Hi all,
Two pieces today make the case that the most important work in K-12 right now is figuring out what's actually working.
In District Administration, Kimberly Smith and Sara Schapiro argue federal R&D capacity is shrinking just as AI demands more of it — and point to the science of reading (40+ states passed reading legislation off the back of decades of federally-funded research) as proof of what sustained investment can do.
The Hechinger Report's Jill Barshay walks through a new Delaware study tracking 6,000 career-pathways graduates: 75% enrolled in postsecondary (vs. the 63% national average), but fewer than half were still studying or working in the field they chose in high school. The study's most consistent finding — workplace experience matters more than classroom sequencing — is exactly the kind of evidence Smith and Schapiro argue we need more of.
Student data privacy is back in the news. In just two years, the share of U.S. districts experiencing a cyber incident has climbed from roughly one in three to one in two.
Today, TechCrunch reported that ShinyHunters has breached Instructure, with the company confirming student names, personal email addresses, and teacher-student messages were stolen — the hackers claim the breach affects close to 9,000 schools and 275 million people.
A New York state comptroller's audit released yesterday found NYC Public Schools logged 141 data security incidents between January 2023 and February 2025, doesn't have a centralized inventory of which schools use which third-party systems, and found that roughly a quarter of the district's employees skipped required annual data privacy training.
Related, tomorrow at 2pm ET, my colleague Evo Popoff is moderating a webinar on the state of K-12 cybersecurity with leaders from Microsoft, Brookings, Oklahoma City Public Schools, and Clever. Register Here
— Thomas
K-12 Education
America's Math Crisis - Time (subscription model) - May 5, 2026
Teachers Value What They See and Hear Over Tests When Judging Student Success - The 74 - May 4, 2026
What Schools Should Do to Pump Up the Deflated Math Skills of Older Students - Education Week (subscription model) - May 5, 2026
Why we can't retreat from K12 research and development - District Administration - May 5, 2026
Higher Education
U.S.C. Will Infuse A.I. Across University with $200 Million Donation - The New York Times (subscription model) - May 5, 2026
Will A.I. Make College Obsolete? - The New Yorker (subscription model) - May 5, 2026
Confusing College Pricing Sows Mistrust in Higher Ed - Inside Higher Ed - May 5, 2026
States Lack Policies on Dual Enrollment Quality - Inside Higher Ed - May 5, 2026
Jane Swift: Higher ed work-study programs need overhaul - Boston Business Journal (subscription model) - May 4, 2026
Federal Policy & Politics
Congress Is Doing Little to Prepare for Potential A.I. Job Losses - The New York Times (subscription model) - May 5, 2026
Federal Government Phasing Out Special Student Relief - Inside Higher Ed - May 5, 2026
Education and Treasury departments trade employees as part of student loan program shift - Politico Pro (subscription model) - May 5, 2026
Education Is a Fault Line In U.S. Politics. Democrats Are on the Wrong Side - The 74 - May 5, 2026
Proposal to ban AI companions for minors advances in Senate - K-12 Dive - May 5, 2026
State & Local News
Alabama | Alabama approves 2 Birmingham charter schools for 2028 after district rejection - AL.com - May 5, 2026
California | California's education funding level rises compared to other states - EdSource - May 5, 2026
Minnesota | Minnesota, the birthplace of charter schools, needs to lead the way on reforming them - Minnesota Reformer - May 5, 2026
New Mexico | Las Cruces businesses can host interns for free - AOL - May 5, 2026
NYC | State audit slams NYC schools for lack of student data privacy oversight - Chalkbeat New York - May 4, 2026
NYC | The AI rebellion grows in NYC: Parents and students demand moratorium at marathon meeting - Chalkbeat New York - May 1, 2026
Texas | Texas sends school voucher award notices - Texas Tribune - May 4, 2026
Educator Talent & Staffing
Educators: Why Are You Thinking of Leaving the Field? - EdSurge - May 5, 2026
How Top Principals Advocate for Their Students and Schools - Education Week (subscription model) - May 5, 2026
If We Want Teachers to Stay, Principals Must Lead Differently (Opinion) - Education Week (subscription model) - May 5, 2026
AI & Technology
Students Need Digital Wellness Skills, Not Outright Device Bans - ASCD - May 5, 2026
This School District Wants Students to Turn Off Their Phones and Sleep - Education Week (subscription model) - May 5, 2026
Hackers steal students' data during breach at education tech giant Instructure - TechCrunch - May 5, 2026
In-class screen time is the next frontier in the school technology debate - OPB - May 5, 2026
When AI means something different in every classroom - eSchool News - May 5, 2026
Why parents need to understand AI: Ensuring ethical tech use in schools - EdSource - May 5, 2026
AI is coming to schools. Teachers need time to debate its use, experiment, and figure out how it fits in - CommonWealth Beacon - May 5, 2026
Student Health, Safety & Nutrition
Schools spend $4B on physical safety measures. Here's what research says they should do instead. - K-12 Dive - May 5, 2026
Workforce & Career Pathways
Do career 'pathways' work? Delaware offers early clues - The Hechinger Report - May 4, 2026
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