Education spent decades adding. More courses, more programs, more technology, more campus amenities, more services, and more layers of administration. Now, under pressure from falling enrollment, rising costs, AI, and public skepticism, institutions are beginning to subtract.
A proposed college in Vermont plans to forgo the gym and meal plan, have students cook for themselves, and move them from two years of campus-based projects into two years of workplace learning with continued faculty support. Other institutions are experimenting with three-year degrees or rebuilding the liberal arts around the skills students will need after graduation. Schools are trying subtraction, too: banning phones, considering moratoriums on AI, and reconsidering which schools should remain open as enrollment falls.
Some of this is productive pruning. Some of it could remove support students need. But across this week's stories, the same question keeps surfacing: If the old model no longer works, what is education unwilling or unable to let go?
— Thomas
K-12 Education
Superintendents Want Schools to Change. New Study Examines Why It Doesn't Happen - The 74 - September 1, 2026
The Five Questions You Should Ask Before Believing the 'Science of Math' (Opinion) - Education Week (subscription model) - September 1, 2026
Chronic absenteeism plagues our schools and society - The Hill - September 1, 2026
Despite a Hurricane and Staff Departure, Duval County Public Schools Helped 1,200 Students Achieve Oral Reading Fluency in a Year. Here’s How. - The Department of What Works - September 1, 2026
Higher Education
Business, government and education leaders try to reinvent college from scratch - The Hechinger Report - September 1, 2026
3-Year College Degrees Grow More Popular in the U.S., Saving Time and Cash. But Critics Aren't Sold - Associated Press - September 1, 2026
University of Pennsylvania Now Enforcing Math Prerequisites - Inside Higher Ed - September 1, 2026
The Reinvention of Liberal Arts Colleges - Education Next - September 1, 2026
Forget college prestige. What happens after graduation matters more - USA Today - September 1, 2026
The Humanities Can't Ignore AI - The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription model) - September 1, 2026
Federal Policy & Politics
Averting a Shutdown, Congress Punts Federal Spending Decisions to December - Education Week (subscription model) - September 1, 2026
New Federal Guidance Could Roll Back Special Ed. Transition Services - Education Week (subscription model) - September 1, 2026
Early Learning & Child Care
Trump's Head Start Overhaul Borrows a Playbook That Already Failed - TIME - September 1, 2026
State & Local News
Colorado: Four Denver schools are safe from closure under a new district policy because they boosted their ratings - Chalkbeat Colorado - August 31, 2026
Maryland: Anne Arundel schools now need parent permission to call transgender students by preferred names - The Baltimore Banner (subscription model) - September 1, 2026
New Jersey: How Whitney Houston's funeral director got a $700,000 deal with Newark schools to teach food service - Chalkbeat Newark - September 1, 2026
Oregon: With its back-to-school video, Portland Public Schools touches a nerve for both liberals and conservatives - The Oregonian/OregonLive - August 31, 2026
Tennessee: What do Memphis schools need to improve? Here's what local experts say. - Chalkbeat Tennessee - September 1, 2026
Virginia: The Demographic Cliff Coming for Virginia's Schools - American Enterprise Institute - September 1, 2026
AI & Technology
Schools Caught Flat-Footed After Google Makes Gemini Chatbot Available to All Students - Education Week (subscription model) - September 1, 2026
Chicago school board candidates sign pledge to ban AI use in schools - Chalkbeat Chicago - September 1, 2026
I'm a High School Teacher. A Phone Ban Has Come to My School. The First Day Went Nothing Like What I Expected. - Slate - September 1, 2026
AI use reaches 83% of U.S. teens as school guidance struggles to keep pace - EdTech Innovation Hub - August 31, 2026
Preparing AI-Ready Learners Without Compromising Academic Rigor - The EvoLLLution - August 31, 2026
Opinion: AI's Potential Is Clear. Now We Must Define Where It Belongs - Government Technology - August 31, 2026
Student Health, Safety & Nutrition
USDA urged to report how SNAP cuts impact free school meals - K-12 Dive - September 1, 2026
A nonprofit offered 5 NH school districts free counseling. Saying yes was 'a no-brainer.' - District Administration - September 1, 2026
Also Reading
These Ukrainian Children Go to School Underground. They're the Lucky Ones. - The New York Times (subscription model) - September 1, 2026
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