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While it’s always been fraught, these days, sex ed finds itself in a painfully awkward moment. Teens can probably relate.
In American schools, sex education hasn’t changed much recently. Yet, the context around it has. The rise of private school alternatives has only fueled the link between ZIP code and what sex education a student receives. And the U.S. Supreme Court strongly backed parents’ decisions to “opt-out” their children from learning about LGBTQ and gender-expression issues, in Mahmoud v. Taylor, making lessons on these topics more logistically difficult.
But social and technological changes are having an impact, too. For instance, even as students date — and sext with chatbots — many students may be turning to Reddit groups like “MyBoyfriendIsAI.”
You can see why sex ed teachers are in a pinch.
In this context, Michigan’s Department of Education revised its health education standards in a way that boosted the legitimacy of sexual orientation and gender identity lessons, reports Claire Woodcock. It only passed after a tense disinformation campaign failed to kill it.
Under these pressures, the future of sex ed is contested. In some sense, given the history of the subject, that means more of the same for those who teach it.
Read more at EdSurge.
— Daniel Mollenkamp, EdSurge reporter |
📣 TOP STORIES
ONE TO WATCH: New Mexico and Vermont recently made splashy funding announcements to push early-childhood programs forward. Maryland, which has been charting its own path for years, recently received its own attention after one county's $10 million initiative. How are states pulling these experiments off?
CLINGING ON: Districts find it can be tough to shed old edtech, even after contracts end and the technology has lost relevance. Worse, school tech chiefs spend hours chasing down guarantees that student data has been purged, only to be met with hollow verbal assurances or outright ghosting. Protecting kids’ data is our sacred duty, one IT director said: “If it could get compromised, that’s not OK.”
Sponsored by ISTE+ASCD
BEYOND AI SHORTCUTS: When students use AI to solve problems
and get wrong answers, it can spark deeper learning. In K-12 classrooms, educators are using chatbots, simulations and AI-generated guides to scaffold complex tasks, grow critical thinking and build students’ confidence with challenging work. |
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ADMITTING AI: A 2024 study found about 1 in 3 students and teachers reported using generative AI for college admissions essays or recommendation letters. Researchers say students want to experiment with the tools but often lack guidance on boundaries. Find out more in this EdSurge video short. |
🗞️ IN OTHER NEWS
DAZED AND CONFUSED: Between the Trump administration’s orders and memos against diversity, equity and inclusion policies and the corresponding court actions against withholding federal money over DEI, school districts are caught in a dizzying legal maze. Education leaders are reading the fine print and tracking the lawsuits.
POWERED BY STUDENTS: “Nothing here moves by luck, and everything is driven by student effort,” says EdSurge Voices of Change fellow Patrice Wade. When Wade opened her school’s tech lab to students for a free summer STEM program, she didn’t just teach coding: she built confidence, community and a lasting legacy.
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🔗WHAT WE'RE READING
Amid a buildup of civil rights complaints, the Education Department called back attorneys it had fired. (NPR)
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s advisory panel scrapped long-standing guidance on the hepatitis B vaccine. For children, experts warn it’s “turned back the clock.” (Reuters)
Florida’s state auditor found problems in its voucher program, the largest in the country, including that the state struggled to track 30,000 students and $270 million. (The Washington Post) |
📈 STORY IN A STAT
2 to 3 Weeks
The amount of increased math learning students picked up on average in 2022-2023 summer school programs, according to a recent report from the research organization NWEA. The report inspected students in summer school in 10 big districts, finding that summer school didn’t make a difference in reading but caused these “modest” gains in math performance. Many of those districts weren’t following best practices. Nevertheless, the intervention is easy to scale and may represent “a reliable intervention for supporting district-wide math recovery,” NWEA concluded.
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Events
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What is Next for K12 Communication? A First Look at ClassDojo for Districts 2026 Features | December 11 | Online
A no-cost Learn with Leaders webinar hosted by ClassDojo for Districts, designed for district and school leaders who want a clearer, more consistent, and connected communication experience across every school.
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and innovative practices shaping teaching and learning. |
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