What K‑12 leaders need to know this week
This edition covers attendance gaps, belonging, SEL, and safer AI choices
Education Department loses appeal on mental health grant cancellation
Source: K-12 Dive | Category: Mental Health
A federal appeals court kept in place a lower-court ruling that blocks the U.S. Department of Education’s attempt to end certain school mental health grants. The case involves grants previously approved in fiscal years 2022 through 2024 under two federal programs that support school-based mental health services and the pipeline for school mental health professionals.
- The 9th Circuit sided with 16 states that challenged the cancellations.
- The department now has to revisit those grant decisions rather than treat the cancellations as settled.
The ruling does not automatically release money to every affected grantee, but it keeps pressure on the department to justify any future discontinuation decisions more clearly.
Why this matters for K-12 schools: Districts that built staffing plans or partnerships around these grants may need to keep watching the legal process. School leaders should review local funding exposure now, especially if counseling, social work, or psychologist capacity depends on federal support.
Chronic Absenteeism Trends in 27 States by Income, English Learner Status & Race
Source: The 74 | Category: Attendance
Attendance has improved from its pandemic peak, but the recovery is uneven. A new analysis covering 26 states plus Washington, D.C., found that statewide averages hide larger gaps for low-income students, English learners, and Black and Hispanic students, many of whom remain farther from their pre-pandemic attendance levels than their peers.
- Low-income student absenteeism rose by more than 17 percentage points on average from 2018-19 to 2021-22, versus 13 points statewide.
- In 2024-25, the 27 jurisdictions analyzed educate just under half of U.S. students.
The piece argues that daily, disaggregated attendance data matters because broad averages can make it harder to see which student groups still need the most support.
Why this matters for K-12 schools: This is an operations story, not just a data story. Districts that only track headline attendance rates may miss the student groups driving ongoing gaps in achievement, engagement, and graduation risk.
What 3 Top Principals Do So Students Feel Like They Belong at School
Source: Education Week | Category: School Climate
Three middle school principals described how they turn belonging into a daily practice instead of a slogan. One school uses student surveys to ask whether each child can name a trusted adult and what teachers should know about them. Staff then follow up with a simple relationship routine for students who report weak connections.
- At Jane Addams Middle School, teachers use a '2x10' approach: two minutes a day for 10 days with students who lack strong connections.
- The principal reported average attendance this year at 94.5%, up from 93% in 2024-25.
The article also highlights advisory periods that split time between academic help and conflict-resolution or other social-emotional supports.
Why this matters for K-12 schools: Belonging affects attendance, behavior, and engagement. Leaders can turn that into practice by asking students direct questions, then assigning adults to follow through in visible ways.
Educators Want Schools Delivering Broad Array of SEL Skills, Survey Shows
Source: Education Week | Category: Social-Emotional Learning
An EdWeek Research Center survey shows broad support among educators for teaching core social-emotional skills during the school day. More than three-quarters of respondents said self-management, cooperation, problem-solving, and effective communication belong in K-12 education, while only 2% said schools should teach none of these skills.
- The nationally representative online survey included 499 educators.
- Common barriers were lack of training, limited resources, and weak buy-in from staff, families, or the wider community.
Support was not uniform across roles. Teachers, school leaders, and district administrators did not always rank the same skills in the same way, which suggests local planning still matters.
Why this matters for K-12 schools: Most educators are not arguing over whether these skills matter. The harder question is whether schools have enough training, time, and shared expectations to teach them well.
What do students need to know about gambling?
Source: K-12 Dive | Category: Student Wellbeing
A new Common Sense Media report is pushing schools to treat youth gambling as a prevention issue, especially as sports betting promotions, gaming mechanics, and social feeds become more common in students’ lives. Experts interviewed in the article said schools have clear openings to address risk through health class, media literacy, math, and counseling.
- The report found that 36% of boys ages 11 to 17 had gambled in the previous year.
- Nearly one in eight boys reported betting on both sports and traditional wagers such as card games.
The article also points to warning signs adults can watch for, including secrecy, stress, and impulsive behavior around money or devices.
Why this matters for K-12 schools: This is a student support issue, not just a family issue. Schools already teach prevention for substance use and digital citizenship, and gambling risk now fits into that same prevention work.
Two New Reports Urge ‘Human-Centered’ School AI Adoption
Source: The 74 | Category: Other
Two new reports argue that schools should not approach AI as a simple choice between banning it and automating everything. The authors warn that both extremes can fail students: one leaves young people without guidance, and the other can reduce teaching, grading, and support to black-box systems that families and educators cannot fully inspect.
- One report was built from a July convening of 18 participants in Phoenix.
- A second paper said AI should support human-centered learning, not act as a replacement for it.
The stronger path, according to both reports, is to use AI in ways that preserve adult judgment and strengthen higher-order skills such as critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and collaboration with technology.
Why this matters for K-12 schools: Districts are under pressure to make AI decisions now. This coverage gives leaders a practical frame: start with student outcomes, transparency, and human relationships, then decide where AI actually helps.
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The Framework School Leaders Need to Know for Youth AI Safety
