The New School Year Takes Shape

As students and educators settle into the new school year, schools and colleges are grappling with the growing influence of AI, renewed questions about campus safety and student support, expanding school choice, and an election season that could reshape education policy nationwide.

The Ed5: The Stories, Stats, and Shifts Shaping Education Now

The November ballot will reshape education policy – This fall’s elections could significantly alter the state education policy. Voters in 36 states will elect governors, while 6,139 state legislative seats are on the ballot nationwide. Voters in 17 states will also decide 34 ballot initiatives affecting funding, school choice, governance and student services.

0to5 Insight: Education leaders should be preparing now for a shifting policy landscape. New governors, legislatures, and ballot outcomes could reshape priorities and funding at the state level.
Higher education faces questions about campus safety and accountability – A lawsuit alleging that a Cornell student was drugged and sexually assaulted by fraternity members has sparked renewed scrutiny of how colleges handle sexual assault allegations. New York has reopened the criminal investigation, while Cornell is reviewing its response and the broader role of Greek life on campus.

0to5 Insight: Trust is built before a crisis hits. Institutions need clear communications protocols, defined roles, and strong stakeholder relationships in place before they are tested. When a crisis does occur, they must communicate clearly, act with accountability, and show – not just tell – what they are doing to protect students.
Federal school choice goes national – A new federal scholarship tax-credit program launching Jan. 1 will expand school choice at the national level. Taxpayers can receive credits for donations funding scholarships that can cover private-school tuition, homeschooling, tutoring, and other education expenses, with 30 states expected to participate.

0to5 Insight: School choice is no longer primarily a state-by-state policy debate. The new federal role could reshape how schools and education organizations compete for students, funding, and public attention.
K–12 techlash: Schools rethink screens and AI – Districts are facing growing pressure from parents to reconsider student screen time, with some schools scaling back devices, especially for younger students. At the same time, educators must prepare students for an AI-driven world, creating a push for more intentional use of technology rather than more technology.

0to5 Insight: The conversation is shifting from “more technology” to “purposeful technology.” Edtech companies will increasingly need to demonstrate not just innovation, but clear value and a meaningful role for technology in the classroom.
AI begins reshaping the education-to-workforce pipeline – New research suggests generative AI may already be affecting employment prospects for some recent graduates. A Census Bureau working paper found declines in initial employment and earnings among graduates from highly AI-exposed majors, although other studies show more limited effects.

0to5 Insight: Colleges can’t wait for the labor market to fully settle before responding. Career preparation, curricula, and institutional messaging will increasingly need to show how graduates are learning to work with AI, not compete with it.

Research and Data

New research across K–12 and higher ed points to smarter approaches to teacher pay, changing parent perceptions, continued attendance challenges, and mounting pressures on school leaders.

NCTQ’s State of the States: Spending Smarter on Teacher Pay finds most states still aren’t using targeted pay to address hard-to-staff schools, subjects or teacher effectiveness.
A poll by Learning Heroes finds parents are becoming more realistic about how their children are performing academically.
SchoolStatus reports chronic absenteeism is improving, but early grades and the transition to middle school remain key trouble spots.
Inside Higher Ed’s 2026 CAO survey found roughly seven in 10 provosts use AI at least weekly, but only one in 10 say their institution has a centralized AI strategy.

Bright Spots in Education

Amid the challenges facing education, there’s also meaningful progress underway. Here are a few bright spots worth watching.

Student achievement is showing encouraging signs of recovery: NWEA’s latest trend data found sizable reading gains across K–8 and continued math recovery in the elementary grades.
Arts education may help students show up: New research linking arts participation with lower absenteeism adds to the case that arts programs can support not only engagement, but broader student success.
Smarter tutoring models are showing promise – New research suggests shorter, more flexible tutoring approaches can still improve student learning, offering schools a potentially more scalable path to academic support.

#EdWatch

What’s driving the education conversation right now? In this edition of #EdWatch, we’re highlighting recent posts from reporters across the beat.

Jill Barshay @ Hechinger Report examines a 14-year study of CUNY’s ASAP program, which boosted graduation rates but not participants’ earnings, raising questions about how public education should balance student choice and workforce outcomes.
Greg Toppo @ The 74 explores how generative AI is forcing educators to confront a longstanding challenge: getting students genuinely engaged in learning.
Elizabeth Heubeck @ Education Week looks at growing research and advocacy questioning whether cuts to recess, arts, and PE have improved academic outcomes. New research suggests they haven't.

Spotlight: Coverage That Made an Impact

Here are a few of 0to5’s top education placements from this past quarter as our clients continue to showcase their industry and thought leadership.

K-12 Dive & Higher Ed Dive: Education media welcomed the insights from YouScience’s CTE Report, leveraging the research as a resource on career and postsecondary pathways.

Fortune: Zer0 to 5ive connected Laurel Springs high school teacher Salena Davis with Fortune, securing commentary on an educator’s perspective of AI in schools. The interview was included as part of the coverage of the Gates Foundation’s $400 million education investment. Davis questioned whether companies are overpromising and underdelivering on learning gains.