Hi! It’s Lily and Erica on the national desk. Today’s big story is about what could be a big source of funding for public and private schools alike — the upcoming federal education tax credit. Keep reading for more on the aftermath of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ viral essay, and to find out what researchers say could be critical to stop superintendent churn. 

Are you reading this on a phone or laptop? Are you an AI chatbot? Do you think any of those things belong in the classroom? You’ve got opinions, we can offer some context: Join us tomorrow, Oct. 1, for a members-only conversation about the tension between AI adoption and the backlash to screens. This event is for Chalkbeat members. Donate any amount to become a member, support Chalkbeat’s independent education journalism, and reserve your spot.

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Many believe the new federal tax credit is a means for the federal government to expand private school choice. But a growing number of public school leaders and supporters are envisioning ways their students can benefit from the credit, too.

Some of them are launching scholarship-granting organizations to help districts and charters cover services often seen as “extra” for students, such as SAT tutoring, field trips, or summer camp. One school finance expert has suggested school districts think outside of the box to use tax credit money to help their students and their bottom line. 

But there are skeptics of the idea that the tax credit represents a big new pot of money for public education.

“This money will disproportionately flow to private school families, and to the extent it flows to public school families, it will disproportionately flow to better off families,” said Jon Valant, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution, a think tank.

There are still unknowns about how the program will work. The U.S. Department of Treasury is expected to release more specific rules governing the program by the end of September. If you don’t have a calendar handy, that’s today. We plan on digging in — so send us your questions.

Read the full story here.

Nikole Hannah-Jones’ essay about her daughter’s experience in New York City public schools has ignited a national dialogue about education and parents’ choices. From the trade-offs Black parents face in enrolling their children in predominantly white schools to the modern value of school integration, the piece definitely has people talking.

New York City’s mayor also read Hannah-Jones’ viral essay. While Mayor Zohran Mamdani found the piece “devastating,” and said improving the system is an “urgent necessity,” he offered little in the way of concrete policy during a local radio interview. He did say that he would implement recommendations from a task force about school diversity. But Hannah-Jones told Chalkbeat that she worries such a move is a stalling tactic. Nine months into his administration, Mamdani hasn’t focused a lot on improving the nation’s largest school district. 

A group of California lawmakers is renewing a push to keep immigration enforcement agents away from schools. In the first few months of the school year, districts and communities say ICE agents have arrested parents outside of school bus stops, near elementary schools, and have stranded students at school while their parents are detained. Department of Homeland Security officials continue to say that they are not targeting schools or bus stops.

Changes to federal Title IX rules announced this week may preview even bigger shifts ahead. The U.S. Department of Education formally rescinded Biden-era Title IX rules, which had sought to expand protections for LGBTQ students. The move officially brings back rules from the first Trump administration, although the department has been operating under those rules for a while.But experts say it’s likely the administration isn’t done tinkering with Title IX, a civil rights law that’s been subject to an extended case of regulatory whiplash.

Every student brings to the classroom different background knowledge and learning needs. Modern research suggests that multimodal instruction — combining modalities and learning experiences to support access and understanding — can reduce learning barriers, especially for students with disabilities and language-learning needs.

Join us for a conversation focused on what the research shows about how students engage with, interpret, and communicate understanding across different formats and walk away with a practical framework for building multimodal instruction into everyday teaching.

As more state school voucher programs go universal, more candidates running for governor are putting vouchers front-and-center while campaigning.

For Texas Democrat Gina Hinojosa, discontent over the state’s new voucher system and other public education issues represent an opening to coax conservative moms to her side, The 19th reported. Like many politicians, Hinojosa’s argument to improve schools comes from direct experience.

“I’m a mom, and I have a son who is 21 and I have a son who is 14, and I have seen the deterioration of our public schools in that time,” said Hinojosa, who is also a state representative.

Texas’ voucher program has exploded in its first year, with more than 100,000 families participating. Hinojosa has campaigned to end the program, which is a signature policy for her Republican opponent Gov. Greg Abbott.

Other states are experiencing similar divides. In Iowa, State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat running for governor against Republican Zach Lahn, is aggressively campaigning against that state’s education savings account. In Tennessee, Democratic Memphis City Council member Jerri Green has pledged to defund the state’s voucher program if elected governor, while Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn wants to expand it. Alabama’s voucher program is set to go universal at the beginning of next year, and has similarly split the state’s two candidates for governor.

That’s the proportion of parents who said they would support teaching public K-12 students how to use AI tools effectively in a National Parents Union survey released this week. Like other polling, the results illustrate an important nuance in the backlash against education technology: Many parents support some degree of technology in the classroom, but want limits and evidence that the tech used is effective.

That’s Bill Stoudt, a judge in Gregg County, Texas, speaking on the different ways 4-H programs educate students. Enrollment in 4-H programs in East Texas has grown by nearly 70% in the last eight years, and officials believe expanding 4-H beyond traditional agriculture topics is a part of that growth.