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Higher stress and lower neighborhood trust were linked to greater sleep variability and more sleep difficulties among adolescents.
Proposed school meal nutrition changes may challenge districts balancing healthier standards with staffing and budget constraints.
Programs like STARS are increasing rural students’ access to and enrollment in selective colleges.
Research and Practice
Journal of Adolescent Health: Association of Stress and Neighborhood Social Context With Actigraphy-Measured and Self-Reported Adolescent Sleep Outcomes
How do neighborhood environments impact adolescents’ sleep? Previous studies have established a relationship between chronic stress and sleep, though further research is needed to determine how sleep difficulties vary based on perceptions of neighborhood collective efficacy (i.e., trust among neighbors). Researchers used data from the Teen Neighborhood Activity Patterns and Sleep Study, which examines 15-18-year-olds’ sleep outcomes and neighborhood social factors between 2022 and 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They found that higher stress was associated with greater variability in sleep duration and timing and higher sleep problem scores. Higher neighborhood collective efficacy was linked to less variable sleep duration and lower sleep problem scores. Adolescents with low neighborhood collective efficacy experienced stronger associations between stress and sleep variability. These findings highlight that boosting residents’ perceptions of trust in their neighborhoods may be a strategy to decrease adolescent stress and improve sleep quality.
Roosevelt Institute: Who’s Minding the Kids These Days?: An Analysis of Children’s Care Arrangements
A new report from The Roosevelt Institute, a policy reform think tank, analyzed the prevalence of child care arrangements in the United States. Using family-level data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation, the researcher found that families rely on various options for childcare, which often do not meet all of their needs. For children under five, most were cared for by a relative while their parents worked, with half being cared for by their grandparents. The second most common child care option was enrolling children in formal care (e.g., daycare or preschool). However, these families often enroll their children in multiple programs to fill all the time they are working, which leads to significant stress. The report recommends that states and the federal government adopt a universal public childcare system that minimizes gaps in early childhood care to ensure working parents have more options for their children.
See also:Federal Childcare Changes May Leave Providers, Families in the Lurch
Policy
K-12 Dive: Ed Department to Release $144M for Special Education, Early Intervention
The U.S. Department of Education announced that states and districts will receive an additional $144 million this year to serve children with disabilities. The additional funds will go to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B services for youth aged three to 21 and to IDEA Part C for infants up to two years old. The money will be distributed through formula grants to states and territories starting July 1. The department also released guidance on how states can use IDEA funding to help parents prepare for services needed during and after their child’s birth. The U.S. Education Secretary shared that the new funds will “help parents receive support even before their child with disabilities is born… and a direct path to services.” However, disability advocates and education groups believe that these changes will lead to less funding to support all students, including those with disabilities.
National Public Radio: The MAHA Movement is Coming to School Cafeterias. Here’s What That Means for Kids
In January, the Trump administration announced new dietary guidelines informed by the Make America Healthy Again initiative to minimize highly processed foods and prioritize nutrient-dense protein. While the Department of Agriculture is still working to update specific nutrition standards, the administration shared that implementing changes will be a multi-year process, and the public will have the opportunity to give feedback on the program. School food directors are concerned about the feasibility of meeting new requirements because of grant cancellations and the low government reimbursement rate for students receiving free or reduced meals. One challenge for cafeteria workers is to incorporate protein in an efficient and cost-effective way. For example, one of the most frequent animal proteins in the cafeteria, chicken nuggets, is often the most processed. Many cafeterias would be unable to make them from scratch due to the added ingredients and labor costs.
Around the Nation
The Hechinger Report: As More Rural Students Apply to College, Attention Turns to Helping Them Succeed There
More rural students graduate from high school compared to their peers in urban or suburban areas, but only half go straight to college. Rural students are often less likely to be able to afford tuition, report feeling that they do not “belong” at the school, and lack support with college applications and financial aid at home. The STARS College Network, for Small Town and Rural Students, supports rural students in attending private, elite colleges. Last year, Amherst College in Massachusetts joined STARS and recently invited over 1,000 students from the program to tour the campus. The program has increased rural student enrollment by 5% and has encouraged admissions officers to travel to rural areas to meet with students and build relationships with their communities. One student shared that going to college away from home made him understand “how special it was to grow up in a small town,” which has encouraged him “to go back and make that change…”
The 74: Sharing Students Is Key to Success for These Arkansas Third Grade Educators
Third graders at Hunt Elementary School in Springdale, Arkansas, have some of the highest educator growth scores in the state—a measure of students who meet or exceed academic growth benchmarks— likely due to the school’s teaching practices. Instead of students staying in one classroom for the entire day, they move around based on their skill levels in different subjects. As a result, third graders build close relationships with the grade’s four teachers. The teachers meet regularly to review academic data and discuss which skills students need more support with. Afterwards, they evaluate which class placements the students are in and if more intervention is needed. Since the pandemic, the teachers have addressed more needs in the classroom, including supporting academic and social development. They have received a three-year growth score average of 90 points or higher, placing them in the top 0.5% of schools.
The Hechinger Report: Want to Boost Early Literacy Skills? Try Singing
Research has shown that music supports brain development, including helping children learn vocabulary and build phonological awareness. Experts recommend using music in early childhood classrooms to improve reading outcomes. However, in children’s early years, exposure to music can be uneven based on the availability of free or low-cost music activities. Initiatives in Minnesota have worked to close the gap by bringing programs to spaces often visited by young children. The MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis has partnered with health clinics to run free parent-child music classes. Another state-funded intervention run by The Rock ‘n’ Read Project, called Tune Into Reading, supported children in 25 elementary schools to use karaoke-like software to sing in class. A report sent to the legislature found that children who participated in the program had increased literacy abilities. This year, the program is working with four Head Start pre-K programs to support children’s development of basic music skills, with a larger goal of closing the reading achievement gap.
