The Weekly Connect 9/8/2026

JAMA Network Open: Parent-Child Shared Book Reading with Preschoolers During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Researchers from Rutgers University examined parent-reported shared book reading with their US preschool-aged children before, during, and after the pandemic. Analyzing seven waves of a nationally representative online survey between April 2020 and September 2025, results indicated a decrease in the percentage of parents reading to their children. In spring 2020, 82.5% of parents read to their child three or more times per week, compared with 84.6% before the pandemic. Reading frequency continued to decline through 2024, with the largest decrease in spring 2021. Higher parental education, household income, and dual-parent households were associated with greater odds of frequent reading, as well as higher rates of play and early education enrollment. Each additional ten physical books in the household was associated with an eight percent increase in frequent reading. The researchers hypothesize that the decline in reading during and after the pandemic may have been due to increased parental stress, disruptions to family routines, and paused library access. 

See also: ‘The Kids Simply Cannot Handle It’: Why New York Students Are Reading Fewer Books

Center for Mental Health in Schools & Student/Learning Supports: New Directions for Student and Learning Supports: From Fragmented Initiatives to System Transformation 
A new report from Howard Adelman and Linda Taylor at the University of California, Los Angeles, examines initiatives across the country to strengthen student and learning supports and inform future policy and practice. The authors reviewed several national initiatives that focus on student and learning supports. They argue that initiatives like Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports, whole-child approaches, and integrated student supports have not significantly improved efforts to address students’ barriers to learning. Schools’ implementation of these programs are fragmented, with gaps or redundancies, and use resources inefficiently. Adelman and Taylor share that instead of focusing on creating new initiatives to support students, school systems, community organizations, and families should transform student and learning supports into a unified system. Therefore, schools need to build comprehensive programs that advance opportunities for all students, are sustainable to deliver, and are connected through an integrated system. 

Chalkbeat: Virtual School Enrollment Has Doubled in Recent Years, Following Pandemic-Era Surge
In the 2024-25 school year, 1 in 80 students attended public school online, a rate that has been steadily increasing since the pandemic. A Chalkbeat analysis found that federal data reported by the U.S. Department of Education may undercount school enrollment. For example, the federal government reported that one percent of Indiana students are in online school, while the actual count may be around three percent. The majority of students attending schools with virtual programs are in high school; they enroll in online schools at double the rate of students in elementary and middle school. Oklahoma has the highest rate of fully online learners, around five percent of students. Families often choose online schooling because traditional schooling is ineffective for their students’ needs; many of these students have disabilities and require accommodations that are easier to provide in a virtual format. While online school may be effective for some, studies have found that, on average, students in virtual schools made less academic progress and graduated at lower rates compared to students attending in-person public schools.

The Washington Post: Meta Agrees to Sweeping Changes, $18 Billion Payout in Landmark State Settlement
The social media company Meta agreed to pay $18 billion in damages to children’s mental health and institute changes in how children can use these apps. The settlement includes 48 states and the District of Columbia; New Mexico had a similar state case, and Florida’s attorney general rejected the deal. Advocates of these restrictions have accused social media companies of contributing to children’s phone addiction, cyberbullying, and mental health disorders. Now, Meta will enforce stricter limits on how children can use the apps. Facebook and Instagram will be blocked from midnight to 6 a.m., notifications will be turned off during school hours, and teens can only use the apps for two hours a day. Meta will also fund youth online safety initiatives and conduct studies on app usage. If competitors like YouTube and TikTok agree to the settlement, all companies will need to comply with stricter restrictions for young users in the future. 

Iowa Capital Dispatch: USDA Announces ‘Harvest to Hallways’ Program to Increase Local Food in Schools
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the Harvest to Hallways initiative, the next phase of the Make America Healthy Again plan. In addition to nearly $20 million in funding distributed by the federal government to support farm-to-school programs in 37 states, the USDA has pledged an additional $25 million in Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants in the fiscal year. The funding will go towards improved school kitchen infrastructure, farm-to-school grants, and research into school meal nutrition, with the overall goal of incorporating more locally grown foods in schools. While the funding is a significant boost to school meal programs to align with federal initiatives, farmers and community members share that the new money awarded does not fully cover previous cuts to school food programs, and more funding is needed for school officials and farmers to build relationships and invest in more sustainable programs.

The Hechinger Report: When Natural Disasters Strike, These Camps Give Kids a Safe Place to Recover
After devastating wildfires in Spokane, Washington, the public school district hosted a day camp for children of survivors. The initiative, part of a strategy called “education in emergencies,” centers children’s needs during a disaster response and is often employed in international humanitarian aid initiatives. One day after the wildfires, Spokane Public Schools collaborated with nonprofits, churches, and small businesses to support families impacted by the fires. One high school opened as a resource center, distributing food and toiletries and providing assistance with filing insurance claims. School staff supervised children and were fed meals from the district’s summer lunch program. Project:Camp, an organization that creates camps following disasters, served hundreds of children at two locations for three weeks before the start of the semester. Children were visited by Abby Cadabby from “Sesame Street,” played laser tag, and completed mental and emotional checks, with the overall focus of the programming to return participants to a sense of safety and normalcy. 

Chalkbeat: How a Queens School Transformed a Local Playground — And Its Students’ Lives
Students at Voyages Prep in Queens, New York, participated in an elective course, Hire Cause, which focuses on building projects that improve communities. The students chose to renovate Playground Ninety, a basketball court where some students played after school. The students learned to fundraise, collaborated with artists to design the space, and won a worldwide initiative led by a nonprofit that funds public basketball courts. The program is part of the school’s career readiness focus, which provides students with hands-on classes and career training. One student who became the project manager shared that the class helped students improve their attendance and encouraged them to arrive on time. Reflecting on the benefits of the program, he shared, “Not only do I have a reason to be here, but like it’s proof that I can do more with myself than I thought I could… It’s proof that when I do actually put myself to the task, I can meet expectations.”