The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Fewer than half of children with ADHD receive behavior treatment. Why experts recommend it If you're a parent of a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you've probably thought a lot about how to help them navigate daily life. Medication may be one of the first things that comes to mind, but it's not the only option experts recommend. Behavior therapy helps children build skills like attention and self-control, often by working closely with the adults in their lives. The...
Inside the summer program boosting skills and confidence for 40,000 kids When Reneta Johnson, head of a small charter network in Birmingham, Alabama, asked students how they wanted to spend this summer, they said they liked to make TikTok videos. That gave her an idea. The staff at Legacy Prep built a three-week summer schedule around the theme of “Lights, Camera, Action,” blending drama, music and dance, culminating in a final performance. But between learning choreography and exploring car...
Teachers save time with AI. Their students may pay the price Artificial intelligence is often promoted as a way to make teachers more effective by helping them write lesson plans, generate classroom materials and provide feedback to students in seconds. But one of the first randomized trials testing AI in real classrooms found that it can also undermine learning, The Hechinger Report reveals. Students whose teachers were given access to an AI teaching assistant felt less motivated to learn. The...
How does online schooling support students preparing for college? Supporting students as they transition into new learning areas isn’t always easy. Preparing for college can feel overwhelming for students who don’t know what to expect. While many young people may have an idea of what they want to do with their lives, choosing the right path to get them there can be a challenge. As technology and online education continue to evolve, many parents are considering the benefits of virtual sch...
Trump accounts: Why they’re not your typical college fund The Trump account, a new tax-deferred vehicle aimed at helping families save for children, poses a fundamental question: How is this tool best used? Last year’s tax legislation (known as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act) introduced a new vehicle to the tax-deferred savings landscape: the “Trump account.” Like 529 college savings plans and custodial accounts held under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA accounts), Trump account...
5 money conversations to have before kids go back to school A new school year, for many families, means new expenses. Beyond school supplies, there are technology fees, lunches, club expenses, and the daily temptations of vending machines and in-app purchases for kids with access to mobile devices. Only 25% of U.S. parents who live with children say they talk with their kids about finances, according to Forbright Bank's recent survey of more than 1,800 U.S. consumers. As kids start a new school...
School cameras may protect students. But who protects the footage? Look around you at any school, and the chances are you’re going to see a security camera. Entrances, parking lots, hallways, reception areas, bus lanes and playgrounds all need visibility. When an incident occurs, footage can help staff work out what took place and why. But recently, the risk around student images has changed. AI has made ordinary images easier to copy, alter, share and weaponize. That doesn’t mean school CCT...
Avoid the mistake of using retirement savings to pay for your kid’s college Help paying for college is a wonderful gift to help your child get launched in life. Even while you give your child the best chance of an affordable education and a successful start to their future career, you can stay the course toward your own financial goals. With careful planning, you can navigate the journey of helping your kid pay for college while also saving for your own retirement and paying off debt. Freedom D...
The quest to build a better AI tutor It’s easy to get swept up in the hype about artificial intelligence tutors. But the evidence so far suggests caution. Some studies have found that chatbot tutors can backfire because students lean on them too heavily, get spoonfed solutions, and fail to absorb the material. Even when AI tutors are designed not to give away answers, they haven’t consistently produced better results than learning the old-fashioned way without AI. Still, researchers who hav...
Do I really need a college degree to be successful? Deciding whether you need a college degree to build a rewarding future might feel overwhelming. Everywhere you turn — online, the news, your family — there’s a different story. Some people talk about billionaires who dropped out of college, while others point to studies showing that people with degrees tend to earn more over their lifetimes. The truth? There’s no single path to success or one-size-fits-all answer. This guide from The Univers...
Public universities face escalating involvement from state lawmakers Jennifer Brooks, a history professor at Auburn University, had barely unpacked from a trip out of town in early June when the messages started blowing up her phone. Texts from colleagues and rumors on social media delivered the unsettling news: The Auburn Board of Trustees had voted to dissolve the school’s faculty senate and give itself ultimate authority over academic decisions, including curriculum. “What was really surprisi...
How AI is reshaping higher education program discovery Prospective college students used to begin with a search engine and a list of links. Many now begin with a question typed into ChatGPT or Claude, and an answer that may never send them to a university website at all. The shift is no longer just a forecast. A Pew Research Center survey released in June 2026 found that 60% of U.S. adults say they have read AI-generated summaries at the top of search results, while 42% use AI chatbots to...
Medical school debt and refinancing: How borrowers are managing student loans For health care professionals at all levels, from medical students to attending physicians, student loan debt is as pervasive as the common cold. Unfortunately, it takes a lot longer to go away. Severe student loan debt can affect borrowers’ financial health for years or even decades. This spring, SoFi surveyed 229 medical professionals across the career spectrum to ask about their loan-related aches and pains. As S...
This elementary school is achieving high reading scores a million words at a time Walking into Windsor Park Elementary in Corpus Christi, Texas, it’s hard to miss the mass of bright, colorful paper balloons taped on the wall, displaying photos of dozens of children who have read at least 1 million words this school year. “It’s something that the students are very, very proud of,” librarian Annelise Rodriguez, who created and manages the Millionaires Club, told The 74. “We’ve had kids come in whe...
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (JUL. 21, 2026) – Artificial intelligence. Cybersecurity. Space. Climate. Quantum computing. The technologies transforming the world are also reshaping national security, generating an urgent demand for professionals who can do something increasingly rare: understand science and technology while also comprehending the human decisions that determine how those technologies affect U.S. national security. The challenge isn't simply producing more tech-savvy personnel or more policym...
When a traditional school setting isn’t working for an autistic child: What families can do next As summer comes into full swing, some families are looking ahead to the next school year with questions about whether their child’s school environment is providing the support they need for success. Specifically for autistic students with more complex needs, changes in behavior, limited progress toward individualized goals, or increasing difficulty navigating the school day are signs that it mig...
Can students really skip college and earn a good living? Here’s what the data shows. For much of the last few decades, some young people have heard a simple mantra: bachelor’s or bust. That is, they were told that the best and perhaps only path to economic prosperity is through a four-year college education. Now a wide swath of politicians, educators, and philanthropists are rethinking this. Some even suggest that there are numerous lucrative jobs that don’t require a degree. A New York Times vi...
School budgets are under pressure nationwide. Here’s what’s driving the cuts. School districts are under pressure this year. Some of the largest in the country are handing out pink slips. Canceling technology contracts. And even slashing specific medications from employee health plans. As many school boards debate their budgets for the upcoming school year, a Chalkbeat analysis found a common thread: More than half of the country’s 50 largest school districts are poised to or already have made...
Is it back-to-school butterflies or something deeper? Back-to-school season can be a stressful time for students. As you think about navigating your class schedule, friend dynamics, academic pressures, and other responsibilities, it’s normal to feel a little nervous. If this happens to you, you’re not alone, and there are ways to feel better. Feeling anxious at the start of a new school year doesn’t mean you have a mental health condition. But if your anxiety doesn’t go away and negativ...
European student housing is 30% more competitive than last year. US students who act now still have the advantage. Nearly 7.3 million students are studying outside their home countries right now, and about half of them are in Europe, according to UNESCO's first Higher Education Global Trends Report, published in 2026. The same report projects that number to reach nine million by 2030. For U.S. students planning to join them this autumn, the housing market is more competitive than ever, but...
Just graduated with debt? Here's what you need to know before you consolidate If you’ve just finished school and find yourself in debt, take a deep breath—you’re in good company. So many people start this chapter the same way. It’s a season of transition, and that debt is often part of the bigger picture of investing in yourself, building your career, and stepping into adult life. Paying off that debt can definitely feel overwhelming. Fortunately, debt consolidation could make the process...
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (JUN 29, 2026) – A long-running collaboration between engineers and nurses at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is expanding into state-of-the-art infant training simulators with the support of a $50,000 grant from the Zabara Foundation. UAH is a part of The University of Alabama System. "At the Zabara Foundation, we're focused on supporting smart, effective solutions that move the needle on patient outcomes," said Chief Operating Officer Megan Murphy Wolf. She v...
What are the different types of student loans you can use to pay for college? Summer means many high school seniors and their parents are prepping for life’s next big stage — college. But for many families, once graduation celebrations end and dorm room shopping begins, there’s another reality that also sets in — the first tuition bill. College Ave, a private student loan company, recently conducted a survey of parents of current college students and found the majority (80%) cannot cover t...
Exploring the benefits of free community college A good education can expand your skills and open up new career opportunities. Attending community college for free can be a huge step in the right direction for those who qualify. No matter what stage of life you’re in — whether you’re unemployed, between jobs, upskilling in your current career or about to finish high school — there are options that can help you accomplish your goals. A new educational journey begins with knowledge. Explore...
School funding is relatively equal, but childhood still isn’t Children from low-income families have roughly $80,000 less invested in their development, well-being, and education relative to their peers from high-income households, according to a new study, the findings of which Chalkbeat examines here The research is significant because it puts a figure on what has long been known: Children do not have the same access to the resources that might help them flourish. While formal schooling is f...
