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Teens report high hopes for the future but expect greater challenges than previous generations.
New bill cuts SNAP benefits, raising concerns about food access for low-income families.
Oklahoma mandates free school meals and bans processed foods, with no added state funding.
Research & Practice
K-12 Dive: Youngest Students See Big Reading Gains Post-COVID on DIBELS Assessment
A new report from Amplify indicates that kindergarten through second-grade students improved in their literacy skills compared to recent years. The study used DIBELS, the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, to measure 250,000 students’ scores across the United States. Kindergarteners had the greatest improvement in skills, with 70% of students at or above reading benchmarks, compared to 68% in 2023-24 and 49% in 2020-21. The report also highlights gender differences; boys have the same or better reading scores as girls at the beginning of each school year, but girls start to outpace boys by the end of the year. The results highlight improved student literacy after the pandemic, with rates increasing each year. Amplify shares recommendations to school districts to continue to support early readers, by using data to inform interventions, increasing instruction on the science of reading for teachers, and creating exciting opportunities to encourage students to read at school.
Journal of Youth and Adolescence: Unveiling the Necessary Conditions for Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls and Boys: A Necessary Condition Analysis Study
The study aims to understand differences in depressive symptoms for adolescents based on necessary conditions, factors that are essential for the outcome to occur. In a one-year longitudinal study, students in the United States self-reported cognitive vulnerabilities and stressful life events. For girls, all cognitive vulnerabilities and stressful life events included in the survey were determined as necessary conditions for depressive symptoms after 12 months. For boys, none of these variables were found as necessary conditions, indicating that other noncognitive factors may lead to depressive symptoms. The strongest necessary condition for girls to develop future depressive symptoms was ruminative brooding, which is repetitive self-critical thoughts. The study is the first to distinguish between girls’ and boys’ necessary conditions that can lead to developing high levels of depressive symptoms. These gender differences indicate the need for psychological interventions to be based on children’s individual needs to understand cognitive factors that can lead to depressive symptoms.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs: Many Teens Want a Good Standard of Living but Feel it is Becoming Harder to Achieve
Researchers used a nationally representative sample of U.S. teenagers aged 13 to 17 to capture their perceptions of the future. 82% of teens believe it is extremely/very important to pursue what you enjoy. 62% of teens view graduating from college as extremely/very important, with children whose parents graduated from college as viewing this and other milestones as more important. Teenage girls were more likely to view graduating from college as important compared to teenage boys. Teens believe that completing certain milestones will be much harder for them than for their parents, such as owning a home, achieving a good standard of living, and having a successful career. Among those surveyed, politics was not a central focus in their lives; 44% of teens do not follow politics closely. Respondents were split almost evenly along party lines, and 48% respondents shared that the political system is not currently working well.
Policy
The New York Times: Supreme Court Clears the Way for Trump’s Cuts to the Education Department
In an emergency order, the Supreme Court voted to allow the Trump administration to fire federal employees and begin dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. Earlier this year, the department had 4,000 employees. Now, it will shrink to half its size, with some employees resigning. The changes at the department will impact most of its work, including providing support to marginalized students and overseeing civil rights cases, sexual assault cases, and federal loans for college. Some of these functions may be moved to other federal agencies. The Trump administration points to its efforts to shutter the department as a means of decreasing federal responsibility for U.S. schools and enhancing the power of the states. The court did not rule on the merits of whether it is within the President’s authority to terminate or cease the functioning of an agency created by law through Congress, only that a lower court injunction halting the firings is overruled. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the dissent that the President’s actions are beyond his authority because “only Congress has the power to abolish the department.”
The 74: Fears Big Beautiful Bill Will Leave Both Cupboards and School Lunch Trays Empty
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act reduces funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by 20% which will impact an estimated 5 million people, including 800,000 children. The bill outlines several changes to eligibility for SNAP recipients. Those receiving SNAP without dependents had to work at least 80 hours per month until age 54 to receive benefits, and now the bill increases the age to 64. Families with children under 18 were previously exempt from this rule, and now this will only apply to families with children up to age seven. There are no changes in the bill to the Community Eligibility Provision, which reimburses schools that provide free breakfast and lunch to students. Many states are concerned about supporting families who no longer receive SNAP benefits with these new guidelines, and more onus will be placed on families to complete paperwork to prove their eligibility. The changes in SNAP will go into effect between 2025 and 2034.
Around the Nation
Oklahoma Voice: Oklahoma Superintendent Orders all Districts to Offer Free Meals, Threatens Sanctions
State Superintendent Ryan Walters recently issued a mandate that requires all public schools in Oklahoma to provide free cafeteria meals for students without specific dyes and processed foods. Walters suggests that schools should reduce administrators’ salaries to offset the cost of providing free breakfast and lunches. If school districts do not comply, they may lose state funding or district accreditation. Meals can no longer include “ultra-processed” snacks, sugary drinks, processed meats, specific artificial food dyes, and seed oils. The state joins others in offering universal free school meals, and is the first to receive no additional state money to fund the initiative. Nonprofit Hunger Free Oklahoma has advocated for free school meals, but the president and CEO shared, “There’s not a way to feed every Oklahoma kid for free without additional investment.” The budget will not be revisited until next year.
The Hechinger Report: High School Speech and Debate Allows Students to Find Common Ground
7,000 middle and high school students competed in the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Iowa this summer, celebrating the program’s 100th anniversary. Students often debate timely and controversial topics, and this year, one of the debates was centered around the benefits and harms of presidential executive orders. A student from California took the national prize for his speech called “Living on a Prayer,” tying his Sikh identity with the phrase “thoughts and prayers,” uttered by politicians after a tragedy. In a time when Americans across the political spectrum feel that discourse has become combative, the event demonstrates otherwise for student debaters. Student participants enjoyed engaging with peers across the political spectrum and, in turn, thinking more deeply about their own beliefs. The National Speech and Debate Association president shared, “I don’t think there’s an activity in the world that develops empathy and listening skills like speech and debate. We’re continuing to create better citizens.”
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