New: How will we know if new private school choice programs are working? This will prove difficult to answer in the short term because publicly funded private schools don't typically take the same tests as public schools. cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/are-privat...

Alabama has opted in to the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit program, which begins in 2027. Student eligibility is based on household income but does not depend on the type of school a student attends, including public, private or religious schools. Story here: aldailynews.com/alabama-will...

One of ACHE’s charts really stood out to me. Associate degrees show an early bump in earnings, but growth levels off. Bachelor’s degree wages keep rising through the 30s, and that’s where the long-term payoff becomes clear. Full story and ACHE analysis linked below. aldailynews.com/ache-college...

Alabama’s 2025 school report cards are a mix of progress and concern. Magnet/specialty schools continue to excel. High-poverty schools face growing numbers of emergency-certified teachers. Fewer students scored at Level 1 this year. #aledchat

Two separate lawsuits are challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s revisions to a student loan forgiveness program that encourages college graduates to work in the nonprofit or public sectors. Learn more: buff.ly/4Cpql8o

I love this: Every senior at an Alabama high school applied for college through a new program. The result: A record $31.7 million in scholarships at a school that's traditionally had a low rate of kids going to college. Via the must-read @trishcrain.bsky.social aldailynews.com/i-got-in-dir...

Ongoing federal shutdown threatens Head Start access for 65K+ kids: "We don't want to see our children ... caught in the crosshairs of these types of political fights," Head Start's deputy director said. @amandageduld.bsky.social @the74.bsky.social #EduSky www.the74million.org/zero2eight/o...

New Okla. Schools Superintendent Rescinds Mandate for Bible Instruction in Schools: The directive reverses an effort by former schools chief Ryan Walters that drew a legal challenge.

USC becomes the fourth university to outright reject the Trump campus "compact" -- joining MIT, Brown and UPenn www.latimes.com/california/s... @danielnmiller.bsky.social and I report:

I cover Alabama’s schools, students and ed policy for Alabama Daily News. The Daily News Digest is an easy way to keep up with what’s happening in education - plus the top headlines across the state - delivered every morning. You can sign up at the bottom of aldailynews.com

All workers except a small number of top officials are being fired at the office that implements the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the employees union said.

“When we saw the news coverage, we started thinking about how we could respond, especially to find out if we had any scholars who live there,” Jackson Public Schools McKinney-Vento program manager Tiffany Jones said.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a new Texas law requiring classrooms to display the Ten Commandments in at least 11 school districts.

New episode of Sold a Story. 𝟭𝟰: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝘁𝘀 The Trump administration is slashing government funding for science and dismantling the Dept of Ed. We look at what the cuts mean for the science of reading — and the effort to get that science into schools. Listen: www.apmreports.org/episode/2025...

@trishcrain.bsky.social has expertly detailed the gaps within school populations, both at the state and district level. For the first time, Alabama is parsing out scores between kids who live in poverty and those who don't. And the results aren't pretty. aldailynews.com/alabama-acap...

Excellent thread from @greezbock.bsky.social covering ACAP scores (good news!), her fantastic data-wrangling with R (I'm SO jealous) and how frustrating it is for journalists to deal with giant spreadsheets of test scores (it doesn't have to be this hard)! #aledchat

Curious how your Alabama school or district did on ACAP? We built an interactive chart where you can explore results yourself - and even download the full, clean dataset. aldailynews.com/alabama-acap...

“The decision to withhold this funding is contrary to President Trump’s goal of returning K-12 education to the states,” the letter stated. Alabama Sen. Katie Britt joined 9 GOP senators in sending the letter. Dr. Mackey's response here, too. #alpolitics #aledchat aldailynews.com/sen-britt-9-...

Excellent reporting from @jillbarshay.bsky.social for the @hechingerreport.org. Not gonna try to hide it - I have a huge amount of respect for Dr. Carr and am still processing what this means for federal education data's future. #aledchat

The big bill passed and it included a federal school choice initiative. The Gadfly goes deep on the details of this new federal-level push for choice and implications across red and blue states. fordhaminstitute.org/national/res...

Alabama's Gov. Ivey made a stop at a Cullman summer STEM camp to highlight National Summer Learning Week - students were building robots and marble runs as part of a two-week, grant-funded program. #aledchat aldailynews.com/gov-kay-ivey...

New Lumina/Gallup survey data show a slight uptick in the share of respondents who have confidence in higher education, with Republicans giving much more support to community colleges than four-year institutions. It's a rare bit of good news for the sector. news.gallup.com/poll/692519/...

Via @annabjournalist.bsky.social: Under a new public school funding formula adopted by Alabama earlier this year, a rural school district in northern Alabama is getting almost half of its additional funding for students who are learning to speak English.

While community college enrollment is recovering nationwide, Alabama’s community college enrollment is rising faster. Fall (to date) and summer enrollment are both up. Also: A new president for Gadsden State and several big-ticket construction projects. Read more: aldailynews.com/alabama-comm...

Tuesday's #ALBOE meeting & work session covered a lot of ground: ✔️ New board leaders ✔️ Draft rules to fund schools under the RAISE Act ✔️ Statewide anti-vaping policy for schools ✔️ A real effort to streamline teacher paperwork Meeting brief here: 🔗 aldailynews.com/alabama-boar... #aledchat

AERA and 10 other education research groups urge Education Department leaders to act immediately to ensure the Civil Rights Data Collection for the 2025-26 school year. Read the letter: www.aera.net/Portals/38/U...

Alabama's ACAP results are out for the 2024-25 school year. Reading and math scores are trending up — but we won’t see district and school results until August. Take a look at the statewide data + context here: 🔗 aldailynews.com/reading-and-... #aledchat

Alabama’s high school graduation rate is up — but gaps remain. 📈 4 charts show long-term trends, subgroup differences & recent shifts 📊 2 tables let you look up school & district rates Dig into the data: 🔗 aldailynews.com/graduation-r... #aledchat *Class of 2024 data - the most recent available.

Thank you Trish. More details on the restarted contracts this ayem: hechingerreport.org/proof-points... (also, you had a great story about the mysterious disappearance of the rat-your-neighbor out anti-DEI portal)

New WP from @tomdee.bsky.social on the impacts of local immigration raids on students --> increased absenteeism edworkingpapers.com/ai25-1202

"... intensive advising during high school and college significantly increases bachelor’s degree attainment among lower-income students." www.nber.org/papers/w3392...

Eleven elementary schools reported all second- and third-grade students reading on or above grade level – a big achievement! Check on your school: https://www.al.com/educationlab/2025/06/alabama-students-are-getting-better-at-reading-see-how-your-school-compares.html 

Does anyone know what happened to the @usedgov.bsky.social ‘End DEI in schools’ web portal for complaints? It’s been offline for a month. aldailynews.com/end-dei-scho...

Once again, @jillbarshay.bsky.social delivers. She’s a brilliant, one-person research and stats machine, keeping tabs on what’s happening inside @usedgov.bsky.social and the quiet battle to preserve education research data. Truly vital work. hechingerreport.org/proof-points...

Thousands of Alabama students could lose some or all of their Pell Grant aid under proposed federal changes that cut awards and raise credit-hour requirements. #edchat aldailynews.com/pell-grant-c...

Super duper thrilled to be at #EWA25 with hundreds and hundreds of fellow education reporters. Looking forward to learning new things and ways to improve and expand my reporting.

Students at BuildUP graduate with diplomas and trade certifications, building homes, careers & generational wealth along the way. Excellent reporting from Alaina Bookman al.com/news/birmingham/2025/05/birmingham-is-home-to-nations-only-skilled-trade-high-school-and-its-putting-students-to-work.html

Alabama's 2025 session: a landmark K-12 funding overhaul, a record-setting education budget, new high school options, K-12 cell phone ban, plus paid parental leave, workers compensation and full funding of health insurance premiums for educators #aledchat aldailynews.com/from-funding...

Today is the final day of Alabama's 2025 legislative session. Here are some of the education-related bills that won't make it to the finish line. Still watching about a dozen that have a chance. #aledchat aldailynews.com/bills-on-rel...

New: The Department of Education appears to be denying the majority of requests from states to unfreeze tens of millions of pandemic relief dollars for K-12 school projects and programs that were already underway. www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

This weekend @danagoldstein.bsky.social had a provocative piece in the Times about the current period of stagnation in education policy and its implications for COVID recovery and more broadly improving America's schools www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/u... 1/n

NEW: Big numbers from Alabama's education savings account program, so far: - $125M awarded, - 22,857 students approved, - 80% of funds going to private school students, - No eligible student denied, per ADOR - Review process ongoing Story here: aldailynews.com/private-scho... #aledchat

ED announced today that they plan to publish institution-level data on student loan nonrepayment rates this month. Given current staffing levels, this is likely an all hands on deck effort.

The Education Department’s civil rights office once helped push a South Dakota school district to treat its Native students equally. Under Trump, that same office decided that helping Indigenous students would discriminate against white students: propub.li/3GIdTRr

I’m in tears. Berry Elementary in Fayette County loaded up the school buses and drove to their principal’s house - a full parade - to show their love for Mr. Thomas, who’s been out with mantle cell lymphoma. This is what schools do. This is community. ❤️ www.tiktok.com/t/ZTjSagrdA/

I’ve been waiting nearly a decade for Alabama to confront its school funding challenges. Lawmakers just took a first step, approving a new formula that aims to better meet student needs. It’s not fully funded yet, but it’s a shift in the right direction. #aledchat aldailynews.com/alabama-lawm...

Autauga County schools just got hit with a $15K surprise: a new federal tariff added $2,500 per bus to six buses they already ordered. “I’m not very happy with this,” said the superintendent. aldailynews.com/alabama-scho... #alpolitics #aledchat

"I think of those big brown eyes and it makes me misty, for now," columnist @JohnArchibald.bsky.social writes of his late dog, Benny. "But I think of Benny running, with all that ecstatic abandon, and it makes me smile through it all." "Benny was a good dog."

There are many questions about the U.S. Department of Education’s agenda under Linda McMahon. The 74’s Linda Jacobson explores them with Emily Richmond on the latest EWA Radio podcast episode. Listen here: ewa.org/watch-and-li... #education #k12

Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey will now be paid $325k, but that doesn’t make him the highest paid education official in the state. (I was kinda surprised by the higher education leader salaries, tbh.) aldailynews.com/alabama-stat...