CHEERS
Despite boasting one of the nation’s most powerful teachers unions, Massachusetts unanimously passed a sweeping literacy reform bill late last month, reflecting a commitment to evidence-based reading instruction. As Neetu Arnold notes, the new law “is vital not only for the promise it holds out for public school students but also because it shows how sensible education reform can win over teachers unions even in deep-blue states.”
JEERS
Lily Altavena shares Nat Malkus’s latest analysis for AEI, with sobering findings on post-pandemic absenteeism: 22.6 percent of students were chronically absent in 44 states and D.C. in 2024–25, down only about a percentage point from the previous year. Lily rightly notes, “a decade ago, the federal government considered a significantly lower rate to constitute an emergency.” As Nat puts it, chronic absenteeism has become a chronic condition in America’s schools.
Editor's note: This was first published on Mike Petrilli's Substack, SCHOOLED, a twice-weekly free Substack and email newsletter restarting the education-reform conversation.
-
Sharp analysis of the week’s biggest K–12 debates
-
Curated commentary from across the ed-policy world
-
Lively discussion—including reader reactions and pushback
