Over the last decade: — District enrollment: down ~1.6M students — Charter enrollment: up ~1.5M students 🧵👇

The first federal K-12 education choice program launches January 2027. 🧵

Enrollment decline isn't uniform. Cities, distant, and remote schools are losing the most, while fringe communities are growing. Here’s where enrollment losses are hitting hardest — and why it matters for the students who need support the most 👇

Advocates don't write the RFP. But they shape whether #AI tools in classrooms actually work for kids. 🧵

Birth rates are falling. The U.S. fertility rate is at an all time low. Fewer babies = fewer students = less school funding.

Every big tech company is racing to put #AI in classrooms right now. But not all AI #edtech is created equal. Here's what separates high-quality AI tools from ones that just look impressive in a demo — and what schools should actually be asking before they buy 👇

Declining enrollment in America’s public schools, by the numbers 🧵👇

This is the right incentive structure. Data curation is the actual moat—the model's almost fungible at this point.

Bellwether@bellwetherorg.bsky.social · 2w ago

One idea: reward vendors who use RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) — it's a signal they've invested in curating quality content, not just hoping the model gets it right. More in the piece → bellwether.org/blog/signals...

Most state education agencies don't have the technical capacity to vet #AI vendor claims. So what can they do? 🧵👇

Not all AI in the classroom is created equal ≠ There's a lot of backlash about phones, screens, and AI in schools — and it's making it hard to tell a genuinely good learning tool from just another app chasing your attention.

How to spot #AI #edtech that actually helps kids learn 🧵👇

Declining K–12 enrollment is often framed as a crisis. 🧵

Spongebob y Patricio en Caos

ALT: Spongebob y Patricio en Caos

static.klipy.com

Civics education has always reflected the moment America is living through, helping folks develop the skills to participate in and improve their communities. So why have civic knowledge scores been flat for 25 years? At #America250, the stakes couldn't be higher 👉 https://bit.ly/4vbZ3Gt

We're celebrating 250 years of America's democracy — but most U.S. 8th graders can't identify hallmarks of our democracy such as the separation of powers, checks and balances, and the purpose of the Bill of Rights. More on civics education in public schools at #America250: https://bit.ly/4xPOOtT

Declining K–12 enrollment is often framed as a crisis. But Bellwether's @carriehahnel.bsky.social and @wested.org's Jason Willis show how it can be an opening to build more personalized, responsive public schools — if states act strategically. What state leaders can do right now 👇

"Grade level"... "Proficient"... "Meets expectations"... There are a lot of terms used to describe a student's progress, but not a lot of clarity on what they mean 👇

If you work in education policy, school leadership, or ed tech, our AI in education newsletter translates fast-moving AI developments into clear implications for K-12. Subscribe here: bellwether.org/ai-newslette...

We are thrilled to announce the teams from eight states and DC who are members of the first AI Policy Hub State Advocacy Learning Cohort! PIE Network, in partnership with Bellwether, will support this cohort through a six-month learning experience starting this summer.

Enrollment in America's public schools is declining — and 40 states are projected to lose even more students by 2030–31. Short-term fixes won't solve a structural problem. Bellwether + WestEd lay out what states must do instead: bellwether.org/publications... #EducationPolicy #K12 #EduSKy

Is a "proficient" high school graduate ready for the workforce? For math: mostly yes in the states we analyzed. But reading tells a different story. In 13 of the 16 states, proficient students wouldn't meet the reading demands of nursing, software development, or financial management.

"Something I know about #Juneteenth is..." That's a sentence stem. And in the hands of a skilled teacher, it's a powerful tool. Kids need the language before they can engage with the history. We work to close that gap between the #ScienceOfReading research and what happens in the classrooms.

Pennsylvania invests more per student than almost every state. Its funding system was still ruled unconstitutional in 2023. The problem isn't the dollars. It's where they go. New Resource Realities report from Bellwether breaks it down: https://bit.ly/44j611e

Your board's best year yet starts this summer. And this summer starts today. Today at 12 p.m. ET, we're hosting the first-ever National Charter School Board Retreat Summer Kick-Off. Still time to join us. 👇 https://bellwether-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uUjM6dVwQdOIo3JK5JXkOA#/registration

Remember last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act? Student loan borrowers will soon see its impacts in action. Two big policy revisions go into effect on July 1 that will affect more than 35 million borrowers in repayment on their federal student loans. So what do borrowers need to know?

Four questions can lead your charter school board to its best year yet. Bellwether's Charter School Board Retreat Toolkit helps your board answer all four before the school year begins 👉 bellwether.org/blog/ready-set-govern

One student. Two states. Two different "proficiencies." The variation is bigger than most people realize, even many education leaders. Here's what proficiency really means, with examples of reading, math problems, and future careers → https://bellwether.org/publications/proficiency-confusion/

One student. Two states. Two different "proficiencies." The variation is bigger than most people realize, even many education leaders.

What does "proficient" actually mean for your child's future? Join us June 17 for a live conversation with researchers, practitioners, and a parent advocate — drawing on our new report on what proficiency really looks like in practice. Register → https://bit.ly/49Wdc2M

The boards that start strong in September do the work in July. Join us June 18 12 p.m. ET to learn what the best charter board retreats have in common — and how to plan yours. Register here: https://bit.ly/4gdChKj

U.S. test scores are declining. But if "proficient" means something different in every state, how do we know what we're actually measuring? Before we can fix it, we need to see it clearly. → bellwether.org/publications...