OTHER STORIES

With Vouchers and Other School Choice Policies, Read the Fine Print

Brookings

How Two Schools Are Leaning Into Human Skills In The Age Of AI

LearnAgency

Here's What Happens When Colleges Make the SAT Optional

Chalkbeat

The Emerging Fight Against Grade Inflation in K-12 Classrooms

Hechinger

Journalist's Personal Story on School Integration Sparks a Reckoning

Chalkbeat

Engineering of Reading

According to a 2026 paper by Elizabeth Tipton and Nicole Patton-Terry, there's a gap between research into effective ed practice and the development of real solutions. They describe a "bifurcated market, where you've got things that are made to work in schools, sometimes not working closely with science, and then scientists who are creating things, but they're niche products that work in a very careful environment." They argue that the science of reading alone can't bridge this gap, but maybe an "engineering of reading" could. What they're calling engineering would be focused on curriculum design, creating tools that work in the range of environments found in schools. The goal is to build and test them and see if they work. (Yes, the article mentions SERP.) EdWeek

School Closures Ahead

Large school systems, including LA, Minneapolis, Albuquerque, and Portland, are beginning the school year considering closures and consolidations as enrollment challenges persist. The drops in enrollment are being driven largely by declining birthrates and families moving away. As enrollment drops, revenue for the district also drops. The LAUSD Superintendent said, "That matters, because enrollment affects what a school can provide...When a school has very few students, it can be harder to offer the experience our students deserve." Districts say they want to consolidate schools to provide a better education. Some districts are also considering strategies to boost enrollment. K12Dive

Alpha School

Alpha School has been receiving an incredible amount of media attention recently. Alpha School is mostly a network of very small private schools. Its main pedagogical claim to fame is that they have students spend two hours on a laptop every morning, using various ed-tech products to cover their core academics. In the afternoon, they spend four hours in hands-on, group-based "life skills" workshops. Alpha School is engaging its students in a controversial "boot camp" this fall. For example, students must find a "dirty job" and do it for several days, recording themselves working but not complaining. EdWeek, The74