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We are excited to introduce our 2024 class of EdWeek Leaders To Learn From. These district leaders have shown persistence and creativity as they navigate the challenges facing schools in an increasingly diverse, rapidly changing world.

Meet the 2024 Leaders

We’re trying to undo decades of old ways of thinking.

I want these kids to know: Just because you can’t sit down at a desk, read something, and get straight A’s, doesn’t mean that you don’t have something to offer this world.

I just want [students] to have all the opportunities regardless of where they live or the resources that their parents might provide to them.

It’s really about how we are aligning systems of support and enabling conditions around schools to best set them up for success. That’s really the bottom line.

Even when I was teaching, I really wanted to push the bounds of what school could be. I wanted it to be more like a home than a factory.

Technology nowadays, it’s a dime a dozen. You can throw whatever tech in there you want, but if people don’t care, if they don’t know how to use it, it’s a paperweight.

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This March 12, 2019, file photo shows the University Village area of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Reed Saxon/AP hide caption

USC says it is canceling its valedictorian speech because of safety concerns

April 16, 2024 • Asna Tabassum received some backlash about her social media content on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Tabassum said she questions the university's reasoning for canceling the speech.

In this photo illustration, a pack of Lunchables is displayed on Wednesday in San Anselmo, Calif. Consumer Reports is asking for the Department of Agriculture to eliminate Lunchables food kits from the National School Lunch Program after finding high levels of lead, sodium and cadmium in tested kits. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

Consumer Reports asks USDA to remove Lunchables from schools' lunch menus

April 10, 2024 • The group found high levels of sodium and the presence of heavy metals in meal kits it tested. A Kraft Heinz spokesperson said all of its products meet strict safety standards.

TOPSHOT - Shadows form on the ground as the moon moves in front of the sun in a rare "ring of fire" solar eclipse in Singapore on December 26, 2019. LOUIS KWOK/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Up First Newsletter

Student loan proposal targets accrued interest; israel and hamas war hits six months.

April 8, 2024 • Biden administration targets accrued interest in latest student loan relief proposal. Israel withdraws troops as the Israel-Hamas war reaches the six month mark.

Starting Your Podcast: A Guide For Students

New to podcasting? Don't panic.

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona participates in an event at Dartmouth College in January. Steven Senne/AP hide caption

Biden seeks student debt relief for millions

April 8, 2024 • The sweeping new proposals, if enacted, could ease student loan debt for millions of borrowers.

A group of children don eclipse glasses to watch the 2017 solar eclipse at Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming. VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

Solar eclipse 2024: Follow the path of totality

A lot of kids got to see the last total eclipse. what they remember may surprise you.

April 6, 2024 • Total solar eclipse chasers say that seeing the moon block out the sun, revealing the corona, is a life-changing experience. Kids, on the other hand, remember eating moon pies.

This year, colleges must choose between fast financial aid offers, or accurate ones

April 5, 2024 • Colleges don't yet trust the FAFSA data the U.S. Education Department is sending them, but there's pressure to get aid offers out to students as soon as possible.

California legislators in 2019 passed the law that requires all the state's 33 public university campuses to provide abortion pills. It took effect in January 2023, but LAist found that basic information for students to obtain the medication is often nonexistent. Jackie Fortiér/LAist hide caption

Shots - Health News

California colleges provide abortion pills but many fail to make students aware.

April 4, 2024 • Despite a law mandating that they offer the pills, many campus health clinics don't publicize that they have them, leaving students struggling to track them down off-campus.

Early in life, Sam (left) and John were much more similar than they may seem today. "They both did not wave, they didn't respond to their name, they both had a lot of repetitive movements," says their mother, Kim Leaird. Jodi Hilton for NPR hide caption

These identical twins both grew up with autism, but took very different paths

April 4, 2024 • Sam and John Fetters are identical twins with autism. But Sam is in college, while John still struggles to form sentences. Their experience may shed light on the disorder's mix of nature and nurture.

Around the country, state legislatures and school districts are looking at ways to keep cellphones from being a distraction in schools. monkeybusinessimages/Getty Images hide caption

Indiana lawmakers ban cellphones in class. Now it's up to schools to figure out how

April 3, 2024 • Many schools — but not all — in the state and around the U.S. already ban phones in class. This requires it now in Indiana.

Oregon schools are struggling to recover academic learning losses, according to a recent study from researchers at Harvard and Stanford. Brian A Jackson/Getty Images hide caption

Why Oregon schools' pandemic recovery lags behind much of the nation

April 1, 2024 • Oregon schools are struggling more than others across the country to recover academic learning losses. Experts say one likely reason is a lack of statewide consistency in tutoring interventions.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks to reporters near the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 27, 2024 in Baltimore, Md. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption

Baltimore bridge collapse has put the spotlight on Maryland's young Black governor

March 30, 2024 • Since before the political newcomer was inaugurated, there has been speculation that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore wants to run for higher office. The bridge collapse could be his first major test.

The University of Idaho Marching Band, wearing Yale T-shirts, performs at the NCAA Tournament game between Yale and San Diego State in Spokane, Wash., on Sunday. The band has been honored in Connecticut for filling in as Bulldogs. Ted S. Warren/AP hide caption

Why the University of Idaho marching band members are heroes in Connecticut

March 29, 2024 • When Yale's marching band wasn't able to make it to March Madness, the Sound of Idaho stepped in — and went viral. A week later, Connecticut's governor proclaimed a "University of Idaho Day."

Student volunteers prepare two balloons for a morning launch in Cumberland, Md., as part of a nationwide project to study the April 8 eclipse. Meredith Rizzo for NPR hide caption

Solar Eclipse

On eclipse day, hundreds of students will send up balloons for science.

March 25, 2024 • The NASA-backed Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project puts students in charge of a bold scientific endeavor to study the April 8 total solar eclipse.

Second graders practice using solar eclipse glasses outside Winchester Village Elementary School in Indianapolis. Kaiti Sullivan for NPR hide caption

How an Indianapolis teacher is using the solar eclipse to inspire her students

March 25, 2024 • Indianapolis is one of several U.S. cities in the path of totality. For many students there, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness – and be inspired by – a total solar eclipse.

Ed Department error may delay student financial aid further

March 24, 2024 • Students may have to wait even longer for their financial aid award letters due to an Education Department error

Parents wait for news about the kidnapped LEA Primary and Secondary School Kuriga students in Kuriga, Kaduna, Nigeria, on March 9, 2024. Nearly 300 schoolchildren abducted from their school in northwest Nigeria's Kaduna state have been released, the state governor said Sunday, March 24, more than two weeks after the children were seized from their school. Sunday Alamba/AP hide caption

Nearly 300 abducted Nigerian schoolchildren freed after over two weeks in captivity

March 24, 2024 • Nearly 300 kidnapped Nigerian schoolchildren have been released, more than two weeks after the children were seized from their school in the northwestern state of Kaduna and marched into the forests.

Senators meet in the senate chamber at the Statehouse, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, in Indianapolis. Darron Cummings/AP hide caption

New Indiana law requires professors to promote 'intellectual diversity' to keep tenure

March 22, 2024 • A new Indiana law requires professors to promote "intellectual diversity" to receive tenure. Critics worry the measure will dissuade academics from staying in the state.

Activists and students protest in front of the Supreme Court during a rally for student debt cancellation in Washington, D.C., in February 2023. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Biden cancels nearly $6 billion in student debt for public service workers

March 21, 2024 • Because of past administrative failures, the some 78,000 affected public service workers such as nurses and teachers never got the relief they were entitled to under the law, Biden said.

This year it's a slow crawl to financial aid packages for students

March 21, 2024 • Colleges are just beginning to receive long-overdue FAFSA data. Meanwhile, students who've been accepted to college still face weeks before they receive aid offers.

High school students taking part in the University of Washington's annual MisInfo Day earlier this month. They are looking at pictures of faces to tell whether the images were created with generative AI tools or authentic. Kim Malcolm/KUOW hide caption

Untangling Disinformation

Ai images and conspiracy theories are driving a push for media literacy education.

March 21, 2024 • One of the nation's best-known media literacy events for high school students is expanding as demand grows for skills to identify deepfake images and online conspiracy theories.

Throughline

The great textbook war.

March 21, 2024 • What is school for? Over a hundred years ago, a man named Harold Rugg published a series of textbooks that encouraged students to confront the thorniest parts of U.S. history: to identify problems, and try and solve them. And it was just as controversial as the fights we're seeing today. In this episode: a media mogul, a textbook author, and a battle over what students should – or shouldn't – learn in school.

Alabama governor signs anti-DEI law

Troy public radio.

March 20, 2024 • Another state has moved to how race can be discussed in schools and universities. Alabama's governor signed a law that would allow school staff to be terminated if they teach "divisive concepts."

Alabama lawmakers approved a bill barring public colleges and other entities from using money to support diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Google Maps/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

Alabama governor signs ban on DEI funds that restricts 'divisive concepts' in schools

March 20, 2024 • "Nothing in this act," the legislation states, ".... May be construed to inhibit or violate the First Amendment rights of any student or employee." But its opponents say it does just that.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images hide caption

Gov. Ron DeSantis' war on 'woke' appears to be losing steam in Florida

March 15, 2024 • A federal court recently blocked most of a key DeSantis measure, the Stop WOKE Act. Courts have ruled against a number of the governor's conservative initiatives.

Education Week - October 11, 2023 - CW1

Education week - october 11, 2023, table of contents for the digital edition of education week - october 11, 2023.

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No matter where professionals are in their tech career—whether just starting out or well established—it’s never a bad time for them to reassess their skills to ensure they are aligned with market needs.

As the professional home for engineers and technical professionals, IEEE offers a wealth of career-development resources. To showcase them, from 14 to 20 April the organization is holding its annual Education Week . The event highlights the array of educational opportunities, webinars, online courses, activities, and scholarships provided by IEEE’s organizational units, societies, and councils around the globe.

Individuals can participate in IEEE Education Week by exploring dozens of live and virtual events . Here are a few highlights:

• IEEE: Educating for the Future.   Tom Coughlin , IEEE’s president and CEO, kicks off the week on 15 April with a keynote presentation at noon EDT. Coughlin’s priorities include retaining younger members, engaging industry, developing workforce programs, and focusing on the future of education.
• Investing in Your Future: The Importance of Continuing Education for Engineers. At 11 a.m. on 18 April, learn about the IEEE Professional Development Suite of specialized business and leadership training programs.
• Essential Business Skills for Engineers: Bridging the Gap Between Business and Engineering. Join IEEE and representatives from the Rutgers Business School to learn how engineers and technical professionals can grow their career through management training. This event—to be held at 10 a.m. on 16 April Singapore Standard Time and 10 p.m EDT on 17 April—is primarily for engineering professionals in the Asia Pacific region. Attendees will be introduced to the IEEE | Rutgers Online Mini-MBA Program for Engineers program.
• Add Value and Attendees to Your Events With IEEE Credentialing. Learn about the benefits of IEEE digital certificates and badges at noon EDT on 17 April. The session covers how to find events that offer professional development hours and continuing education units.
• IEEE–Eta Kappa Nu 2024 TechX. The honor society’s three-day virtual event, 17 to 19 April, addresses opportunities and challenges presented by new technology, along with Q&A sessions with experts. TechX includes a virtual job fair and networking events.
• What You Should Know About the IEEE Learning Network. At noon EDT on 16 April, learn how the platform can help you advance your career with eLearning courses on that cover emerging technologies.
• Best Practices for Service Learning From Past EPICS in IEEE Project Leaders.   Leah Jamieson , the 2007 IEEE president, is set to lead a panel discussion on the IEEE Engineering Projects in Community Service program at 9:30 a.m. on 16 April. Jamieson, who helped found EPICS at Purdue University , and other project leaders will share their experiences.
• TryEngineering and Keysight: Inspiring the Engineers of Tomorrow. IEEE and Keysight Technologies , a manufacturer of electronics test and measurement equipment and software, recently partnered to develop lesson plans on electronics and the power of simulations. Learn more about the program at 10:30 a.m. on 17 April.
• Global Semiconductors: IEEE Resources and Communities for Those Working in the Semiconductor Industry. This session, at 1 p.m. on 18 April, can explain which IEEE groups offer educational materials for semiconductor engineers.

Offers and discounts

The Education Week website lists special offers and discounts . The IEEE Learning Network, for example, is offering some of its most popular courses for US $10 each. They cover artificial intelligence standards, configuration management, the Internet of Things, smart cities, and more. You can use the code ILNIEW24 until 30 April.

Be sure to complete the IEEE Education Week quiz by noon EDT on 20 April for a chance to earn an IEEE Education Week 2024 digital badge, which can be displayed on social media.

To learn more about IEEE Education Week, watch this video or follow the event on Facebook or X .

• This IEEE Service-Learning Program Is More Popular Than Ever ›
• Advance Your Career With Rutgers’ Mini MBA Program for Engineers ›
• These Courses Will Sharpen Your Knowledge on 6 Emerging Technologies ›

Taraja Arnold is the digital marketing specialist for IEEE Educational Activities.

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The Right Has an Opportunity to Rethink Education in America

T he casual observer can be forgiven if it looks like both the left and the right are doing their best to lose the debate over the future of American education.

On the left, public officials and self-righteous advocates practically fall over themselves working to subsidize and supersize bloated bureaucracies, hollowed-out urban school systems, and campus craziness. They’ve mutely watched teacher strikes shutter schools and insisted that “true history” requires the U.S. to be depicted as a cesspool of racism and villainy .

Meanwhile, on the right, bleating outrage impresarios have done their best to undercut the easy-to-make case for educational choice by weaving it into angry tirades against well-liked local schools. They’ve taken Taylor Swift, a strait-laced pop star beloved by middle school and high school girls, and imagined her as part of some bizarre Biden Administration PSYOP. Heck, they’ve even decided to try to “ take down ” Martin Luther King, Jr., a Civil Rights icon honored for his legacy of justice, equality, and nonviolence.

What gives?

The left has a problem. Democrats have long benefited from alliances with teacher unions, campus radicals, and the bureaucrats who run the college cartel. This played well with a public that tended to  like  its teachers, schools, and colleges. But  pandemic school closures ,  plunging trust in colleges , and  open antisemitism  have upended the status quo.

This has created an extraordinary opportunity for the right—free of ties with unions, public bureaucracies, and academe—to defend shared values, empower students and families, and rethink outdated arrangements. The right is uniquely positioned to lead on education because it’s not hindered by the left’s entanglements, and is thus much freer to rethink the way that early childhood, K-12, and higher education are organized and delivered.

The right also needs to demonstrate that it cares as much (or more) about the kitchen table issues that affect American families as the culture war issues that animate social media. Affordability, access, rigor, convenience, appropriateness, are the things that parents care about, and the right needs something to offer them.

The question is whether the right will choose to meet the moment at a time when too many public officials seem more interested in social media exposure than solving problems.

We’re optimists. We think the right can rise to the challenge.

It starts with a commitment to principle, shared values, and real world solutions. This is easier than it sounds. After all, the public  sides  with conservatives on hot-button disputes around race, gender, and American history by lopsided margins. Americans broadly  agree  that students should learn both the good and bad about American history,  reject  race-based college admissions,  believe  that student-athletes should play on teams that match their biological sex, and  don’t think  teachers should be discussing gender in K–3 classrooms.

And, while some thoughtful conservatives recoil from accusations of wading into “culture wars,” it’s vital for to talk forthrightly about shared values. Wall Street Journal-NORC  polling , for instance, reports that, when asked to identify values important to them, 94 percent of Americans identified hard work, 90 percent said tolerance for others, 80 percent said community involvement, 73 percent said patriotism, 65 percent said belief in God, and 65 percent said having children. Schools should valorize hard work, teach tolerance, connect students to their community, promote patriotism, and be open minded towards faith and family.

At the same time, of course, educational outcomes matter mightily, for students and the nation . A commitment to rigor, excellence, and merit is a value that conservatives should unabashedly champion. And talk about an easy sell! More than 80 percent of Americans say standardized tests like the SAT should matter for college admissions . Meanwhile, California’s Democratic officials recently approved new math standards that would end advanced math in elementary and middle school and Oregon’s have abolished the requirement that high school graduates be literate and numerate. The right should both point out the absurdity of such policies and carry the banner for high expectations, advanced instruction, gifted programs, and the importance of earned success.

When it comes to kitchen table issues, conservatives can do much more to support parents. That means putting an end to chaotic classrooms. It means using the tax code to provide more financial assistance. It means making it easier and more appealing for employers to offer on-site daycare facilities. It means creating flexible-use spending accounts for both early childhood and K–12 students to support a wide range of educational options. It means pushing colleges to cut bloat and find ways to offer less costly credentials. This means offering meaningful career and technical options so that a college degree feels like a choice rather than a requirement, making it easier for new postsecondary options to emerge, and requiring colleges to have skin in the game when students take out loans (putting the schools on the hook if their students aren’t repaying taxpayers).

Then there’s the need to address the right’s frosty relationship with educators. It’s remarkable, if you think about it, that conservatives—who energetically support cops and have a natural antipathy for bureaucrats and red tape—have so much trouble connecting with teachers. Like police, teachers are  well-liked  local public servants frustrated by bureaucracy and paperwork. It should be easy to embrace discipline policies that keep teachers safe and classrooms manageable, downsize bloated bureaucracy and shift those dollars into classrooms, and tend to parental responsibilities as well as parental rights.  

There’s an enormous opportunity for the right to lead on education today. The question is whether we’re ready to rise to the challenge.

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The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500

A Proclamation on American Education Week,   2023

     The promise of America has always been tied to the promise of our public education.  This American Education Week, we celebrate our schools as beacons of hope and possibility, pillars of our communities, and cornerstones of our democracy.  We recommit to investing in all the schools, educators, and staff — the kite strings that keep our national ambitions aloft.      A great education opens doors and changes lives.  From our astronauts, artists, scientists, and software developers to our engineers, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and medical professionals, countless Americans first discovered their potential in our public schools.  Many further honed their talents in our universities, community colleges, Registered Apprenticeship programs, and career and technical education programs.  That is what makes our Nation one of possibilities:  Here in the United States everyone has the chance to learn, grow, and pursue their dreams, no matter who they are or where they grew up.  But there is more we can still do to ensure every child has a fair shot.  Despite heroic efforts by our Nation’s teachers, the pandemic further deepened existing achievement gaps after years of flat or declining achievement in math and reading nationwide.       That is why my Administration has secured a historic $130 billion for America’s K-12 schools.  This funding has put more teachers in our classrooms and more counselors, social workers, and other staff in our schools.  Additionally, this funding is providing high-quality tutoring, supporting record expansions of summer and after-school programming, improving air quality in schools, addressing environmental and safety needs in aging school buildings, and creating other critical initiatives designed to support our students.  We also recognize that our students cannot thrive at school unless they are healthy and safe.  The American Rescue Plan also made our country’s biggest-ever investment in mental health and substance use programs, supplying the resources to recruit, train, and support more providers at the State and local levels — including in our schools.  I also signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law — the first major Federal gun safety legislation passed in nearly 30 years, getting us closer to a world where every school in America is free from the threat of gun violence.  This legislation also included historic levels of funding to address youth mental health, including $2 billion to create safe, inclusive learning environments for students and hire and train more mental health professionals for schools, which is where students are most likely to receive these crucial services.  My Administration also released a national strategy to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases in America by 2030 — including by advancing a pathway to provide free, healthy school meals for all children.         We are fighting for our youngest learners too.  We know that if we start early in both reading and math and make kindergarten a sturdy bridge between the early years and early grades, we set the stage for their lasting academic success.  In fact, providing America’s children with a strong foundation during their first 5 years can form the basis for lifelong health and well-being as well as achievement in education and their future careers.  I will continue to press for high-quality, free preschool for all three- and four-year-olds.      My Administration also secured nearly $40 billion for colleges and universities in the American Rescue Plan.  Importantly, we have invested billions of dollars in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions, such as Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions.  I have made it a priority to make college more affordable for Americans, and have worked with the Congress to increase the maximum Pell Grant by $900 since the beginning of my Administration, helping over 6 million eligible students pay for school.  Further, my Administration has approved $127 billion in student loan debt relief for nearly 3.6 million borrowers — more than any President in history.  We have also fixed the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program so that borrowers who go into public service, including public school teachers, get the debt relief they have earned.  Borrowers who work in public service can apply for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program at www.studentaid.gov/pslf.  Our SAVE plan, once fully implemented, will make student loan repayment more affordable than ever before, slashing payments to $0 for borrowers who earn less than about $15 an hour, saving them over $1,000 a year, and ending the runaway student loan interest responsible for ballooning balances.  Enrolling in SAVE takes less than 10 minutes.      While we are making historic investments in colleges and universities, we also believe that every person in our Nation deserves access to the American Dream, whether they have a college degree or not.  That is why we have invested more in Registered Apprenticeships and technical career training programs than any administration in history.  These programs empower workers to earn while they learn and offer them a path toward good-paying jobs.  In addition, the Departments of Education and Labor are collaborating to expand Registered Apprenticeships for educators.  To help raise a new generation of talented educators from underrepresented backgrounds, we are working to increase high-quality teacher preparation programs and strengthen and diversify the teacher pipeline.      During American Education Week, we recognize the critical role education plays in realizing the defining creed of our Nation — that we are a land of possibilities.  We celebrate all the dedicated educators, school counselors, nurses, bus drivers, security guards, custodians, cafeteria workers, and other school staff, who keep our schools running and support our students’ health, safety, and success.  Together, we will ensure that every student has the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.      NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 12 through November 18, 2023, as American Education Week.  I call upon all Americans to mark this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities honoring those who devote their talents and energies to helping our children reach their full potential and to building school communities where all students feel they belong.      IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.  

                               JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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Student Opinion

Should College Be Free?

Do you think other states should follow New Mexico in making higher education tuition-free? What would that mean for society?

By Callie Holtermann

Do you plan to go to college? Are you or your family concerned about paying for it?

In the past three decades, the average cost of attending a private college in the United States has tripled — landing at around $50,000 per year.

Should college cost this much? How would our society change if college cost nothing at all?

Amid declines in enrollment , states including Texas and Michigan are experimenting with plans to reduce or eliminate tuition for many students. Starting in July, New Mexico will go a step further: It will completely cover tuition for all state residents who attend public colleges and universities.

In “ What if College Were Free? This State Is Trying to Find Out. ,” Simon Romero writes about the state’s plan, which received bipartisan approval:

As universities across the United States face steep enrollment declines , New Mexico’s government is embarking on a pioneering experiment to fight that trend: tuition-free higher education for all state residents. After President Biden’s plan for universal free community college failed to gain traction in Congress, New Mexico, one of the nation’s poorest states, has emerged with perhaps the most ambitious plans as states scramble to come up with their own initiatives. A new state law approved in a rare show of bipartisanship allocates almost 1 percent of the state’s budget toward covering tuition and fees at public colleges and universities, community colleges and tribal colleges. All state residents from new high school graduates to adults enrolling part-time will be eligible regardless of family income. The program is also open to immigrants regardless of their immigration status. Some legislators and other critics question whether there should have been income caps, and whether the state, newly flush with oil and gas revenue, can secure long-term funding to support the program beyond its first year. The legislation, which seeks to treat college as a public resource similar to primary and secondary education, takes effect in July.

The article continues:

Other states are assembling their own programs: The University of Texas System created a $300 million endowment in February that expands tuition assistance for thousands of students. Michigan provides free college to residents who were essential workers during the pandemic, while also covering tuition at community colleges for people ages 25 or older. Reflecting challenges before and during the pandemic, some initiatives have not produced the desired results. Even after California recently expanded free tuition opportunities, enrollment at its community colleges fell by nearly 15 percent in 2021 from a year earlier. The push for tuition-free higher education comes amid a broader enrollment crisis in the United States. Total undergraduate enrollment fell by 6.6 percent from 2019 to 2021, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Students, read the entire article , then tell us:

What do you think of New Mexico’s plan to provide tuition-free college to state residents? Do you think college should be “a public resource similar to primary and secondary education,” as New Mexico is treating it? Do you think that your state should adopt a similar plan? Why or why not?

Do you want to attend college? Why or why not? How does the cost of higher education factor into your thinking?

Do you think everyone should go to college — or do you think there should be more alternatives to higher education? If so, what should they be and why?

Why do you think universities across the United States are facing declines in enrollment? Do you think plans to make college less expensive or entirely free are the right way to increase enrollment?

Do you think making college tuition-free is worth the cost? (As the article points out, the money for the first year of the New Mexico program largely comes from pandemic relief funds. After that, legislators will need to draw funds from other sources to keep the program going.) Is it more realistic to do what states like Washington and Tennessee have done and limit tuition assistance to community colleges, exclude some residents because of family income or impose conditions requiring students to work part time?

Mr. Romero describes New Mexico’s initiative as “unusually inclusive,” given that it extends free tuition to inmates, unauthorized immigrants and some Native Americans from neighboring states. Why do you think New Mexico’s legislators decided it was important to make members of these groups eligible for free tuition? What might be some of the long-term effects of free college for all?

Want more writing prompts? You can find all of our questions in our Student Opinion column . Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Callie Holtermann joined The Learning Network as a senior news assistant in 2020. More about Callie Holtermann

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Three-year-old sex education law draws a legal challenge

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The constitutionality of a 2021 state law governing parental notification of sex-related discussions in public schools is now being challenged by a coalition of Montana students, teachers and associations representing school counselors and psychologists.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Lewis and Clark County District Court by the ACLU of Montana, targets Senate Bill 99 , which requires schools to alert parents 48 hours ahead of lessons involving a range of topics related to human sexuality, reproductive rights and LGBTQ issues. The law also requires schools to notify parents of their right to excuse their children from those lessons.

(Senate Bill 99 of 2021 is unrelated to Senate Bill 99 of 2023 , which bans gender-affirming health care for minors, and which was temporarily enjoined by a district court judge in September 2023 while a legal challenge against it continues.)

Arguing on behalf of seven plaintiffs, the ACLU claims that SB 99 has been “weaponized to discipline educators and counselors who seek to introduce holistic, inclusive, and compassionate concepts into the classroom setting about human sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity.” The complaint asks the court to immediately halt enforcement of the law, claiming it violates the Montana Constitution and threatens the physical, mental, emotional and sexual health of public school students, particularly those in the LGBTQ community.

In an emailed statement announcing the lawsuit, advocacy chair Erica Parrish of the Montana School Counselors Association — one of the plaintiffs — said SB 99 puts counselors between “the proverbial rock and a hard place.”

“We can either follow our professional and ethical obligations to our students, or we can follow SB 99’s parental notification requirement,” Parrish continued. “It’s impossible to do both.”

The other plaintiffs in the case are the Montana Association of School Psychologists, the social justice nonprofit EmpowerMT, two public school teachers and two students. They’re represented by the ACLU as well as the Bozeman-based law firm Kasting, Kauffman & Mersen and the Boston-based international firm Nixon Peabody.

Gov. Greg Gianforte, state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen, the state Office of Public Instruction and the Montana Board of Public Education are listed as defendants. Board of Public Education Executive Director McCall Flynn was not immediately able to provide comment. Arntzen, in a statement emailed by OPI spokesperson Brian O’Leary, framed Tuesday’s complaint as the latest in a series of partisan attacks by “woke organizations” — the same argument Arntzen raised in response to a separate lawsuit filed against OPI and its leader last month.

New sex ed law ensnares English and history lessons, too

School districts across the state have spent months consulting with attorneys and retooling policies to ensure they are in compliance with Senate Bill 99, passed in 2021. The law requires parents to be notified at least 48 hours in advance about lessons related to sexual education, as well as other topics, including anatomy, intimate relationships, sexual orientation, gender identity, contraception, and reproductive rights. Some district leaders say compliance has been more cumbersome than anticipated.

“Government bureaucracy doesn’t own our children,” Arntzen wrote. “I stand with Montana parents who are rightfully concerned over sexual indoctrination in the classroom. Montana families have the right to know what their children are being taught and the right to opt-out of participating. I will continue to fiercely defend parental rights.” 

Asked via email for comment from Gianforte, spokesperson Kaitlin Price provided the following statement: “While the governor’s office generally doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation, the governor remains committed to preserving a Montana parent’s role in his or her child’s education, especially a parent’s right to know when a child might be exposed to sexually explicit content in the classroom.”

Much of the argument against SB 99 presented in the complaint echoes criticism of the bill that arose during and after the 2021 legislative session. After the law went into effect, educators in Montana reported widespread confusion about which specific materials the law applies to and how best to make those materials available for public review. Plaintiffs cited that confusion — and an alleged lack of clear guidance from state officials — as one way in which the law has impacted students and teachers, arguing that SB 99’s definition of human sexuality is “flagrantly overbroad.”

The complaint also characterizes the law as part of a “concerted effort” by lawmakers and other state officials to marginalize LGBTQ students in public schools by discouraging discussions of LGBTQ history, literature, art and politics. The plaintiffs claim SB 99 has impinged the ability of school counselors and psychologists to engage in conversations with students about those issues, chilled students’ constitutional rights of free speech and expression, and unconstitutionally imposed “Christian values” as a guide in curriculum development — values, the complaint notes, that were explicitly referenced by lawmakers who supported the bill’s passage.

“It really feels like the goal of SB 99 is to silence people,” plaintiff Eva Stahl, a Montana student, said in a statement distributed by the ACLU. “Teachers are changing how they teach and making it harder for students to access books. I even had one teacher say they were worried about the possible ‘employment consequences’ of openly supporting 2S-LGBTQIA+ students. This law doesn’t protect students, it just makes our lives harder and our schools worse.”

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Education Commissioner Discusses AI, Math Proficiency, and Potential 4-Day School Week on Podcast

Exploring innovative solutions and addressing challenges, the commissioner outlines future strategies for educational enhancement in the territory.

• Janeka Simon
• April 15, 2024

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V.I. Dept. of Education Commissioner Dr. Dionne Wells-Hedrington. By. V.I. LEGISLATURE

"It's all about the students. Everything that I do, I always keep the students at the center," she said. "I really want to make sure that public education becomes a viable option where we're actually preparing our students for life."

Wells-Hedrington has over 30 years of experience in education, having worked as a teacher, principal, and administrator. She credits her diverse background with allowing her to understand challenges at every level of the system. As commissioner, Wells-Hedrington said she aims to support teachers and ensure students have what they need to succeed.

One key focus is improving literacy and math skills, which have been impacted by multiple hurricanes and the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the commissioner, who cited a 2023 report on academic achievement that found disturbingly low scores in math proficiency in these areas among the territory’s 7th graders.

However, the education commissioner said that the issues faced by children in the territory are more fundamental. "Our focus needs to be on the early childhood level. Even if you go back before the pandemic hit, you will see some gaps that were identifiable in those early childhood years," she said.

The V.I. Department of Education is now partnering with organizations to train teachers in the "science of reading" and provide intervention support. Wells-Hedrington also emphasized using data to drive instruction and align budgets with strategic goals. "Data matters in public education," she stated. "That's how we are going to see the growth that we need to see."

When asked about student and parent engagement, Wells-Hedrington acknowledged more work is needed. The territory struggles with consistent parental involvement, especially post-Covid. As a former principal, she shared strategies like parent seminars and English classes to improve engagement.

The department is also aware of what changes students believe may enhance their learning experiences. For example, the commissioner cited a request for more active, technology-integrated lessons rather than passive lectures. She plans to provide additional teacher training to meet evolving student needs.

Recruiting and retaining qualified teachers remains a challenge in the territory as well as across the nation. Wells-Hedrington noted that her department has addressed the issue in a number of ways – “right-sizing” human resources to adjust for the overall drop in population over the past few years, and utilizing virtual teachers to fill gaps, among other interventions.

Unlike elsewhere in the country, a move to a four-day schedule is not currently under consideration. “That’s something that we can definitely explore,” she mused. “We definitely need to look at our scheduling.” Beyond that, Wells-Hedrington entertained the idea of harnessing artificial intelligence as another potential solution. 

Overall, the commissioner said he aim is to ensure "our students are truly prepared for life" by focusing on academics as well as social-emotional development. This includes supporting students' mental health and families' well-being through partnerships with other agencies.

As the territory rebuilds its hurricane-damaged school infrastructure, Wells-Hedrington sees an opportunity to provide more student choice and customized learning environments. 

'Modern presidents exercise power undreamed of by the Founding Fathers'

Opinion, comment and editorials of the day

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'Don't want Biden or Trump to have so much power? Maybe the US needs a poly-presidency.'

A.J. Jacobs in the Los Angeles Times

The U.S. presidency has grown too powerful, says A.J. Jacobs. "Consider that George Washington issued eight executive orders in eight years while Barack Obama issued 276 in his eight years and Donald Trump 220 in just four." The Constitution "gives Congress the power to declare war," but these days it's usually the president who "starts, executes and ends conflicts." Maybe we should reconsider an idea the Founding Fathers rejected: "Split up the presidency" among several people.

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'An essential part of modern life that armies should never attack again'

Peter Fairley in The New York Times

Russia's effort to plunge Ukraine into darkness has shown that the international community must make power grids off limits in war, says Peter Fairley. "When power stops, life grinds to a halt." Establishing a strong grid protection protocol limiting attacks on power systems "could be a game changer." The threat of prosecution could make "bad actors" think twice before ordering strikes to deprive civilians of electricity. This "would save lives and prevent needless destruction." 

'The myth of the mobile millionaire'

Brian Galle in The Atlantic

"The notion that rich taxpayers will flee if the state comes for their money is mostly fiction," says Brian Galle. California, New Jersey, Minnesota and New York "buck the overall trend by taxing rich people at higher rates." If this really prompted the wealthy to move, these states would be "devoid of wealthy people. Instead, they are among the richest in the country." States shouldn't let the "mobile millionaire myth" deter them from "good tax policy."

'It turns out higher education needs the SAT'

Washington Examiner editorial board

Moving away from requiring standardized test scores for college applicants was a mistake, says the Washington Examiner editorial board. The SAT and the ACT were long "nonnegotiable" parts of the college application process, but schools made them optional due to Covid. Elite universities "bought activist arguments that standardized tests are racist" and continued the policy. They're making them mandatory again after realizing these exams are among the best "sorting tools" for picking students prepared to succeed in college.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance. 

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