Children and families with Minneapolis Families for Public Schools calling for ICE out of schools and Minnesota in January 2026. School should be a sanctuary for growth; but today, the looming fear of immigration enforcement seeps into these spaces, threatening countless students’ ability to learn. The Protected Areas Policy, enacted during the Biden Administration, once barred Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from conducting

A public school teacher gives students a lesson—an example of the instruction that Nebraska parents say compels students to accept government viewpoints. A group of parents is suing state and local officials in a Nebraska court, arguing that the state’s compulsory education law effectively forces them to accept government messaging by enrolling their children in public schools or pay steep private school tuition to escape it. This financial pressure to opt in to public educa

A smartphone displaying ChatGPT rests on a textbook, raising questions about AI’s place in the classroom and its impact on student learning. New York City responded to AI in a way that few governments have before: it led with a pause instead of a rollout. On September 2, 2026, the City enacted the broadest student-facing AI ban in the country. Starting this school year, nearly 600,000 students from 2-K through 8th grade will go a full year without generative AI, as the city d

New York State Senator James Skoufis speaks with Kyra’s mother, Jacqueline Franchetti. Skoufis is sponsoring Kyra's Law in the Senate. Francesca Wehner '29, Analyst in the Center for Education Policy, and Kiran Chaudhry-Bishop '29, Assistant Director of the Center for Education Policy, co-wrote this op-ed. Autumn Coleman was a three-year-old girl growing up in Queens, New York, with curly braids, a sharp sense of humor, and dreams of being a “princess-doctor.” In March 2019,

New York State Senator James Skoufis speaks with Kyra’s mother, Jacqueline Franchetti. Skoufis is sponsoring Kyra's Law in the Senate. Francesca Wehner '29, Analyst in the Center for Education Policy, and Kiran Chaudhry-Bishop '29, Assistant Director of the Center for Education Policy, co-wrote this op-ed. Autumn Coleman was a three-year-old girl growing up in Queens, New York, with curly braids, a sharp sense of humor, and dreams of being a "princess-doctor." In March 2019,

Young students in a classroom excitedly learn to read—a positive sign in early childhood development. In the US today, 44% of public school students are behind a grade level in at least one subject. In 1996, about 9% of students in grades one through twelve attended summer school. By 2024, that number had jumped up to 13%. Here in the Ithaca City School District, the New York State Education Department flagged nearly half of the schools for failing to meet state standard

Armed black student activists leaving Willard Straight Hall on Cornell University's central campus. At 2:00 a.m. on April 18, 1969, a group of primarily Black students, who were members of the Afro-American Society, joined some of their Latino peers in deciding to stage an occupation of Willard Straight Hall on Cornell University’s central campus. These protesters sought to highlight the university’s bias against students of color, criticize its judicial system, and denounc

A sign reading “Welcome to Oklahoma. Discover the Excellence.” In September 2020, Republican Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma named Ryan Walters as Secretary of Public Education, placing him in charge of the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE). As a former Executive Director of Oklahoma Achieves, an education initiative within the State Chamber of Oklahoma, Walters describes himself as empowering parents, teachers, and community leaders to better the state’s educa

The Arts Quad at Cornell University. At a time when classrooms should be leading the fight against hate, President Trump and his administration have cut millions of dollars in federal funding from top universities across the nation, including Cornell. Education fosters respect, empathy, and critical thinking, and universities must prioritize these fundamentals as tensions surrounding conflict in the Middle East have risen since October 7, 2023. Echoing recommendations from

Empty desks in classrooms across the country reflect a growing challenge: chronic absenteeism, which continues to impact millions of...

The Ithaca City School District (ICSD) , April 2014. Cornell University’s founding principle, “… any person … any study,” speaks to an...

A sign held up at a protest calling for the protection transgender rights. While a newly elected president should prioritize unity, Trump...

History is not just a record of the past; it’s a guide to the future. The lessons taught to our children will shape the future of the...

Governor Hochul doubled down on her commitment to combatting misinformation online through media literacy education for K-12 students in...

Students are still grappling with significant learning loss in their schools. Since childhood education serves as a foundation for young...

States and districts across the country are increasingly cracking down on student cell phone usage by implementing widespread bans in...

Across the U.S., students from kindergarten through high school eagerly watch the clock, waiting for the much-anticipated lunch hour. For...

It’s election season, and constituents across the country are weighing in on how each presidential candidate is addressing pressing...

The smartphone has become a staple of almost every teenager’s life. Why wouldn’t it? The ability to communicate with all your friends...

A Problem of Their Own Design? Universities have always been hotbeds for political discourse and disagreement; however, in the past few...