reporting Gets Right—and Wrong (Opinion) - Education Week (subscription model) - June 1, 2026
What Happens When an Improv Comedian Runs a School (Opinion) - Education Week (subscription model) - June 1, 2026
Higher Education
Ghost students steal identities and financial aid, then disappear. Utah Rep. Owens wants to stop them - Deseret News - June 2, 2026
New college grads are doing better than the vibes suggest - Vox - June 1, 2026
Inside One University's Chaotic Attempt to Police Its Curriculum - The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription model) - June 1, 2026
‘It's Just Been Agony': Facing a Big Deficit, the New School Begins Layoffs - The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription model) - June 1, 2026
The Yale Report and the Value of the Liberal Arts - Education Next - June 1, 2026
University of California Professors Are Begging Schools to Reinstate the SAT - The Wall Street Journal (subscription model) - June 1, 2026
Early Learning & Child Care
CT invests $320 million in its early childhood education endowment - WSHU - June 2, 2026
Are learning materials keeping up with massive pre-K expansion? - District Administration - June 2, 2026
State & Local News
California | California's next governor to tackle major education decisions - EdSource - June 2, 2026
LA | LAUSD's proposed screen-time policy will harm students and teachers - EdSource - June 1, 2026
Idaho | Hundreds urged Little to sign an anti-union bill. Then their emails went into the trash. - Idaho Education News - June 1, 2026
Illinois | What you need to know about Illinois' new cellphone ban in schools - Chicago Sun-Times - June 2, 2026
Maryland | He was ready for a new chapter. Now he's leading a large Maryland school district. - The Washington Post (subscription model) - June 1, 2026
New York | New York teachers union calls for aggressive limits on AI and screens for youngest students - Chalkbeat New York - June 1, 2026
South Carolina | SC takes control of Pee Dee school district after report finds at least $7M in misspending, debts - SC Daily Gazette - June 2, 2026
Virginia | Arlington Co. leaders close to finalizing deal to move high school to Amazon campus - WTOP News - May 29, 2026
Educator Talent & Staffing
Inside a State's Yearlong Residency for New Teachers: 'They're Seeing It All' - Education Week (subscription model) - June 1, 2026
Beach Reads, Not PD: Teachers Set Summer Boundaries - Education Week (subscription model) - June 1, 2026
AI & Technology
Code.org rebrands as CodeAI, solidifying its shift to AI education - GeekWire - June 2, 2026
OpenAI Sued by Florida's Attorney General Over AI Harms - The Wall Street Journal (subscription model) - June 1, 2026
BU, nonprofit team up to build AI Ethics Index for schools - Axios Boston - June 1, 2026
Student Health, Safety & Nutrition
Shootings often rise in Philly when school's out. Violence prevention groups have plans to change that. - Chalkbeat Philadelphia - June 2, 2026
How Parents See Students' Social Media Habits: Why it Matters for Educators - Education Week (subscription model) - June 1, 2026
School Choice
A Fast-Food Menu of Schools Doesn't Mean Kids Will Get a Nourishing Education - The 74 - June 2, 2026
Wave Goodbye to the Last Normal Year for American Schools - Slate - June 1, 2026
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