Education News Roundup, June 18, 2026
Posts to come:
- SPS is (quietly) bringing in more tech, both in the classroom and to "help" students. What's up with that?
- The concern over student test scores since before COVID
- What's at the top of your wish list for Superintendent Shuldiner to get done?
From KUOW:
WA falls again in national education ranking.
The new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows Washington dropped from 27th in the nation to 31st overall. The findings are based on data from 2024. Last year, the state fell one spot. A little over a decade ago, it ranked 20th.
Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction remains skeptical of the research and contends that the state has “made progress in every area” covered in the report.
The Kids Count Data Book captures statistics across the country on children’s economic well-being, education, health, and family and community life. The 2026 report marks the organization’s 37th year of publication.
And here's a sad piece of data:
Another notable issue the report shows, Boyd said, is a lack of access to early learning. The report found that 57% of children ages 3 and 4 are not in school, a one percentage point decline from the previous reporting period.
Boyd flagged rollbacks the state Legislature made this year to pre-kindergarten programs and cuts to child care providers.
That's over half. I hope someone is doing the investigative work into the many possible reasons why that is. I should look at what the stat is for Seattle given that it has its own pre-K program.
Two of the U.S. Department of Education's biggest responsibilities will shift to other federal agencies: safeguarding student civil rights and supervising programs for students with disabilities.
The Trump administration said Tuesday it will move the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). OSERS manages programs that support students with disabilities, offering guidance and oversight to ensure states follow the landmark Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a law that guarantees disabled students access to an equitable public education.
The administration announced it would also move the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to the U.S. Department of Justice. OCR's staff of civil rights attorneys are tasked with protecting students in K-12 schools and universities from discrimination based on disability, gender, race and national origin. OCR has been in tumult for months, targeted repeatedly by the Trump administration for staff cuts, then reversals of those cuts.
The head of Health and Human Services is Robert. F. Kennedy, Jr. So I would not hold out hope that things will be better for students with disabilities.
There is an "acting" Attorney General, Todd Blanche. The DOJ has been effectively weaponized by the Trump regime so I do not hold out hope for students and their civil rights. I would expect to see actual rollbacks.
Should Seattle schools have weapons detectors, fences? Superintendent considers safety upgrades
At a media roundtable on Tuesday, Superintendent Ben Shuldiner said new fencing and security cameras could be put up at schools over the summer.
"Some schools have been asking for fencing for years," Shuldiner said. "I just think that this district hasn't prioritized safety, and so that's something that I'm really thinking about."
Ingraham High School stands out as a particular safety concern. Shuldiner said he visited the school on Monday, and the principal emphasized the need for fences.
Ingraham has an open campus structure with multiple buildings. Shuldiner said the principal told him that random people walk into the school's buildings "at least five times a year."
What did Superintendent Shuldiner do at his last post?
During Shuldiner's tenure as the superintendent of the Lansing School District in Central Michigan, he said bringing schools up to meet high security standards was a priority.
As Shuldiner told KUOW back in February, that meant making sure every school had a single point of entry, as well as installing security cameras and fences.
On Tuesday, he said he's also open to discussing another security tool with students and families: weapon detectors.
I am pleased to hear this.
"I want schools to feel like where rich people live, in cathedrals, T-Mobile Park," Shuldiner said. "When you go through T-Mobile, you've got to go through weapons detectors. There's multiple points of entry, but somebody's always there, and it's a way to actually make folks feel safe."
In Seattle, Shuldiner said, there's an idea that fences, cameras, or weapon detectors make schools feel like "prisons." He believes it's "the exact opposite."
He also pointed to positive feedback on the use of weapon detectors at graduation ceremonies for Ingraham High School and Nathan Hale last week.
He makes a good point - to attend many events, you have to go through a metal detector.
Yes, I know the student killed at Garfield High was shot outside but honestly, we're in a time where other safety measures at least need to be tried. And, with the spate of shootings by very young teens who somehow got ahold of a gun, metal detectors might be useful.
But then Shuldiner kind of weasels out:
Shuldiner said he won't "force" the detection system on schools or mandate their installation — he'll wait for schools to approach him with an ask. For now, the detectors are part of "ongoing conversations," but Shuldiner said families and students have already reached out to advocate for them.
Know what? Garfield High and other high schools have been going in circles about safety for years now. I think the community in the building needs to give input but then Shuldiner needs to make a districtwide decision. Period.
The Knicks are enjoying a well-deserved ticker tape parade today but there is no happiness for high school students in NYC. From the NY Times:
After the Knicks championship victory on Saturday, some New York students hoped for another miracle: a reprieve from their end-of-course state science exams on Thursday so that they could attend the ticker-tape parade for the team’s first title in 53 years.
But the exams will go on.
Officials at the New York State Education Department said on Monday that the four tests, known as Regents exams, will take place as planned on Thursday.
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