Canvas went offline after a cybersecurity breach, temporarily leaving students and educators at thousands of colleges and K-12 schools without access to course materials, assignments, grades, and communications during finals week. Instructure says passwords and financial information were not exposed, but names, emails, student IDs, and user messages may have been affected. The incident makes it clear that schools need stronger backup plans when major platforms go down, and edtech companies need to communicate security issues clearly as districts depend on them for everyday teaching and learning.

Syracuse City School District launched a $2 million "Rise and Thrive" initiative that stations attendance teams at every school to conduct home visits, make phone calls, and meet with parents after reporting a 43% chronic absenteeism rate in 2025. The district says 83% of schools have seen attendance increases since implementing the program. The approach shows how districts are treating attendance more like a student support system than a compliance issue.

Legislators are pushing new scrutiny on educational software following broader concerns about student screen time and device usage in schools. The backlash extends beyond cellphone restrictions to target the processes districts use to evaluate and approve educational technology tools. Districts now face increased pressure to justify their technology choices amid growing skepticism about digital learning tools that parents and policymakers once embraced during remote learning.

Abington Heights School District in Pennsylvania increased elementary math proficiency from roughly 70% to over 85% without adopting a new curriculum program. The breakthrough came when administrators realized their existing curriculum wasn't the problem. Teachers needed deeper understanding of how to teach foundational math concepts and ensure skills actually transferred between grade levels. The approach suggests that professional development focused on mathematical pedagogy may deliver stronger results than the common practice of searching for new instructional materials when performance stagnates.

Two-thirds of recent high school graduates who chose not to attend college said cost-of-living concerns played a major role in their decision, according to new survey data from EAB. The finding shows that many students are thinking beyond tuition and weighing rent, transportation, food, and the need to start earning money sooner. For high schools, college and career advising may need to get more specific about what life after graduation actually costs.

📤 Found Pulse K-12 helpful? Share it with a colleague so they can keep a pulse on education too.