From the W/A Team
Plugged Out: What the Senate’s Youth Technology Hearing Signals for Education, Edtech, and AI Policy - Whiteboard Advisors - 16 January 2026
Highlights
Trump 2.0: A sea change for K-12 - K-12 Dive - 20 January 2026
4 Takeaways From Trump’s First Year in Office - Inside Higher Ed - 20 January 2026
Plunging US Birth Rate Leaves Too Many Colleges With Too Few Kids - Bloomberg (subscription model) - 16 January 2026
Federal Policy & Politics
From Head Start to Civil Rights, 8 Ways Trump Reshaped Education in Just 1 Year - The 74 - 20 January 2026
Education spending bill aims to stop Trump from dismantling department - Politico Pro (subscription model) - 20 January 2026
Disability Rights Lawyers Threatened With Budget Cuts, Reassignments - Disability Scoop - 20 January 2026
DOL and ED mashup isn't a new idea - Politico Pro (subscription model) - 16 January 2026
Why Moving Career Pathways to the Labor Department Is an Opportunity - The 74 - 19 January 2026
Contact Congress to Urge a Broader Professional Degree Definition - American Council on Education - 16 January 2026
K-12 Education
Peering Into the Future: Look for These K-12 Education Trends in 2026 - EdSurge - 15 January 2026
What 250 school leaders say about the state of K-12 facilities - K-12 Dive - 20 January 2026
Forget About Hamsters. Make Bugs Your Classroom Pet - Education Week (subscription model) - 13 January 2026
🎧 Kaaren Andrews: If We Get Ninth Grade Right, Everything Changes - The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast - 20 January 2026
Higher Education
New Common App Report Shows Solid Rise In College Applicants For 2026 - Forbes (subscription model) - 16 January 2026
Why men are more likely than women to drop out of college - The Dispatch - 16 January 2026
Black Students Are the Fastest Growing Group of College Applicants - Word in Black - 16 January 2026
Workforce Pell has a lot of potential. How can institutions realize it? - Community College Daily - 18 January 2026
Opinion: Rural students need a level playing field to access 4-year colleges and higher degrees - The Mendocino Voice - 15 January 2026
Early Learning & Child Care
FY2026 Funding Bill Boosts Federal Investment in Child Care and Early Learning - First Five Years Fund - 20 January 2026
How much federal funding do states receive for childcare? New study shows which are getting the most - The Hill - 17 January 2026
Homelessness is rising fast among a surprising group: Infants and toddlers - The Hechinger Report - 17 January 2026
The High Cost of Child Care Is Making Mothers Rethink Having Kids - The 74 - 20 January 2026
Could Mamdani’s Child Care Plan Encourage a Baby Boomlet in New York? - The New York Times (subscription model) - 19 January 2026
Community college student parents need child care. Here's how colleges can help - The 74 - 19 January 2026
Technology & AI
Most States Are Not Evaluating AI in Schools, Says New Report - Tech & Learning - 15 January 2026
How Do Teens Feel About Cellphone Bans? You Might Be Surprised - Education Week (subscription model) - 16 January 2026
What Is College for in the Age of AI? - Intelligencer (subscription model) - 20 January 2026
Workforce & Career Pathways
Even MBAs From Top Business Schools Are Struggling to Get Hired - Wall Street Journal (subscription model) - 19 January 2026
A Big Bet on Apprenticeships in a Frozen Labor Market - Real Clear Education - 14 January 2026
State & Local News
California | As California’s schools struggle, governor hopefuls clash over who’s to blame — and who should fix it - Mercury News (subscription model) - 19 January 2026
Virginia | Gov. Spanberger's first executive orders target Virginia affordability in health, housing - 7News - 17 January 2026
Virginia | Spanberger Reshapes Virginia Boards on Day One - Inside Higher Ed - 20 January 2026
Philadelphia | Philadelphia students’ math scores reach 9-year high - Chalkbeat Philadelphia - 15 January 2026
Job Opportunities

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Also Reading
An Attack on American Childhood: Living as a Child in 2026 in the United States - National Parents Union - January 2026
Opinion: Stop Assigning Boring Books in English Class - Education Week (subscription model) - 16 January 2026