OTHER STORIES

10 Useful Tech Tools for Educators in 2026: A Practical Guide

The74

AI Isn’t the Main Problem—It Just Shows Us What That Problem Is

Edutopia

Mamdani Chooses a Veteran N.Y.C. Ed Leader as Schools Chancellor

NYTimes

Falling Enrollment Most Extreme in Wealthy Districts, Study Finds

The74

11 Critical Issues Facing Educators in 2026

EdWeek

Funding Waivers

Iowa will have more flexibility in how it uses federal funds after the Department of Ed. signed off on a first-of-its-kind waiver request that may be a blueprint for other states. Supporters of the idea say states deserve more flexibility and can use it effectively, but critics worry that money federal lawmakers intended to support specific student groups won’t reach them. While Iowa’s approved waiver request ended up being fairly narrow, a pending waiver request from Indiana could show how much new authority the administration is willing to give some states. At the same time, the Department of Ed. still needs to ensure money is being appropriately spent, which is harder after layoffs. Chalkbeat

Using Math Vocabulary

Researchers have spent decades trying to understand why some teachers are more effective than others. A new study suggests that one surprisingly simple difference between stronger and weaker math teachers may be how often they use mathematical vocabulary words, such as “factors,” “denominators” and “multiples,” in class. Teachers who used more math vocab had students who scored substantially higher on math tests. Researchers suspect that vocabulary is part of a broader group of effective teaching practices. Teachers who use more math terms may also be providing clearer explanations and walking students through examples step-by-step. These teachers might also have a stronger understanding of math themselves. Hechinger

School Finance Reform

State finance reforms since the 1970s have changed school funding formulas to improve socioeconomic equity by providing more funds for districts in lower-income communities and with lower property values. Because of the correlation between income and race in the U.S., researchers expected to find that the reforms would also improve racial equity of school funding. However, a recent study found that the same reforms did not make funding more equal by race or ethnicity. In fact, in some cases, these reforms widened funding gaps between districts with the lowest and highest shares of Black or Hispanic students. This may be due in part to funding differences between states or between districts. Brookings