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School milk carton shortage may last until end of school year, unbranded packaging eases supply pressure
The widespread packaging shortage that affected 2023 has continued into the new year. Domestic dairies, schools, and others are still plagued by a shortage of half-pint cartons that has lasted for months. Although predictions suggest the issue may not be resolved before the end of the school year, some assistance has already arrived. Some sources indicate that Pactiv Evergreen's closure of its Olmsted Falls, Ohio, plant last year is one possible cause of the supply disruption.
2023 School Shootings Hit New High: Data and Definition Disputes
The number of school shootings in 2023 reached a new historical high for the third consecutive year. As of December 20, the K-12 School Shooting Database has recorded about 340 incidents. Despite the overall increase, deaths from mass shootings were lower than in 2022. Differences in definitions of school shootings among various organizations have caused data confusion, and experts call for a unified federal definition to improve prevention and response efforts.
Direct Admission Policies Gain Momentum: How U.S. Colleges Use Automatic Admissions to Address Enrollment Challenges
Facing declining higher education enrollment rates and low student confidence, multiple U.S. states and colleges have begun implementing direct admission policies, which automatically send admission offers based on students' existing academic records. Since Idaho first implemented this in 2015, it has shown initial results; Common App also piloted it in 2021 and recently expanded it to 70 institutions. However, research indicates that the policy has limited impact on overall enrollment rates and requires complementary financial aid and support measures to achieve greater effectiveness.
Achieving Equity in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Feasible Paths to Addressing Racial Disproportionality in Special Education
When the Mt. Diablo Unified School District was identified in 2021 for having a disproportionate rate of identifying Black students as having intellectual disabilities, only 23 of the district's nearly 29,000 students were Black students in that category. This article examines how the district addressed the imbalance through systematic reviews, funding investments, and community partnerships, and extends to technical assistance and data improvements at the California state and federal levels, arguing that addressing disproportionality requires moving beyond short-term 'declassification' thinking toward lasting cultural and systemic change.
Equity Challenges Under the IDEA Framework: Why Racial Disparities in Special Education Continue to Widen
In recent years, racial disproportionality in K-12 special education in the United States has become increasingly prominent. Federal data indicates that the number of districts identified with "significant disproportionality" grew by nearly 100% between the 2018-19 and 2020-21 school years. Using the case of California's Mt. Diablo Unified School District, this article explores the context of widening racial disparities, the complexity of measurement mechanisms, and the controversies and resistance encountered in policy implementation.
A wave of lawsuits by U.S. school districts against social media companies is coming, accusing them of exacerbating the teenage mental health crisis
About 40 school districts across the United States have filed lawsuits against social media companies, accusing their apps of being addictive, harming students' mental health, and negatively impacting school and government resources. The cases have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, with a total of about 235 plaintiffs.