teens and AI report

 Students are using AI tools. The study found that a majority of U.S. teens have used AI chatbots, and many report using them to support schoolwork and research. For educators and librarians, the issue is no longer whether AI belongs in education. The real question is whether schools will teach students how to use it responsibly.

How Teens Use and View AI. (2026). Pew Research CENTER.

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/02/24/how-teens-use-and-view-ai/pi_2026-02-24_teens-and-ai_0-01/?_gl=1%2Axfpp0n%2A_up%2AMQ..%2A_gs%2AMQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQiAk6rNBhCxARIsAN5mQLuD1rnbi9_P4wWPrGN0j3TvT5shVi4oi2y2QzkSO5EdLccyCl6dABMaAuQHEALw_wcB&gbraid=0AAAAA-ddO9HhIP5NLYtpLbodzRDa_adD3&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

2023 conditions of US education report

This federal report  draws on data from multiple studies to offer a look at current trends in K-12 education, including the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic on students, educators and schools. The trends highlighted include data showing that more than two-thirds of schools reported an increase in 2022 of students seeking mental health support, while slightly more than half of schools reported being capable of providing such support.

Conditiions of Education 2023. (2023). National Center for Education Statistics. 

https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2023144#:~:text=The%20Condition%20of%20Education%202023,the%20public%20monitor%20educational%20progress

Public Schooling for Undocumented and Asylum-Seeking Children Study

 Migration over the U.S. southwest border in the past decade has been composed of growing numbers of undocumented and asylum-seeking families and children from Mexico and Central America. By U.S. law, states must provide education to all children, regardless of immigration status. Yet sufficient information needed for policymaking is lacking, in particular about the ages and geographic locations of the children by state and district, needs for teachers and staff to accommodate these children, and experiences and good practices in schools.

To fill this gap, the authors model the numbers of such children by state, review the federal and state policy landscapes, and provide case studies of how schools are managing education. The report specifically aims to help various stakeholders understand the broad range of issues and implications related to population increases in undocumented and asylum-seeking children over the southwest border.

Key Findings

• Growing numbers of undocumented and asylum-seeking children from Central America and Mexico are arriving in the United States.
• Approximately 575,000 were encountered at the border from FYs 2017 to 2019, and 321,000 were enrolled in U.S. schools in 2020.
• Federal law establishes the rights of these children to public education.
• The two case study school districts, Jefferson Parish Schools and Oakland Unified School District, were making efforts to provide quality education for this population and address challenges through innovating and learning.
• However, gaps remain in the supports needed in the education of these newcomers, including those related to data, educational resources, funding, and nonacademic supports.

Culbertson, S. (2021). educaeting newcomers. Rand.

https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1326-1.html?utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=NPA:2906:7316:Sep%2030,%202021%205:46:55%20AM%20PDT&utm_campaign=NPA:2906:7316:Sep%2030,%202021%205:46:55%20AM%20PDT

Technology’s Impact on Education – Digital Learning Tools in Classes

Education Week released a special report investigating the impact technology is having in K-12 schools as digital learning tools flood classrooms across the country. The report reveals that technology is failing to reach its full potential in K-12 schools, despite the rapid infusion of new devices and technologies into the classroom. Further, disparities in technology access and adoption, and in the ways new tools are integrated into instruction, may be fueling a new digital divide that threatens to exacerbate long-standing inequities and separate education’s haves and have-nots along new fault lines.  

Herold, B. (2017). Technology counts 2017: Classroom tech: Where schools stand. Bethesda, MD: Education Week.

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/06/14/poor-students-face-digital-divide-in-teacher-technology-training.html

Effects of Apps on Learning

According to a report by Brightbytes, a median of 30 percent of the ed-tech licenses purchased by K-12 districts–as tracked through a proprietary platform–are never used. And a median of 97.6 ed-tech licenses are never used “intensively”. A team of leading researchers and analysts explored data from the BrightBytes Learning Outcomes module to determine the range of cost per license for purchased apps, the degree purchased apps are being used, and the level of effectiveness apps have for math, science, and ELA. The results of this research show which apps are having a positive impact on student learning, and the environments in which this work is successful.

Baker, R. S., & Gowda, S. M. (2018). Highlights from the Brightbytes’ 2018 Annual Insights Report: Towards understanding app effectiveness and cost. San Francisco, CA: Brightbytes. http://pages.brightbytes.net/LOSnapappInfographic_LOCalculatorLP.html

Examining Model for Aiding New Teachers

Developed and managed by the New Teacher Center (NTC), the NTC Induction Model is a comprehensive and systemic approach to support beginning teachers (i.e., teachers new to the profession). The induction model aims to accelerate the effectiveness of beginning teachers at increasing student learning by providing one-on-one mentoring and professional development in a supportive school environment. The NTC works with school districts and state departments of education to design, develop, and implement induction programs that are aligned with both district priorities and NTC standards. In addition to the analysis of the teacher retention outcomes, the study examined impacts on (a) student reading achievement, (b) student math achievement, (c) teacher implementation of literacy lessons, (d) content of literacy lessons, (e) classroom culture, (f) teacher feelings of preparedness to instruct, (g) teacher feelings of preparedness to work with students, (h) teacher feelings of preparedness to work with other school staff, (i) teacher satisfaction with school, (j) teacher satisfaction with class, and (k) teacher satisfaction with teaching career.

U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, & What Works Clearinghouse (2015). Teacher training, evaluation, and compensation intervention report: New Teacher Center induction model. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/InterventionReports/wwc_ntc_070716.pdf