The Weekly Connect 8/24/2026

Journal of Youth and Adolescence: Gender Gaps in School Grades: Resistance Behavior and Class Compositions in England, Germany, The Netherlands, and Sweden
Researchers examined 14-year-old students from England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden to understand the relationship between gender, behavior, and academic outcomes. Across the sample of over 18,000 children, boys received higher grades in math class, while girls received higher grades in language class. School resistance behavior (i.e., breaking school rules, rejecting authority) was correlated with lower grades for both genders. While boys reported higher levels of resistance behavior, girls were more likely to be penalized for resistance behavior in some contexts. There was no evidence that a higher percentage of girls or boys in a class was linked to students’ grades. The researchers emphasize that classroom grades can be subjective due to teachers’ unconscious biases during grading. They recommend that schools should also create proactive methods to address students’ resistance behaviors, which will lead to improved learning outcomes and experiences. 

Learning and Individual Differences: Development of Working Memory Through Childhood: The Interplay of Family Socioeconomic Status and Parenting Behaviors
Working memory—the ability to retain and manipulate information for planning, reasoning, and language comprehension—is a critical aspect of development in childhood. This new study aimed to understand how family socioeconomic status and parenting behaviors are related to the development of working memory. Researchers from China and the United States assessed three parental behaviors: parental warmth, corporal punishment, and cognitive stimulation. Analyzing over 15,000 students through multiple assessments starting in kindergarten to fifth grade, the researchers found that higher socioeconomic status was associated with better initial working memory. Cognitive stimulation, but not parental warmth or spanking, moderated the association between socioeconomic status and working memory development. This research indicates how building cognitive competence may be a way to reduce disparities in working memory for children from more disadvantaged backgrounds.  

K-12 Dive: Special Education State Complaints Jump Nearly 50%
In the 2025-26 school year, state education agencies received 46% more written state complaints in special education compared to the previous year. Written state complaints can be brought forward by anyone at no cost. Once it is filed, it triggers a state-led investigation, and the state must address the complaint within 60 days. The data was reported by 31 states and collected by the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Association of State Directors of State Education. The organizations are unsure why the number of complaints increased, though they expect it may be due to changes to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which also addresses discrimination complaints. Increasingly high special education investigative staff shortages and turnover rates have made it difficult for state agencies to provide timely resolutions, with an 11% decrease in the number of on-time complaint resolutions compared to the previous 10-year average. 

New York Focus: New York Loses Millions in Sex Ed Money After Uptick in Teen Pregnancies
The Trump administration reduced annual federal funding for programs aimed at preventing teen pregnancy by $4.3 million, which serves 19,000 young people in New York each year. One program, the nonprofit Children’s Aid, has used that funding for over a decade to provide pregnancy prevention education to youth in high-need communities. Another, NYC Teens Connection, partners with schools, foster care agencies, and juvenile justice programs to work on decision-making skills and connect youth with local health clinics. Across the United States, 53 of the 67 federal Teen Pregnancy Prevention grants nationwide have been terminated due to misalignment with the Department of Health and Human Services, as its focus is on abstinence-based initiatives. While the national teen birth rate is at a historic low across the country, teen pregnancy rates in New York State have risen between 2021 and 2023, the first increase in two decades. Research has linked teen pregnancies to worse life outcomes, including lower likelihood of high school and college completion or attaining high-paying jobs. 

K-12 Dive: Dyscalculia Affects Almost As Many Students As Dyslexia. What Can Districts Do?
Three to seven percent of children and adults have dyscalculia, a learning disability that makes numbers and math difficult. While it is roughly as common as having dyslexia, there are far fewer services in schools for students with dyscalculia. Up to sixty percent of students diagnosed with dyscalculia also have other challenges, such as dyslexia and ADHD. Across the country, there is varying support and acknowledgement of math learning disabilities in state legislatures. Only seven states have enacted mandates for universal dyscalculia screenings. Other states recommend math screenings to test for potential math disabilities, but school districts are responsible for identifying and implementing these measures. A brief released by the Center on Reinventing Public Education at Arizona State University recommends that districts use a universal screening tool to flag students, conduct diagnostic follow-up, and then use a test to assess mental processes. Districts should also rule out alternative explanations for persistent math difficulty and create a school-wide referral protocol for math learning concerns. 

Chalkbeat: Indiana Third Grade Reading Scores Surpass Pre-Pandemic Levels on IREAD Test
Results from Indiana’s statewide IREAD assessments show that students’ literacy rates continue to improve for the fifth consecutive year. Literacy rates have also increased compared to pre-pandemic levels, with the greatest gain for Black and Hispanic students. State officials shared that the Indiana Literacy Cadre, an initiative that uses instructional coaches to support reading comprehension, effectively helped participating schools boost proficiency rates. The IREAD test measures foundational reading skills like phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and basic comprehension. Students take it in second and third grade. Students who do not pass are required to retake the assessment, with some students having to repeat third grade if they do not receive a proficient grade. The state’s increase in scores is promising considering nationwide conversations surrounding the science of reading and further concerns over the pandemic’s effect on literacy. 

EdSource: How a Dance Program Helps Los Angeles Students Overcome Anxiety and Isolation
A summer program at the Pasadena Boys and Girls Club in California helps students build confidence and stronger relationships with peers, an effort to lessen the youth mental health crisis. “Dance and Dialogue” is an eight-week summer program that uses storytelling, play, and artistic expression to teach students social-emotional skills. The program works with more than 40,000 kids in grades three through 12. California state officials have invested $4.9 billion in increased mental health support in schools; however, many students are more comfortable engaging in an informal environment rather than visiting a counselor’s office. One program participant, who had never thought to reach out to an adult at school, remarked how the program allowed her to engage in deeper conversations with her peers and instructors: “I like the idea of including both sides — a deep conversation, but then a really rewarding, fun experience — so that you don’t feel like the deep conversation is that deep. It’s normalized.”