K-12 Education

Source: EdChoice

Date: 6/9/26

The Public, Parents, and K-12 Education: June 2026 Polling

As the school year comes to a close, it's a good time to check in on how the public is feeling about K-12 education.

 

We asked thousands of Americans and school parents to share their perspective on a variety of topics ranging from tech in the classroom to preparing students for life after high school.

 

In partnership with Morning Consult, EdChoice surveyed a nationally representative sample of approximately 2,250 adults and 1,300 school parents each month in March, April, and May

Reading Instruction / Teacher Education, Quality, and Professional Development

Source: NCTQ

Date: 6/9/26

Teacher Prep Review: Decoding Progress in Reading Preparation

A child's ability to read proficiently in the early grades shapes everything that comes next in school and in life. Unfortunately, millions of children aren't receiving the instruction they need to become successful readers.

 

Helping students become strong readers starts with well-prepared teachers.

 

NCTQ's Teacher Prep Review: Decoding Progress in Reading Preparation reveals the extent to which more than 700 teacher prep programs across the country prepare future elementary teachers to teach reading.

School Choice

Source: Show-Me Institute

Date: 6/8/26

Would Interdistrict Open Enrollment Disrupt Missouri School Districts?

Critics of interdistrict open enrollment (IOE) argue that allowing students to cross district boundaries will disrupt district enrollments and, in turn, disrupt district finances.

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Alternatively, proponents of IOE argue it can transform public education by sparking meaningful interdistrict competition for students. Our findings do not entirely rule this out, though they suggest it is unlikely, at least in the first five years. Holistically, our results suggest that IOE is not a systemic disruptor of the residentially based school assignment system. Instead, it appears to provide increased mobility for a relatively small but meaningful share of families for whom the local district is not a good fit. While IOE is unlikely to produce the sweeping changes anticipated by its strongest advocates - or feared by its strongest critics - it can still help many families have better educational experiences.

Student Achievement

Source: Bellwether

Date: 6/12/26

Proficiency Confusion: Making Sense of Student Math and Reading Scores

Each year, millions of K-12 students are labeled "proficient" or higher based on their performance on a state assessment; at the same time, millions of others fall short of that threshold. Proficiency is a designation that shapes public perception, policy decisions, and educational pathways. Yet this word masks a transparency challenge: Proficiency is defined differently across states, and proficiency thresholds change within states over time, making results difficult to interpret and compare. At a moment when achievement trends remain a national concern, there is a need for more transparency in communicating student performance in a way that is consistent, comparable, and comprehensible.

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In a K-12 education system increasingly defined by variation and choice, the goal is not to eliminate differences in how states define proficiency but to make those differences transparent. By providing a common language for interpreting results, this report helps answer a critical question for educators, policymakers, and families alike: How high is the proficiency bar - and what does it mean for students to meet it?

Review of The Economic Impact from Colorado's Choice to Participate in the "Education Freedom Tax Credit" Provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Source: Common Sense Institute

Reviewed by: Joydeep Roy, Teachers College, Columbia University

The Common Sense Institute recently published a report declaring large potential benefits of the federal education tax-credit voucher program created through President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. However, the report's claims about the improvements the program would create for Colorado are unlikely to materialize.

Joydeep Roy of Teachers College, Columbia University explains why in his review of The Economic Impact from Colorado's Choice to Participate in the "Education Freedom Tax Credit" Provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

National Council for Public Education Facts About Vouchers

By: National Coalition for Public Education

The National Coalition for Public Education (NCPE) has published a fact sheet with important information following the Treasury Department preview of upcoming regulations.

The Principal Effect: How Investing in School Leaders Is Key to Solving Education's Challenges

By: Linda Darling-Hammond, Julie Fitz, Maria Virginia Giani, Molly F. Gordon, Marjorie Wechsler, Learning Policy Institute

"Principals influence the experiences of every person in the school, playing a key role in retaining teachers, creating positive school climates, and improving student achievement. Quality learning opportunities in both preservice preparation and ongoing professional learning enable principals to become more effective and promote retention. A new suite of resources from LPI and The Wallace Foundation takes a deep dive into the impact of principals on student success, school climate, and teacher retention and identifies the best ways to prepare them and provide ongoing support to ensure strong, stable school leadership."

Superintendents defend policies about transgender students, parent rights on Capitol Hill

By: Erica Meltzer, Chalkbeat

"House Education and Workforce Chairman Tim Walberg convened the hearing with the title "Breaking Trust." Much of the questioning centered on policies intended to protect the rights of transgender students or create more inclusive school environments. But lawmakers also brought up abortion, the role of teachers in promoting political protest, and eighth grade algebra access."

How State Courts Are Quietly Shaping U.S. Education

By: Rick Hess, EdWeek

This is a back and forth conversation between AEI's Rick Hess and Derek Black, the Ernest F. Hollings Chair in Constitutional Law at the University of South Carolina.

State lawmakers continued to weaken child labor protections in 2026

By: Nina Mast, Education Policy Institute

"In fiscal year 2025, more cases of federal child labor violations were uncovered than during any other year since the Great Recession, and hazardous work violations ticked up again after declining in the year prior (see Figure A). The rate of young worker deaths nearly doubled between 2020 and 2024, and at least one minor was killed on the job in the past year. At the same time, enforcement of federal child labor standards appears to have diminished under the Trump administration, which has proposed weakening existing standards. Since Trump was inaugurated in January 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has published news releases about only three child labor enforcement actions. In the last year of the Biden administration, WHD published news releases about 26 cases."

GreatLakesCenter.org