Welcome back. June is when the planning happens, and this week's stories give district leaders a lot to work with before fall. From what the numbers say about AI tutors to how one superintendent turned summer into the most important season of the year for attendance, the data is worth a look.
1️⃣ Giving Students an AI Tutor Is Not Enough to Move the Needle
A new Stanford University study found that simply providing students with access to AI tutoring tools does not produce meaningful engagement or reading gains. In two districts studied, average weekly use of the AI tutor was just 2.18 and 5.23 minutes respectively, well short of the 30 minutes per week the platform recommends for measurable results. The findings are a practical warning for the growing number of states investing in AI tutoring pilots: the technology only works if students actually use it, and that requires more than access alone.
2️⃣ Schools Are Expanding Career Ed but Students Are Still Choosing the Wrong Paths
A new FutureEd report finds that schools are adding more career and technical education programs without giving students the counseling they need to choose the right ones. There were 372 students for every school counselor nationwide in 2024-25, nearly 50 percent above the recommended ratio, and counselors who are in place often prioritize social-emotional crises over career planning. Without that guidance, students are left to follow what feels familiar. Nearly half of Gen Z teens say they want to be professional content creators, while the fastest-growing jobs in the country are wind turbine technicians, nurse practitioners, and solar panel installers.
3️⃣ Early Childhood Teacher Turnover Is Even Higher Than People Thought
A new eight-state analysis found that 44 percent of the early childhood workforce left their positions between 2023 and 2025, representing nearly 90,000 educators across Illinois, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Turnover was highest among assistant teachers in center-based settings, the same staff whose consistent presence matters most for young children's development and the quality of adult interactions they receive. Educators with early childhood-specific credentials were significantly more likely to stay, with retention rates 9 to 14 percentage points higher than the overall average.
4️⃣ Summer Is the Real Window for Reaching Chronically Absent Students
The superintendent of Ecorse Public Schools in Michigan cut chronic absenteeism from over 70 percent to about 26 percent by sending trusted community members to families' front doors during summer, before the school year began. The visits weren't about warnings or paperwork — staff showed up to say they missed the student, that they cared, and to ask what the family actually needed. Families who had stopped trusting the school started becoming partners, and parents who ignored calls and letters finally engaged because someone they knew was standing on their porch.
5️⃣ How Districts Should Decide Which Edtech to Keep
Districts spent the last decade accumulating thousands of edtech tools, often without evidence they improved student outcomes, and the pressure to reckon with that is growing from parents, educators, and policymakers alike. A new framework lays out five questions for cutting through the noise: start with the instructional problem you're trying to solve, demand real evidence of impact, and be willing to walk away from tools that don't deliver. The next phase of edtech should be defined less by what districts adopt and more by what they're willing to let go.
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