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Chronic Absenteeism Study finds rates have increased and stabilized post-COVID.
AmeriCorps Budget Cuts affect over 1,000 education and student support programs.
NY Schools Offer Virtual Learning for migrant students amid deportation concerns.
Research & Practice
K-12 Dive: Children’s Well-Being Shows Both Progress and Setback, Kids Count Finds
The Annie E. Casey Foundation released the “2025 Kids Count” report, which highlights national indicators for children and families across four domains: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. In general, national education indicators have declined since COVID, and this year’s data is compared to 2019 to understand the continued impact of the pandemic. Overall, child poverty has declined, and parents have increased employment and education rates. Academic abilities have decreased over time, as evident by fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math achievement. More children have health insurance coverage, and child obesity and teen birth rates have declined. The report captures progress by states to understand how geographic disparities and local and state policies impact child well-being. It is designed to inform legislation, recognize the basic needs that are lacking for children and families nationwide, and highlight the economic impact of these inequities.
The 74 Million: Chronic Absenteeism’s Post-COVID ‘New Normal’: Research Shows It Is More Common, More Extreme
An analysis from three states, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia, indicates that the number of chronically absent students increased by eight percentage points from before the pandemic to 2024. Students are considered chronically absent if they miss at least 10% of the school year. In the past three years, chronic absenteeism rates have remained relatively stagnant. Many states made it easier to graduate during the pandemic through online learning platforms, such as Google Classroom, which had unintended impacts on absentee rates. The chronic absentee rate is higher for low-income students, and low-income and Black students have higher pandemic learning loss. The report indicates how schools have taken steps to combat chronic absenteeism, including improving bus routes for students without alternative transportation and opening a center for suspended students to still receive academic support.
Policy
Education Week: Tutoring, After-School, and Other Student Services at Risk as Trump Cuts AmeriCorps
In April, the Trump administration cut $400 million in AmeriCorps grants, which funded over 1,000 programs and 30,000 volunteers. AmeriCorps is a U.S. federal agency that employs adults to work with communities in need, typically through education or disaster relief programs. While a federal judge ordered the cuts to be reversed, the administration’s 2026 budget proposes to eliminate the entire program. The decrease in funding has impacted students and schools who rely on AmeriCorps programming, such as before- and after-school programs, preschools, daycares, and mentoring initiatives. Communities In Schools of Georgia, funded by AmeriCorps, was one of the programs that was cut. It increased reading levels in third grade through tutoring, which is typically an indicator that students will graduate from high school. Government officials in favor of AmeriCorps programs emphasized the impact on children’s social-emotional well-being and academic abilities. The Trump administration recommends these cuts as an effort to eliminate government spending and increase state accountability.
See also: After-School Programs, a Boon for Learning, Could Face Trump Cuts
The Texas Tribune: Texas to Expand How Schools Discipline Students
Recently passed in the House of Representatives and Senate, Texas’ House Bill 6 allows schools to modify their approaches to student discipline. The bill increases the time a student can be placed under in-school suspension. In-school suspensions allow students to remain in school and complete their schoolwork, but in a different classroom than usual. Students will experience a minimum of three days in suspension to however long is deemed fair, with the principal reviewing the suspension every 10 days. The bill also changes the guidance of out-of-school suspensions for younger students; schools that suspend students between kindergarten and third grade now need to provide documentation of the child’s behavior. Lastly, the legislation changes the severity of punishment for students who are found vaping on school grounds. Previously, they were sent to alternative education settings, which are strict environments in a different school building. Now, students will receive less severe consequences if it is their first offense.
Around the Nation
The Hechinger Report: How Nebraska is Reimagining Special Education — and Seeing Promising Results
School districts across Nebraska are participating in a statewide effort to integrate special education students into general education classrooms. The program, “Journey to Inclusion,” was founded in 2022 and funded through federal COVID aid. General education and special education teachers co-teach students with and without disabilities in the same classroom. Teachers receive training on the importance of inclusion and best practices for working with all students. The program has been proven effective; between 2021 and 2024, students with disabilities had increased math scores in third grade, and the graduation rate increased by 5%. Across the country, students with disabilities spend the majority of their day in a separate classroom, despite federal law recommending that they should be educated with general education students as much as possible. Nebraska’s initiatives serve as a case study of the impact on children with disabilities when school districts and teachers are given training and support.
The 74 Million: Some NY Schools Turn to Virtual Learning as Trump Deportation Fears Keep Immigrant Students Home
Schools in New York have seen an increase in virtual learning for students who are scared of being deported. The New York Board of Education has encouraged migrant students to attend virtual schools, which have continued to remain an option after the pandemic. New York City educators noted a decline in student attendance the week after Trump’s inauguration, though attendance rates have increased overall since January. Schools are working to encourage immigrant students to return to school, especially as educators are concerned about the impact of virtual learning on English Language Learners, which was evident throughout the pandemic. Additionally, students are unable to receive other services from the school district while learning from home. City officials have informed school districts that ICE agents can only enter a school with a warrant signed by a judge, and only federal law officials can enter a school under extreme circumstances. School leaders made efforts to communicate with migrant families about policies and reassure them of the safety precautions taken at their schools.
Colorado Public Radio: Teens Take a Closer Look at Their Cell Phone Use in a Student-Led Socratic Seminar — and They Were Alarmed Into Action
High school students in Aurora, Colorado, led a Socratic Seminar to understand the impact of phones on their well-being. In the classroom, students learned about the link between social media and dopamine, tracked their phone usage, and developed “wellness playbooks” to create strategies to decrease their phone usage and prioritize their mental health. Students indicated how social media has made them feel separate from other generations, increases comparison to their peers, and is used as a coping mechanism. They also examined the opportunity cost of phones; an increase in phone usage limits the time they spend with friends and how often they use their imagination. The teacher who organized the seminar asserted that social media addiction must be combated through a peer-led movement. This was emphasized as part of their course when the students presented their findings and strategies to limit phone use to eighth graders at nearby schools.
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