Happy May!
Three pieces worth your attention tonight.
The big one is Dana Goldstein in The New York Times on the largest study yet of school cellphone bans, out today from NBER. In schools with the strictest bans, classroom phone use dropped from 61% of students to 13%, and teachers reported fewer distractions. But test scores didn't move, attendance didn't improve, and suspensions rose 16% in year one. Stanford's Thomas Dee, one of the authors, called the findings "encouraging" and cautioned against abandoning the policy because the academic gains haven't yet shown up.
In The 74, former Massachusetts governor Jane Swift — who helped craft MCAS three decades ago — makes the case that end-of-year exams "should not be an autopsy." Iowa's new federal waiver, she argues, creates an opening for states to adopt AI-enabled assessments that measure learning as it happens, instead of grading it after the fact.
And in The New Yorker, Shayla Love takes the long view on the dream of effortless learning — from the 1932 Psycho-phone to today's lucid-dream experiments. The research is more rigorous than ever, but leading voices in the field warn against "colonizing" sleep with "wake-centric values."
— Thomas
P.S. Met Gala Monday is a great time to register for what some* say is the Met Gala of education conferences — the Solutions Summit at ISTELive. W/A cohosts the annual event with ISTE+ASCD, and this year is shaping up to be the best one yet.
*I am some.
K-12 Education
Time for Schools to Stop Testing Kids Like It's the 1990s. AI Can Show the Way - The 74 - May 4, 2026
Do states that spend more on education get better grades? - The Hill - May 2, 2026
Elementary Math Has Been in Focus. But Middle and High School Students' Struggles Are Daunting - Education Week (subscription model) - May 4, 2026
Fractions Scuttle Many Students' Math Ambitions. New Models Can Clear the Way - Education Week (subscription model) - May 4, 2026
How Two Schools Are Rethinking Math for English Learners - Education Week (subscription model) - May 4, 2026
Middle and High School Math: How to Get Struggling Learners on Track - Education Week (subscription model) - May 4, 2026
TEACHER VOICE: A districtwide curriculum and group instruction helped turn around middle school math scores in my high-needs district - The Hechinger Report - May 4, 2026
- The 74 - May 1, 2026
High School Reform for Dummies - Education Next - May 4, 2026
Turn Athletic Facilities Into School-Wide Communication Hubs - Education Week (subscription model) - May 4, 2026
What Are Schools For Now? Reimagining Education for a Changing World - Stanford Social Innovation Review - May 4, 2026
Higher Education
Higher Ed Has New Business Model: Uncertainty - The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription model) - May 4, 2026
Faculty leadership is key to reforming developmental ed - Community College Daily - May 4, 2026
Community College Reforms Have Improved Student Success in Math - Public Policy Institute of California - April 30, 2026
VSU Tackles Student Frustrations With Simplified Service Website - GovTech - May 4, 2026
A new association of 15 HBCUs aims to collectively boost their research status - NPR - May 3, 2026
Opinion | What Is Higher Education For? - The New York Times (subscription model) - May 2, 2026
Stop donating to Harvard and the Ivy League. There's a better option that MacKenzie Scott already figured out - Fortune (subscription model) - May 2, 2026
Millions to see higher student loan payments atop rise in gas, food, healthcare costs - Christian Science Monitor - May 2, 2026
Research HBCUs Launch Association to Foster Collaboration - Inside Higher Ed - May 1, 2026
Dickinson State first to test reduced-credit bachelor's degree - North Dakota Monitor - May 1, 2026
Federal Policy & Politics
Trump Admin. Doesn't Deem Education Degrees 'Professional' in Student Loan Rule - Education Week (subscription model) - May 1, 2026
Feds proceed with $5.6M special education spending study - K-12 Dive - May 1, 2026
Justice Department launches probes into 36 Illinois school districts - K-12 Dive - May 1, 2026
Trump wants to cut federal loans from college programs that don't pay off, including music and arts - Fortune (subscription model) - May 3, 2026
Early Learning & Child Care
Braun emphasizes early childhood education over 'babysitting' in facility visit - Indiana Capital Chronicle - May 1, 2026
Thousands of Colorado's poorest families have been waiting for a childcare slot. Relief could come in 2 years. - Colorado Sun - May 1, 2026
State & Local News
California | California voters greenlit billions of dollars to fix schools. How much has it helped? - LAist - May 4, 2026
California | SFUSD Wants to Fix Its Lottery System, Then Look Again at Closing Schools - KQED - May 4, 2026
Illinois | Illinois State Board of Education wants to revamp how it counts low-income students - Capitol News Illinois - May 4, 2026
Minnesota | A year of chaos and dysfunction inside the finance department of Minneapolis Public Schools - Minnesota Reformer - May 1, 2026
NYC | As Enrollment Shrinks, a Clash Between the Have- and Have-Not Schools - The New York Times (subscription model) - May 3, 2026
North Carolina | Senate education committee moves forward social media age verification, teacher licensure changes - EducationNC - April 30, 2026
Texas | Houston ISD plans to consolidate special education services, parent says after district meeting - Houston Public Media - May 1, 2026
Virginia | Virginia's first charter elementary school reopens floor closed since 2007 - WTVR - May 1, 2026
Educator Talent & Staffing
Eat More Protein? Exercise More? Why Teachers Need Better Self-Care Advice (Opinion) - Education Week (subscription model) - May 4, 2026
NC teachers march for higher pay and increased funding for public schools - EducationNC - May 1, 2026
AI & Technology
Did School Cellphone Bans Work? New Study Finds Mixed Results. - The New York Times (subscription model) - May 4, 2026
School cellphone bans don't affect test scores or attendance, study finds - The Washington Post (subscription model) - May 4, 2026
Edtech Show & Tell May 2026 - Tech & Learning - May 4, 2026
The AI rebellion grows in NYC: Over 100 New Yorkers demand moratorium on AI use in schools at marathon board meeting - Chalkbeat New York - May 1, 2026
The hidden cost of fragmented student data in K–12 schools - eSchool News - May 1, 2026
Should Schools Get Rid of Homework? The Answer is Complex and AI Contributes - KQED - April 28, 2026
Workforce & Career Pathways
Why Career Pathways Can be Clarifying - KQED - May 4, 2026
OPINION: As graduation looms, students need pathways that are practical, affordable and connected to opportunity - The Hechinger Report - May 1, 2026
Colleges, K12 are pioneering new models to address workforce needs - University Business - May 4, 2026
The Apprentice President, Missing on Apprenticeships - RealClearEducation - April 30, 2026
Also Reading
It's Possible to Learn in Our Sleep. Should We? - The New Yorker (subscription model) - May 1, 2026
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