Education Slice
Become more informed in minutes....
Education Slice Logo
USA
30th March 2026
Together with

FlexPoint Brand Logo

THE HOT STORY

Schools advised to prioritize cybersecurity and system upgrades

K–12 IT leaders are increasingly using the spring months as a critical planning window for summer technology projects, when schools typically carry out major upgrades such as replacing aging hardware, deploying cybersecurity tools, and modernizing infrastructure while buildings are less occupied. This planning phase involves evaluating which systems to retire or extend, aligning budgets and procurement timelines, and ensuring projects support both security requirements and classroom needs. Experts emphasize prioritizing core systems such as firewalls and cybersecurity platforms, particularly those nearing end-of-life or lacking active support, while also reassessing endpoint devices and broader network vulnerabilities, given the high value of student data and growing insurance and compliance pressures. IT teams are also encouraged to consolidate overlapping tools through detailed feature analysis to reduce costs and complexity without increasing risk, and to use data such as support ticket trends and usage metrics to identify underperforming or unnecessary systems.

INCREASE ENROLLMENT

Guide on Marketing Your School or District

This guide provides you with actionable strategies to help communicate your school’s or district’s strengths, attract more families, and ensure parents find the best education option for their children.

Access Free Guide

 

FINANCE

Michigan Gov. faces pressure to opt into Trump-backed K-12 scholarship initiative

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has urged Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to opt into the Trump administration’s Education Freedom Tax Credit program, which offers federal tax credits of up to $1,700 to donors funding K-12 scholarships for expenses including tutoring, materials, and private or religious school tuition, with 27 states already participating. Whitmer has said she needs more detail before committing, while debate continues over the program’s scope and oversight, with supporters arguing it expands educational access without diverting public school funding and critics warning it could function as a voucher-like system and lacks clarity on state control.

DISTRICTS

San Francisco USD expands middle school algebra access

San Francisco USD has voted to restore Algebra I for all eighth graders, reversing a 2014 decision to remove the course, with the goal of improving math achievement and increasing the share of students meeting grade-level standards from 42% in 2022 to 65% by 2027. The move follows years of criticism and research showing the earlier policy reduced advanced math participation and failed to close achievement gaps, and while supporters welcome broader access and automatic enrollment for qualified students, experts caution that disparities in earlier math preparation and opt-out provisions could limit the policy’s impact without further improvements to pre-middle school instruction and curriculum design.

Newark school board adopts $1.67bn budget

Newark Public Schools will allocate $1.67bn for the upcoming school year, reflecting a $100m increase from the previous year. This budget prioritizes academic programs, including tutoring, arts, and new math resources, while also addressing facility maintenance and renovations. Superintendent Roger León noted that interest in Newark schools is rising, adding: "We are projecting that with families that will be moving into the city, there will be a need for more schools than the ones we actually have." The budget is primarily supported by record-high state funding, which constitutes 82.7% of the total budget. However, the district plans to cut 30 teaching positions and increase homeowner taxes by $39.94, bringing the average yearly tax contribution to $2,172.03. The district is also planning to open new schools to accommodate growing enrollment demands.

LEGISLATION

Washington moves to safeguard education rights for homeless students as uncertainty grows

Washington state has enacted legislation to embed federal protections for homeless students into state law, ensuring continued access to stable education, transportation, and immediate enrollment even if federal support under the McKinney-Vento Act is reduced or eliminated amid broader uncertainty around national education policy. The bipartisan measure comes as more than 48,000 students in the state experience homelessness, and while it does not guarantee replacement funding if federal grants are cut, advocates say it secures critical protections such as school stability and designated support staff, though ongoing concerns remain about underfunding and the long-term sustainability of programs that help address both educational access and underlying housing instability.

SCHOOL TRANSPORT

Two students killed in Tennessee school bus crash during field trip

Two Clarksville-Montgomery County middle school students have died following a crash involving a school bus, a Tennessee Department of Transportation dump truck, and an SUV in Carroll County, Tennessee, as the bus was transporting 25 students and five staff members to a field trip event. Several others were injured and transported to hospitals, with emergency responders deploying multiple ground and air ambulances, while authorities continue to investigate the cause of the crash and officials across the state have expressed condolences and support for the affected families and community.

TECHNOLOGY

Boston set to become first major school district to mandate AI training

Boston is set to launch an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) educational program this fall, aiming to ensure that all public high school graduates are proficient in AI. Mayor Michelle Wu announced the initiative at Eliot K-8 Innovation Upper School, emphasizing its goal to equip students with essential skills for college and the workforce. Wu said: "This is a public-private partnership... that will position Boston Public Schools as a leader in AI fluency." The program is supported by a $1m seed grant from Paul English, co-founder of Kayak, which will fund training for teachers across the district. BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper highlighted the program's alignment with their commitment to prepare students as "responsible leaders of the next generation." The curriculum will focus on ethical engagement with AI, ensuring students learn to use technology critically rather than passively.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

Philadelphia police commissioner points to reduced youth violence, outlines next steps for safer schools

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel has highlighted significant improvements in school safety, including a sharp decline in youth shootings and a more than 90% reduction in school-based arrests since 2014, driven by initiatives such as diversion programs, restorative justice efforts, Safe Path perimeter monitoring, and targeted violence reduction strategies developed in collaboration with city and school officials. Despite this progress, challenges remain, including recent large-scale student fights and concerns that proposed closures of 18 school facilities could increase conflict by disrupting student routines and travel routes, with Bethel emphasizing the need for continued coordination between police, schools, and community groups, proactive intervention based on intelligence, expanded corridor and dismissal monitoring, and careful planning to ensure safe routes and adequate supervision as changes are implemented.

TESTING

Missouri looks to replace outdated state exams with faster, flexible testing

Missouri education officials are piloting a new standardized testing model that replaces the single end-of-year Missouri Assessment Program exam with a series of assessments throughout the school year, delivering results within 24 to 48 hours to better track student progress and inform teaching. The proposed “Success Ready Student Assessment,” funded initially by a $1m federal grant, maintains existing academic standards but allows flexible, modular testing, with plans to expand the pilot to 6,000 students next year and fully implement the system for grades three through eight by the 2028–29 school year, as lawmakers simultaneously consider increasing the weight of test scores in school accountability measures.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Student loan borrowers face higher payments as SAVE plan ends

The U.S. Department of Education has announced that more than 7m borrowers enrolled in the Biden-era SAVE repayment plan will be required to choose a new repayment option within 90 days, with notices being issued in phases starting Friday and repayments set to resume from July 1 after the plan was struck down by a federal appeals court. Borrowers had been in forbearance since July 2024 during ongoing legal challenges, but interest has continued to accrue, and most will now face higher monthly payments under alternative plans that typically require at least 10% of discretionary income, compared with as little as 5% under SAVE. The policy shift reflects a broader change in federal approach under the Trump administration, which has rejected loan forgiveness measures and introduced tighter repayment rules, including limiting deferment options for future borrowers, while critics argue the move will worsen affordability pressures and leave borrowers with fewer viable repayment choices.

Montana expands Native tuition waiver eligibility amid debate over tribal consultation

Montana’s university system will expand eligibility for its American Indian tuition waiver program from July 1 by removing the “blood quantum” requirement and allowing tribal descendants to qualify, a move expected to make college more accessible for thousands of additional students but requiring campuses to absorb potentially higher costs without extra state funding. The change, driven in part by concerns over compliance with a 2025 federal executive order targeting race-based preferences, has drawn mixed reactions from tribal leaders, some of whom support broader access to education but criticize the lack of prior consultation and question whether the original policy was ever legally at risk.

INTERNATIONAL

China unveils 20-point crackdown on school practices and student pressure

China’s Ministry of Education has introduced a comprehensive set of 20 prohibitions aimed at tightening oversight of basic education, targeting long-standing issues such as excessive academic pressure, unethical teacher conduct, and unfair enrollment practices. The rules explicitly ban teachers from using livestream tipping, paid content platforms, or other indirect methods to solicit money from parents, particularly through anxiety-driven marketing. Schools are prohibited from exceeding the national curriculum, assigning excessive or repetitive homework, organizing frequent exams, or infringing on students’ mandated sleep and break times, with additional restrictions on starting terms early, extending school calendars, or using holidays and weekends for extra instruction. The regulations also reinforce student welfare and equity, banning discrimination, corporal punishment, verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and any behavior that undermines student dignity. 
Industry Slice Logo

Education Slice delivers the latest, most relevant and useful intelligence to key educators, administrators, decision makers and teaching influencers, each weekday morning..

Content is selected to an exacting brief from hundreds of influential media sources and summarised by experienced journalists into an easy-to-read digest email. Education Slice enhances the performance and decision-making capabilities of individuals and teams by delivering the relevant news, innovations and knowledge in a cost-effective way.

If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities within Education Slice, please get in touch via email sales team

Follow us on FacebookFollow us on XFollow us on Linkedin

This e-mail has been sent to [[EMAIL_TO]]

Click here to unsubscribe