WHAT WE’RE READING
Alyson Klein digs into “the funky politics of the tech in schools debate.” Parent opt-out policies are finding champions in both parties, and the GOP is increasingly divided—ranging from the president’s embrace of AI to other members calling for full tech bans. Echoing Meredith Coffey’s recent op-ed on the same topic, and a similar conversation between Rick Hess and Michael Horn, Alyson shares perspectives from experts and educators who aren’t sure “whether legislation is the right way to address the issue.” —Education Week
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Laurie Stern examines how the emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) label in special education is highly subjective and has lasting consequences. “Once a student gets this label, it’s hard to shake,” she writes. After identification—as early as first or second grade—the label can follow students all the way through high school, separating them from peers and sometimes creating a direct conflict with special education’s mandate of placing students in the least restrictive environment. Her reporting follows one student navigating the system through his senior year, and his veteran teacher who knows the system is failing too many EBD students. —NPR
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.
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Sharp analysis of the week’s biggest K–12 debates
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Curated commentary from across the ed-policy world
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Lively discussion—including reader reactions and pushback
