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Recent Editions
Education Slice
National
Public school closures across the U.S. have increased 35% over the past four years, with more than 1,000 schools closing during the 2025–26 school year as districts grapple with declining enrollment, shrinking budgets, and the expiration of pandemic-era federal relief funding. Demographic trends, including lower birth rates and changing migration patterns, combined with growing enrollment in private schools, charter schools, and homeschooling, have further reduced student populations in many districts. School systems in Houston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Broward County, Florida, are among those planning additional closures to address excess capacity and rising operating costs. While district leaders argue consolidating schools is necessary to maintain financial stability and redirect resources to remaining campuses, educators and community groups warn that closures can disrupt students, displace families, and weaken neighborhoods where public schools have long served as community anchors. Researchers expect the trend to continue as enrollment declines over the coming years, although uncertainty remains over the impact of immigration patterns and the growing number of students outside the traditional public school system.
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Education Slice
California
California's reading scores have shown gradual improvement since the state invested billions in literacy programs, with a notable increase in fourth graders reading at grade level. Sarah Novicoff, a researcher at the Public Policy Institute of California, said: “They've absolutely had a positive impact. But we have an opportunity to do an even better job.” Despite the progress, a significant challenge remains: a shortage of literacy coaches. Approximately 42% of school districts reported difficulties in hiring these essential educators. Some districts have creatively addressed this issue, such as Lassen County, which implemented a summer training course for teachers, resulting in a 7% increase in reading scores. However, the overall success of California's literacy initiatives hinges on the availability of qualified coaches to support teachers and students effectively.
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Education Slice
Texas
WalletHub’s 2026 school-system rankings place Texas 32nd overall after comparing all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 32 measures of quality and safety. The analysis weighs pupil-teacher ratios, dropout rates, standardized-test performance, bullying, teacher licensing and other indicators as US public-school spending exceeds $16,500 per pupil annually. Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, said funding matters, but “simply having more money doesn’t guarantee success,” stressing that effective spending, educator quality, curriculum and student wellbeing are also crucial. Texas led the nation for having a digital learning plan, while ranking sixth for bullying incidence and 12th for dropout rate. The findings present a mixed picture: strong performance in selected areas, but an overall position in the lower half of the national table.
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Education Slice
Florida
The Florida Education Association (FEA) has filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Education, claiming that funding for private school scholarships and school choice programs violates the state constitution's mandate for free public schools. If successful, this lawsuit could reverse significant advancements in educational freedom in Florida, where nearly 1.4m students currently attend various schools of choice. Skylar Zander, state director of Americans for Prosperity-Florida, emphasized that "education should not be about protecting institutions. It should be about serving students." The lawsuit raises concerns about the balance between public education and school choice, as Florida's recent school grades indicate that expanding educational options does not detract from public school performance.
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