Story Archive

Every K-12 education story we've tracked, newest first. Budget, technology, safety, infrastructure, policy, and leadership news from districts across America.

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Chalkbeat
Budget & Finance
From the Bronx to the Battery, more funding for free swim lessons

Opening day at Manhattan's Thomas Jefferson Pool, one of the city's public pools, on June 27. NYC is expanding its free swim lessons for second graders.

Chalkbeat
Technology & AI
Anthropic unveils Claude for Teachers, joining OpenAI and Google in race to dominate classroom AI

Anthropic is launching Claude for Teachers, an AI assistant specifically geared to teachers. The product is free for verified K-12 teachers.

The 74
Technology & AI
Can Ethnic Studies Bridge the Achievement Gap? San Francisco Program Shows Gains

San Francisco high school students, particularly those with high needs, enrolled in ethnic study courses achieved higher GPAs, stronger academic gains in math and science, and failed fewer courses, according to a new...

District Admin
Budget & Finance
CPS lays off 162 employees as it works to close $732 million budget deficit

On Tuesday morning, members of the Chicago Teachers Union blamed some of the cuts on a chronic problem with property taxes. The post CPS lays off 162 employees as it works to close $732 million budget deficit appeared...

The 74
Technology & AI
Opinion: America’s Public Schools Are Pushing 50. It’s Time To Act Like It

The average public school building in America is now 49 years old. In more than half of U.S. school districts, those buildings require significant repairs or full replacement. Too many students are trying to prepare for...

Chalkbeat
Budget & Finance
This Memphis charter school cut chronic absenteeism to only 3 students. Here’s how.

High chronic absenteeism is one of six factors that spurred the state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools.

The 74
Technology & AI
The End of Homework? Teachers Grapple With Cheating in the Age of AI

At the beginning of each new class, Al Rabanera lets his students know that he knows they’re using AI.  “I’m not going to pretend like you aren’t,” he tells his students. “I know it’s readily...

Chalkbeat
Technology & AI
Detroit students canvass to ask voters to support Proposal S

Lindsey Matson, deputy director of youth organizing for 482Forward, left, explains Proposal S to a voter in Corktown. Groups have been going out to canvass in favor of the ballot measure, which will allow DPSCD to...

Education Dive
Technology & AI
Faith in higher ed slips: 38% of adults report high confidence

Democrats drove a modest decline from last year, according to the latest poll from Lumina Foundation and Gallup.

Chalkbeat
Budget & Finance
CTU endorses 15 school board candidates, throwing weight behind incumbents, mayoral picks

Chicago Teachers Union members rallied outside a school board meeting on July 8, calling on state lawmakers to provide more funding to Chicago Public Schools. The union endorsed a slate of school board candidates Monday...

Education Dive
Technology & AI
University of Nebraska System braces for unexpected $36M state funding cut

“There are limits to what can be achieved through continued reductions,” the system’s president said as ever-deepening austerity measures loom.

Chalkbeat
Technology & AI
New campaign aims to dispel cannabis myths for NY teens after legalization

After New York legalized cannabis, schools have had to navigate a changing landscape. New educational materials from the state are meant to help start difficult conversations with young people.

Chalkbeat
Policy & Legislation
Can they do that? Council sets vote on $10K perk for paraprofessionals

Speaker Julie Menin at a United Federation of Teachers breakfast on April 23, 2026. Menin has supported a bill to pay paras an extra $10,000.

Chalkbeat
Technology & AI
CPS lays off 162 employees as it works to close budget deficit for 2026-27 school year

Chicago Public Schools headquarters. The district laid off 162 people last week in order to help close its budget deficit.

Chalkbeat
Technology & AI
Parental rights and student gender transitions will be civil rights priorities: top DOJ official

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon speaks during a news conference in 2025. As the Justice Department takes on a larger role in civil rights enforcement in schools, Dhillon said a top priority...

The 74
Technology & AI
Maine, 14 Other States Sue Trump Administration to Block School Mental Health Funding Cuts

Maine joined 15 states on Friday in suing the Trump administration to prevent millions of dollars in cuts to school-based mental health funding. The new lawsuit is part of an ongoing legal battle between Democratic-led...

Chalkbeat
Budget & Finance
Pennsylvania state budget includes $157 million more for Philadelphia’s schools

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the state's 2026-27 budget on Sunday, which includes $157 million more for Philadelphia’s schools.

The 74
Technology & AI
States Try New Measures To Get Chronically Absent Students Back to Class

This year, at least six states enacted laws trying to reduce the number of students chronically absent from school. The measures include requiring monitoring of absences and publicly releasing data, developing new...

The 74
Policy & Legislation
Opinion: Small Changes, Big Relief: How States Can Support School Districts

State education agencies are being asked to do something they have rarely been asked to do before: lead. As the federal government’s influence over education recedes, leaving confusion in its wake, calls for guidance,...

District Admin
Policy & Legislation
Utah just banned another Stephen King book from all public schools. Here’s what it’s about.

The collection of Stephen King novellas inspired classic films like “Stand by Me” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” The post Utah just banned another Stephen King book from all public schools. Here’s what it’s about....

The 74
Leadership
Opinion: The Science of Reading Goes to High School

For anyone who cares about student literacy, the past few years have given us reason to cheer. While trends in national test scores, young people’s reading habits, and talk of a “learning recession” are clear causes for...

The 74
Leadership
Nebraska Head Starts Use Vests With ‘Talk Pedometers’ To Boost Early Literacy

On a mid-June morning in the small city of Norfolk, Nebraska, a group of 2- and 3-year-olds clumsily ran around a playroom wearing identical purple cloth vests. As the toddlers babbled to their teachers, a rectangular...

Chalkbeat
Policy & Legislation
What Detroiters should know about the proposed school operating millage on the Aug. 4 ballot

Detroit voters will decide the fate of a proposed operating millage Aug. 4 for the Detroit Public Schools Community District, its first such request since state lawmakers created the district in 2016.

Education Dive
Budget & Finance
Week in review: Classroom speech has its day in court

We’re rounding up last week’s stories, from Moody’s gloomier outlook for Brown University to workforce cuts at multiple institutions.

Education Dive
Budget & Finance
Transferring may not pay off for some students, study suggests

Students just above admissions cutoffs could see lower earnings after moving colleges than those who were rejected, a working paper found.

Education Dive
Policy & Legislation
What does the Supreme Court’s transgender athlete ruling mean for higher ed?

The landmark decision has big implications for transgender students — and the Title IX and litigation landscape for colleges.

Education Dive
Policy & Legislation
10 bills introduced to codify outsourcing of federal education programs

Supporters say the Republican-led proposals would help “right-size” the U.S. Department of Education, while opponents predict inefficiencies.

The 74
Policy & Legislation
In Mississippi, Summer Can Increase Risk of Hunger for 3 in 4 Kids Who Rely on In-School Meals

For the third year in a row, Gov. Tate Reeves opted out of a state-federal partnership that would have given summer grocery benefits to roughly 320,000 Mississippi children who rely on free meals during the school...

The 74
Technology & AI
Opinion: How School-Based Kindness Training Can Help Support Students’ Mental Health

As school administrators map out curricula, schedules and priorities for the next school year, they should be thinking holistically about what kids actually need. Because honestly, young people are not doing well, and...

The 74
Leadership
Many Students Listen to Music To Focus and Stay Motivated While They Study – But It Doesn’t Always Help

Walk into any college library and you will likely see students wearing headphones and listening to music. The idea that music can improve learning has been around for decades. The “Mozart Effect,” is the pop psychology...