🎓 The SuperBriefDaily Education News for School Leaders | Good morning! It's Wednesday, January 21, 2026. Your daily briefing on what's shaping K-12 education. | 💡 Quote of the Day "The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives." — Robert M. Hutchins | ⚡ Quick ReadsSecretary McMahon Releases 'Year One' Statement: 'Buckle Up' On the one-year anniversary of the administration, Secretary Linda McMahon issued a defiant statement celebrating the 'disruption' of federal bureaucracy and promising aggressive new Title IX enforcem... Read more → | U.S. Dept. of Education Bipartisan Budget Deal Rejects Cuts to Dept. of Education Congressional leaders reached a deal yesterday to fund the Dept. of Education at $79 billion for FY2026, effectively blocking the administration's proposal to dissolve key federal K-12 programs. Read more → | K-12 Dive Teachers Placed on Leave Over Viral Posts Mocking Charlie Kirk Districts in Alabama and Texas have placed educators on administrative leave after TikTok videos surfaced showing them celebrating the death of the conservative activist, sparking a national debate on... Read more → | Education Week South Dakota 'Student Violence' Bill Deferred by Committee The House Education Committee voted unanimously to postpone action on HB 1017, which would have expanded administrator power to remove disruptive students, citing a need for more clear definitions. Read more → | South Dakota News Watch Tennessee to Pilot White House 'Student Verification' Agenda State GOP leaders announced Tennessee will be the first state to test a new federal initiative requiring schools to verify the citizenship status of K-12 students. Read more → | Chalkbeat Tennessee Why California universities are still ‘on edge’ after Newsom proposed large budget increases After getting less funding than expected in recent years, the University of California and California State University say they need more from the state this year to support enrollment growth. Read more → | EdSource (California) Federal oversight shift further disadvantages California students The Trump administration’s decision to move oversight of Title I, created to address the effects of poverty on learning, from the U.S. Department of Education to the Department of Labor will disrupt h... Read more → | EdSource (California) |
| 📰 Today's Top Stories📚 Opinion: Why Native American Curriculum Should be Taught Throughout K-12 Education Annawon Weeden cuts an imposing figure, arriving at my classroom wearing a black T-shirt that says “Party Like It’s 1491,” a hat ringed with purple and white wampum, and New Balances,. Students launch into their questions: “Why did you become an activist?” “Do you ever think of giving up when oth... Read more → | The 74 Million 💰 Bipartisan K-12 budget proposal would stall gutting of Education Department Senate and House leaders reject Trump administration plans to outsource management of Education Department programming. Read more → | K-12 Dive 📰 Week In Review: School shootings drop and SCOTUS hears trans athletics cases We’re rounding up last week’s news, from a slew of new Title IX probes to debates over tech in schools. Read more → | K-12 Dive 🗳️ The Education Exchange: Private-School Choice Loses When Voters Asked to Decide Paul E. Peterson interviews Vladimir Kogan, professor of Political Science at The Ohio State University. The post The Education Exchange: Private-School Choice Loses When Voters Asked to Decide appeared first on Education Next. Read more → | Education Next (Harvard) 📖 A closer look at the results of Ohio’s science of reading audits It’s been nearly three years since policymakers established Ohio’s science of reading initiative. The sweeping statewide effort requires public schools to use state-approved high-quality instructional materials, calls on teachers and administrators to complete professional development, and tasks ... Read more → | Fordham Institute (The Gadfly) 📰 Tutoring works when it’s done well. Period. Editor’s note: This was first published in SCHOOLED, Mike Petrilli’s Substack, which hosts weekly education-reform conversations around K–12’s biggest topics. I’ve been deep in the tutoring space for four years now. Accelerate funds promising programs, research, and policy development in an effor... Read more → | Fordham Institute (The Gadfly) 💰 Proposals to expand Missouri private school voucher program meet tight budget Missouri lawmakers are considering expanding the state’s private school voucher program with proposals to open eligibility and remove demands on private schools who accept voucher funds. But the program, which has spent a majority of the $50 million it received in state funding this fiscal year, ... Read more → | Missouri Independent Education | 📊 Quick Poll How are you addressing AI in your schools? Reply to this email with your answer! | 🌐 What Educators Are Saying Online🔴 From Reddit "Update on HB 1017 (The 'Student Violence' Bill): It got deferred! The committee voted to postpone it because the definition of 'disruptive behavior' was too vague. Huge win for SpEd advocates who s..." — u/u/DakotaTeacher26View → 🐦 From Twitter/X "BREAKING: Tennessee Republicans unveil 'Immigration 2026' agenda. The package would require K-12 schools to verify student immigration status, a move critics say challenges the Plyler v. Doe preced..." — @@ChalkbeatTNView → "I sent a letter to Secretary McMahon demanding she reverse the cancellation of Full-Service Community Schools grants. We cannot strip funding from our most vulnerable districts. #Education #Paterson" — @@RepNelliePouView → 🦋 From Bluesky "The transcript for West Virginia v. B.P.J. (transgender athletes case) is now available. Oral arguments were held Jan 13. A decision is expected by June. Link below." — @@scotusblog.bsky.socialView → | | 📅 Upcoming EventsTASA Midwinter Conference 2026 📍 Austin, TX • 🗓️ Jan 25-27, 2026 • TASA Learn More → • In 4 days AASA National Conference on Education 2026 📍 New Orleans, LA • 🗓️ Feb 19-21, 2026 • AASA, The School Superintendents Association Learn More → • In 29 days SXSW EDU 2026 📍 Austin, TX • 🗓️ Mar 02-05, 2026 • SXSW Learn More → ASCD Annual Conference 2026 📍 Atlanta, GA • 🗓️ Mar 20-23, 2026 • ASCD Learn More → CoSN Annual Conference 2026 📍 Denver, CO • 🗓️ Mar 29 - Apr 01, 2026 • Consortium for School Networking Learn More → Have an event to share? Email us | Someone you know needs to see this. Only you can send it. 📧 Forward to a Colleague | Thanks for reading! We'll be back tomorrow with fresh stories from the world of education. 💬 Feedback? Have a story, appointment, or trend your colleagues should know? Reply to this email. | 📬 You're reading The SuperBrief A daily executive digest crafted for superintendents, board chairs, and education leaders navigating K–12 at the speed of policy. © 2026 The SuperBrief. All rights reserved. |
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