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21st August 2026
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THE HOT STORY

Education Department calls for results-based approach to classroom tech

The U.S. Department of Education is urging schools to focus on the educational value and measurable outcomes of technology rather than simply limiting the amount of time students spend on screens. Kirsten Baesler, assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education, said schools should distinguish between recreational screen use and instructional technology that can strengthen teaching, expand access to coursework and tutoring, and support students in special education. The department is encouraging districts to evaluate whether digital tools improve student achievement, consider contracts that link vendor payments to outcomes, and demand greater transparency and independent evidence from ed-tech providers. The guidance comes amid growing bipartisan concern over classroom screen time, with some states and districts introducing restrictions, while the Trump administration has simultaneously promoted AI in education and called for reductions in excessive technology use. Baesler’s recommendations are not legally binding, and decisions over digital learning tools will remain with states and local communities.

BLENDED LEARNING

An Administrator's Guide to Blended Learning

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TECHNOLOGY

Schools seek stronger safeguards as AI education market surges

U.S. school districts are struggling to navigate a rapidly growing market for artificial intelligence (AI) tools promising to improve literacy, student feedback, attendance, and safety. The broader U.S. education technology market generated nearly $48bn in 2024 and is expected to exceed $90bn by 2030, while AI education revenue is projected to surpass $15bn by 2033. Districts are responding with stricter vetting and smaller-scale pilots. Sumner County Schools in Tennessee tested AI literacy platform Coursemojo before expanding its use, while Pennsylvania’s Allentown School District reviews products for student safety and data security. New York City has introduced AI-specific privacy and transparency requirements, and Chicago blocks unapproved AI products from its network. However, educators are calling for more state and federal guidance on privacy, bias, security, and effectiveness. With one report finding that districts have access to an average of 3,001 digital tools, schools are increasingly focusing on products that address genuine educational needs, protect student data, and support rather than replace teachers.

FINANCE

Alaska moves to expand school choice through federal tax credit scholarships

Alaska has begun accepting applications from nonprofits seeking approval as K-12 Scholarship Granting Organizations under the new federal Education Freedom Tax Credit. Beginning January 1, 2027, individual taxpayers will be able to receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit on contributions of up to $1,700 annually to approved organizations, which will use the donations to fund scholarships for eligible K-12 students. Scholarships may cover expenses including tuition, tutoring, books, classroom supplies, career and technical education, and services for students with disabilities, and can support students in public, charter, home, private, and religious schools. Scholarship organizations must be nonprofits, devote at least 90% of their income to scholarships, and provide awards to at least 10 students who do not all attend the same school. Alaska expects to approve its first organizations by September 30, 2026, ahead of qualifying contributions beginning in 2027.

Montana proposals could add millions of dollars in education funding

Montana’s School Funding Interim Commission has approved a package of 10 draft bills that could provide an estimated $215m in additional education funding in the first fiscal year after the 2027 legislative session, rising to nearly $300m the following year. The proposals target areas including English language learners, special education, at-risk students, school facilities, instructional materials, and per-pupil funding, after a study identified a $433m gap between guaranteed state funding and the amount estimated to be needed for successful schools. Key measures include about $10m for English learners, a $20m special education high-cost pool, and substantially higher funding for at-risk students. However, the commission did not deliver a proposed overhaul of Montana’s complex school funding formula, instead recommending another interim commission continue that work. The package, including a proposal to eliminate the current 3% cap on inflation adjustments, will now face an uncertain path through the 2027 Legislature.

NJ schools face budget pressure as officials delay insurance rate decision

A New Jersey state commission has again delayed a decision on a proposed health insurance increase of nearly 34% for teachers and other public school employees after deadlocking in a 4-4 vote. The School Employees’ Health Benefits Commission will reconvene September 3 and has requested revised rates and potential alternatives, although officials warned there may be insufficient time to change the 2027 rates before they take effect in January. School districts, rather than individual employees, would absorb most of the additional costs, prompting warnings that the increase could lead to budget cuts and layoffs. The plan’s actuary has recommended a 34.4% increase in active-employee premiums, following increases of 6.3% in 2024, 14% in 2025, and 31.9% in 2026. Officials said rising costs are being driven partly by lower-cost districts leaving the state plan, leaving behind a smaller, higher-risk pool, as well as efforts to rebuild reserves that fell to negative $42m at the end of 2025 and repay a loan expected to exceed $70m. Proposed legislation would replace the current system with a new health benefits trust beginning in 2028, but the measure has not yet received a hearing or vote.

Texas to audit school spending

Texas Comptroller Don Huffines announced a review of select school districts to ensure responsible spending of taxpayer funds, following a request from Gov. Greg Abbott. The Huffines Performance Review aims to verify that district spending complies with the law and benefits students, classrooms, and teachers, rather than supporting administrative growth. "Texans must have confidence that their school tax dollars support educational opportunities for students," Huffines said. Abbott emphasized the importance of the $104.9bn education budget being used effectively to enhance student support. The review will focus on up to four independent school districts and is expected to conclude by December 31, 2026, allowing the Legislature to consider any recommendations for reform.

NUTRITION

Oklahoma shifts schools away from federal expanded learning meal program

The Oklahoma State Department of Education has discontinued a federal program that funded third meals for students at public schools with extended hours, following a recommendation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA said ending the program was necessary to maintain compliance and program integrity, while State Superintendent Lindel Fields said the decision followed broader concerns about oversight of federal nutrition funding and did not stem from accusations of wrongdoing by Oklahoma schools. Affected districts have raised concerns about the loss of funding, although the state has not disclosed how many districts or how much money is affected. Fields said schools can transition to another federal program supporting meals in after-school care, and that the department will help them make the switch. The change follows a USDA push for stronger safeguards around federal nutrition programs after high-profile fraud cases involving child care nutrition funds in Minnesota.

CLASSROOM

Teacher calls for stronger classroom response to anti-immigrant slurs

A Los Angeles middle school teacher says educators need to treat anti-immigrant language with the same urgency as other slurs after hearing Latino and English-learning students use “illegal” to demean classmates and distinguish themselves from peers who could face deportation. Jacobo Coronel, an English-language development teacher in Los Angeles and an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University, argues that political rhetoric and social media are normalizing such language among young people, potentially undermining immigrant-origin students’ sense of safety, belonging, and acceptance at school. Coronel said he initially hesitated to intervene because educators receive little training on addressing xenophobic language when it is framed as politics, patriotism, or humor. He now plans to immediately identify such comments as harmful and turn them into teachable moments, arguing that schools and educators must be better prepared to recognize, confront, and prevent anti-immigrant rhetoric from becoming normalized in classrooms.

HEALTH & WELLBEING

Principal support can reduce teacher stress amid rising workplace aggression

Teachers are experiencing increased verbal and physical aggression at work, contributing to stress, safety concerns, and decisions to leave the profession. A nationally representative survey of 5,500 P-12 teachers, published in July in the Educational Researcher, a journal published by the American Educational Research Association, found that strong principal support, including clear communication and backing around student discipline, can improve teachers’ sense of safety, reduce stress, and support retention. However, administrative support alone may not be enough for teachers experiencing high levels of victimization, some of whom may have already decided to leave their jobs. Researchers recommend that schools prioritize preventative strategies, including restorative discipline, counseling, positive student-teacher relationships, and incentives for positive behavior. In contrast, exclusionary discipline and school-hardening measures, such as expulsions, metal detectors, and security cameras, were associated with higher odds of teacher victimization. With 18% of teachers surveyed in 2026 saying they were likely to leave their jobs during the 2025-26 school year, the findings suggest that schools need both supportive leadership and proactive approaches to preventing violence.

TESTING

Denver Public Schools misses test score targets despite literacy progress

Denver Public Schools has improved standardized test scores since Superintendent Alex Marrero introduced his strategic plan in 2022, but the district has fallen short of its overall goal of raising math and literacy proficiency by 10 percentage points by 2026. Early literacy came closest, with the share of K-3 students reading at grade level or above increasing from 60% in 2022 to 69% in 2026. Among district-run schools specifically, that figure reached 71%, surpassing Marrero’s target. Other measures showed more modest gains. Districtwide CMAS literacy proficiency increased from 39% in 2022 to 42.5% in 2026, below the 49% target, while overall SAT literacy and math scores also failed to achieve the planned 10-point improvement. Although Black and Latino students made gains, significant racial disparities remain: about 27% of Black students and 25% of Latino students met or exceeded expectations on the latest CMAS literacy test, compared with 76% of white students. Marrero, whose future with the district has faced scrutiny, said there is more work to do and is developing a new strategic plan through 2030.

RECRUITMENT

Arizona teacher shortage pushes school district toward international recruitment

The Balsz Elementary School District in Phoenix is considering partnerships with three recruitment organizations to bring in international teachers and other staff as it prepares for future staffing shortages. Although the district has filled its teaching positions for the 2026-27 school year, Superintendent George Barnes said it wants to begin recruiting earlier and avoid vacancies ahead of future school years. The district already employs two teachers recruited internationally through J-1 visas, which typically allow participating teachers who meet U.S. certification requirements to remain in the country for three years. The strategy comes as Arizona continues to experience high teacher attrition. More than 8,600 teachers, or about 14%, left the profession during the 2024-25 school year, compared with a national rate of 7.1%. Balsz is considering agreements with Teach in the USA and Step by Step Consultancy to recruit international teachers, while Insight Global could help fill other positions, including bus drivers, nurses, and speech therapists, from within the U.S. The district's governing board is expected to consider the agreements in September.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Florida becomes first state to back Trump's higher education 'call to action'

Florida has become the first state to formally respond to the Trump administration’s higher education “Call to Action,” with every president of the state’s public colleges and universities signing a joint statement. The initiative, launched by Education Secretary Linda McMahon, asks institutions to outline commitments on academic rigor, free expression, affordability, merit-based admissions, the use of artificial intelligence, protection from foreign influence, and U.S. security interests. Florida’s 30-page response highlights existing state policies on civil discourse, academic freedom, general education requirements, and opposition to what it describes as “ideological indoctrination.” Unlike the administration’s previous higher education compact, the initiative does not offer funding to participating institutions, and some free speech groups have questioned whether the federal government has the authority to push universities toward the requested changes.

Education Department escalates ABA feud with challenge to accrediting power

The Trump administration is taking the first step toward removing the American Bar Association’s authority to accredit nearly 200 U.S. law schools, escalating its dispute with the organization and its broader push to reshape higher education. The Education Department argues that the ABA’s accreditation arm is not sufficiently independent from the legal profession and has criticized accreditors for using their position to advance political priorities, including diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. The ABA’s Accreditation Council maintains that it complies with federal requirements and says its focus remains on ensuring high-quality legal education. A final decision remains several months away and would require additional reviews, but losing federal recognition could force independent law schools to find alternative accreditors, while university-affiliated schools could potentially rely on their institution’s existing accreditor. The move follows other administration efforts to reduce the ABA’s influence and use accreditation as a tool to change policies across U.S. higher education.

INTERNATIONAL

Ontario teacher talks hit impasse

Ontario’s teacher contract negotiations have stalled less than three weeks before the new school year, with the province and education unions divided over which issues should be negotiated centrally and which should remain with local school boards and unions. Education Minister Paul Calandra remains optimistic that an agreement can be reached and said schools will open as usual in September, but union leaders argue the government is seeking greater centralized control over matters traditionally handled locally, including transfers, layoffs, and recalls. The dispute has been referred to the Ontario Labour Relations Board, while unions are calling for negotiations to continue on agreed central issues, including class sizes and workloads. The tensions come amid broader changes to Ontario’s education system, including reduced responsibilities for elected trustees and new oversight positions. Separately, Calandra announced 35 new and expanded schools, providing 18,000 additional student spaces and more than 1,000 child-care spaces.
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