Top 10 Stories

01

$174 Million Federal Boost for HBCUs

The U.S. Department of Education announced a one-time investment of more than $174 million to strengthen the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, a significant infusion for institutions that educate a large share of the country’s Black professionals. The money targets capacity, infrastructure, and long-term stability.

02

The Largest Food-Aid Cut in History Reaches the Cafeteria

A federal budget law reduces SNAP by roughly $186 billion through 2034, about a 20% cut and the largest in the program’s history. Because SNAP eligibility is tied to subsidized school meals in many places, advocates warn the cut could pull benefits and meal access away from families already stretched thin.

03

Head Start Faces a Funding Threat

A federal proposal has renewed worry over Head Start, the early-childhood program that serves some of the nation’s most vulnerable young children. Providers and families warn that cuts would fall hardest on the kids for whom Head Start is a path out of homelessness and poverty.

04

Pennsylvania Guarantees Daily Recess

Pennsylvania’s governor signed legislation guaranteeing elementary students at least 30 minutes of recess a day, joining a growing number of states writing playtime into law as research keeps linking movement and unstructured play to focus, behavior, and learning.

05

A Court Pauses the New International-Student Rule

A federal judge blocked a Department of Homeland Security rule that would have limited international students to fixed stays of about four years, a change colleges warned would add paperwork and deter global talent. The pause gives universities and students temporary breathing room as the case proceeds.

06

New Data: Universal School Meals Work

Fresh findings from Minnesota, which made school meals universal, show fewer students skipping meals and a marked drop in the stigma once attached to the lunch line. The data lands squarely in the middle of the national debate over who should get a school meal, and how.

07

Reading Reform Needs Training, Not Just Laws

As states pass science-of-reading laws, a new analysis argues the laws alone will not move outcomes. Lasting change, it contends, requires training everyone responsible for instruction, from teachers to coaches to leaders, and building the support systems to sustain it.

08

Math Gaps Show Up Earlier Than We Test

New research finds that students stuck in the bottom fifth of math achievement through first grade rarely reach proficiency by third grade. Because statewide testing usually begins in third grade, the finding suggests schools are identifying struggling students too late to help them catch up.

09

Teacher Turnover Is Finally Slowing

After climbing during and after the pandemic, teacher turnover has eased to about 17.4%, driven by a decline in mid-career departures. It is an early sign the workforce may be stabilizing, though shortages persist in high-need subjects and communities.

10

The Push to ‘Return Education to the States’ Rolls On

The U.S. Secretary of Education continued a national tour promoting the shift of more authority and funding decisions to states, with a stop in West Virginia this week. The tour previews a broader effort to restructure the federal role in education.

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