Today is the traditional start of the new school year, though in reality more than two-thirds of the nation’s 55 million students returned to class in August or even July. This fall, children, teachers and parents are facing new rules restricting cellphone use and grappling with generative A.I. They’re at the center of new culture wars over diversity and religion. And they’re watching to see whether President Trump will follow through on his vows to shutter the federal Education Department and further expand private school vouchers.
We invited Morning readers to submit questions about K-12 schools. To answer them, we enlisted our beat experts: Sarah Mervosh and Dana Goldstein, both national education reporters; Troy Closson, who covers schools in New York; and Natasha Singer, who writes about A.I. and other technology.
Inside the classroom
How will the closure of the federal Education Department affect special education? | Carla Nelson, Minnetonka, Minn.
Sarah: Good question, Carla, and one that a lot of readers sent in. We are not expecting significant changes to the amount of federal funding for students with disabilities. Whether that money ultimately gets moved to another federal department, it’s too soon to say. Remember: Only Congress can actually close the Department of Education. But the Trump administration has already cut the department’s staff by about half, which could hinder its ability to investigate complaints of discrimination. That is something we will be closely watching this school year.
It won’t work to ban generative A.I., just like it didn’t work to ban the internet 25 years ago. How can schools teach students to learn with it and develop the competence that future jobs will demand? | Lisa Holubar, Evanston, Ill.
Natasha: A.I. is developing so fast that nobody, including A.I. makers like OpenAI, know what future workers will need to know. Schools even less so. It may be that the best way to prepare kids for the future is to encourage creativity and other human skills that chatbots can’t match.