Schools

U.S. Education Department pings states, schools to set policies on cellphone use

The department said schools' policies should be "clear, consistent, and research-informed," but did not specify exactly what those policies should be.

How one school's cell phone ban is going after two years

A cell phone ban at an Oregon high school has led to students being more focused, more engaged and talking to each other more.

State's education department offers schools guidance on limiting student cell phone use

So far, at least eight Oregon school districts have either banned cell phone use in some schools, in individual classes or in all schools.

Could Massachusetts AI cheating case push schools to refocus on learning?

The lawsuit tackles key questions of academic integrity, college admissions and the purpose of school in an age of AI.

Will Mississippi schools join the cellphone ban bandwagon?

A Mississippi lawmaker is already crafting a bill to ban cellphones in classrooms, but how would it play out?

Massachusetts voters to consider ditching high school graduation requirements

The ballot measure is seen as a referendum on the role of standardized testing in schools. If Massachusetts drops the requirement, will others follow?

Preschools teach ‘hardly any math,’ even as students struggle in later grades

Math advocates say more early math, taught through play or games, can help students later.

In a state with school vouchers for all, low-income families aren’t choosing to use them

Working-class parents often express interest in vouchers. But in Arizona, the nation’s school choice capital, these families aren’t using them due to the inaccessibility of private schools and the costs of transportation, meals and uniforms.

Responding to post-pandemic norms, more states are lowering test standards

The changes have renewed criticism of a testing "honesty gap" and have sparked calls for states to level with parents about poor student performance in the aftermath of COVID.

18 years, $2 billion: Inside New Orleans’s biggest school recovery effort in history

Hurricane Katrina destroyed 110 New Orleans school buildings. How to upgrade them while honoring their architectural importance and historic heritage?

These counties are recruiting teenagers to shore up a corrections guard shortage

Two counties in Texas house training programs in local high schools as officials pitch corrections jobs as gateways to criminal justice careers.

In an unprecedented move, Ohio is funding construction of private religious schools

The state is giving millions in taxpayer dollars directly to private schools to help them renovate and expand their campuses. It may be the next frontier in the push to increase the use of school vouchers, proponents say.

14 states pledge to cut chronic absenteeism rates by half over 5 years

In a sign of how far and wide the nation’s chronic absenteeism crisis spans, the states are located across the U.S. and are led by a mix of Republican and Democratic governors.

How the nation’s largest school system keeps students safe

By thinking of physical and digital safety as the same, the New York City schools are preparing their systems for ever-evolving technologies.

Cyberattacks still ravage schools, defying White House efforts launched last year

Thousands of school districts have tapped into resources committed by the private sector to shore up their cyberdefenses.

School vouchers were supposed to save taxpayer money. Instead they blew a massive hole in Arizona’s budget.

Arizona, the model for voucher programs across the country, has spent so much money paying private schoolers’ tuition that it’s now facing hundreds of millions in budget cuts to critical state programs and projects.

New report: School cops double student arrest rates and race, gender key factors

Government watchdog reveals students twice as likely to be arrested when officers are present and their race, gender and disability play pivotal role.

Was Los Angeles schools’ $6 million AI venture a disaster waiting to happen?

The vision for what the much-hyped chatbot could do is ‘really not possible with where the technology is today,’ one insider says.

America’s biggest education experiment is happening in Houston. Could it change U.S. schools?

The controversial reforms underway in Houston ISD rival the biggest U.S. education experiments—and could impact schools across the nation.

The $190B question: Did federal pandemic funds improve test scores?

Two new studies attempt to answer that question as education activists and politicians debate the impact of federal spending, and as states and school districts consider which pandemic-era programs to continue.