Free internet access at home will soon be a reality for students in Albemarle County Public Schools. The district of 14,000 students spread across 726 square miles in central Virginia tapped a little-known public resource to fund a countywide broadband network, paving the way for others to do the same in an effort to ensure […]

Transitioning to eco-friendly propane school buses may help districts save money and safeguard student health. Nearly every top school bus market now operates propane-fueled vehicles in its fleets, including Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. “The strong proponents say that it is a cost-effective change that along with saving money provides environmental benefits” says Mark […]

More than 51 percent of young adults across the United States say that a high school money management class would have benefitted their lives, according to a study from the National Financial Educators Council. While 45 states include personal finance in state standards, only 17 states require high school students to take a personal finance […]

More than 6 million students—representing 13 percent of the K12 population—missed at least 15 days of school in 2013-14, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis from the U.S. Department of Education. “Every district has attendance data, but most haven’t been calculating chronic absence” says Hedy Nai-Lin Chang, executive director of Attendance Works, a national initiative to […]

Teachers who have taken on school leadership roles across New York state gathered this past June for the first time to refine initiatives designed to improve their schools. Twenty teacher teams participated in the inaugural New York Teacher Leadership Summit, which was hosted in New York City by Teach to Lead, a project of the […]

Another group of states in 2015-16 deployed their own Common Core-aligned assessments, adding greater momentum to a national shift away from the PARCC and Smarter Balanced testing consortia. Who’s still testing with PARCC and Smarter Balanced? Another group of states in 2015-16 deployed their own Common Core-aligned assessments, adding greater momentum to a national shift […]

More than five years after many states implemented Common Core, the impact on student achievement remains unclear—though some states show small academic gains, with persistent achievement gaps. “Common Core is alive and well” says Adam Ezring, policy director of the Collaborative For Student Success, a nonprofit that supports use of the standards. “While it’s still […]

The rights of transgender students in K12 schools became explicitly clear in a directive issued by the U.S. Department of Education and Department of Justice in May. Schools must let transgender students use the restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity, not what’s listed on birth certificates, the Obama administration says. “This […]