By: Janet Howard With the 2025–26 school year underway, New York State has launched the nation’s most ambitious bell‑to‑bell smartphone ban in K–12 schools—eliminating distractions and restoring focus to classrooms statewide. This historic Distraction-Free Schools law marks a turning point in American education. Supporters say these phone-free schools help students refocus on academics and wellbeing. […]
By Anne Webster New York City stands at a pivotal moment in its educational history, facing a literacy crisis that threatens to undermine the futures of thousands of children—particularly those living in poverty. With nearly two-thirds of low-income students unable to read at grade level, the consequences stretch far beyond the classroom, fueling cycles of […]
By: Anne Webster New York City is grappling with a critical and largely underreported problem: illiteracy. Children are bound to struggle—and entire communities may stagnate—if students cannot master foundational reading skills. As a candidate in the 2025 New York City mayoral race, Andrew Cuomo has introduced an ambitious 25-point education plan meant to reshape literacy […]
By: Anne Webster New York City is in the midst of a profound literacy crisis that threatens the academic and economic futures of its most vulnerable children. Nearly two-thirds of students living in poverty are unable to read at grade level, setting them on a trajectory toward lower graduation rates, limited career prospects, and diminished […]
By Esther Claudette Gittens In recent years, a growing number of American citizens—many of them children of immigrants, middle-class families seeking value, or globally mobile professionals—have turned to international school systems for their pre-college education. From Finland’s egalitarian model to Germany’s tuition-free rigor, from Singapore’s STEM-focused curriculum to France’s classical liberal arts tradition, these American […]
By Chris Tobias In New York City, alternative high schools were created as a second chance for students who struggled in traditional settings—whether due to academic difficulties, personal hardships, or unstable home lives. However, today, many NYC alternative high schools are failing to fulfill their mission, leaving vulnerable students even more disconnected from meaningful futures. […]
By Chris Tobias In New York City, alternative high schools were created as a second chance for students who struggled in traditional settings—whether due to academic difficulties, personal hardships, or unstable home lives. However, today, many NYC alternative high schools are failing to fulfill their mission, leaving vulnerable students even more disconnected from meaningful futures. […]
By Selen Ozturk, ACOM With chronic absenteeism and low performance among students nationwide, a growing number of educators are reshaping the school day — and what it means to be a successful graduate. A growing number of educators are reshaping the school day — and what it means to be a successful graduate. In the […]
By David T. Marshall, THE CONVERSATION When we set out to study pandemic-related changes in schools, we thought we’d find that learning management systems that rely on technology to improve teaching would make educators’ jobs easier. Instead, we found that teachers whose schools were using learning management systems had higher rates of burnout. Our findings were […]
By Kevin Welner,THECONVERSATION | Editorial credit: Tada Images / shutterstock.com In her role as former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, Linda McMahon oversaw an enterprise that popularized the “takedown” for millions of wrestling fans. But as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of education, the Trump loyalist may be tasked with taking down the very department Trump has […]