School leaders everywhere know that every dollar matters. As federal relief funds expire and education budgets tighten, districts face growing pressure to stretch resources without compromising quality. A new report from Pittsburgh’s Office of the City Controller offers a timely reminder: strong procurement practices—how schools buy goods and services—can unlock millions in savings, improve service quality, and strengthen public trust.
A growing body of research is revealing how technology can transform inquiry-based learning — helping students think, collaborate, and problem-solve like scientists. A recent synthesis of 58 empirical studies examined how technology-enhanced collaborative inquiry (TECI) affects student learning across K–12 classrooms. The findings show clear benefits: students gain deeper content knowledge, develop stronger inquiry and argumentation skills, and engage more meaningfully with peers. At the same time, the studies highlight real-world challenges for teachers trying to orchestrate complex inquiry activities within limited classroom time.
Even as classrooms grow more connected and digital, the whiteboard remains a centerpiece of collaboration. It’s where students gather to share ideas, teachers map out new concepts, and creativity fills the room.
Today’s next gen school libraries are vibrant, dynamic learning ecosystems that pulse with collaborative energy, technological innovation, and flexible functionality. This transformation represents one of the most significant shifts in educational space design over the past few decades.
The design of a classroom is far more than a matter of furniture and walls—it’s a foundation for human connection. Every layout choice, color, and piece of furniture sends a message about how students and teachers relate to one another. Classrooms designed to build community foster collaboration, empathy, and shared purpose—key ingredients for learning and personal growth in the 21st century.
Today’s next gen school libraries are vibrant, dynamic learning ecosystems that pulse with collaborative energy, technological innovation, and flexible functionality. This transformation represents one of the most significant shifts in educational space design over the past few decades.
It’s 7:30 AM on a rainy Tuesday, and hundreds of students are streaming through your school’s main entrance, their wet sneakers squeaking and slipping on the hallway floors. By noon, the janitor is mopping up the third spill in the cafeteria, and your maintenance budget is taking yet another hit. Meanwhile, in the gymnasium, the basketball team’s practice echoes so loudly that teachers in adjacent classrooms can’t hear themselves think.
The physical environment of a school is far more than bricks, mortar, and classroom furniture—it’s a silent curriculum that profoundly influences how students learn, teachers teach, and communities connect.
In August of 2025, just as schools were about to open their doors for the Fall semester, experts gathered at Harvard to discuss the issue of extreme heat and K-12 education. As heat waves become more common across the US, educators are calling attention to this under-recognized threat to children’s health.
Setting up policies for the privacy, security, and ethical use of student data is not a one and done activity! It is an ongoing process that school districts need to prioritize. Using the Trusted Learning Environment (TLE) process from CoSN provides schools with a tested template that can be used to put in place procedures for keeping student data safe.