GreatSchools.org

Families are navigating a fast-changing education landscape, from new technologies to evolving expectations in the classroom. This edition of The Weekly features insights from Rebecca Winthrop and Emma Venetis from The Brookings Institution, exploring how AI is shaping learning and what families should understand as these tools become more common in schoolwork. Read and subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/g8gRCbed #K12Education #FutureOfLearning #GreatSchools

This week's newsletter helps parents identify, address, prevent, and stop bullying to support and protect their child physically, mentally, and emotionally. Read and subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/g8gRCbed #K12Education #GreatSchools #Parenting

Clear information changes how families make decisions. When school data is accessible and understandable, it becomes a tool, not a barrier. That’s the work we’re focused on every day at GreatSchools. #EducationData #K12Leadership #GreatSchools

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of how students complete assignments and get help with schoolwork. But when AI does the work for them, it becomes harder for teachers to see what students actually understand — and where they need support. Over time, that can affect both how learning is guided and the level of trust in the classroom. Parents have an important role to play here. Simple conversations about effort, learning, and responsibility can help students understand that assignments aren’t just about getting the right answer — they’re about building understanding. These tips from Rebecca Winthrop at the The Brookings Institution offer practical ways to start those conversations and help students use AI more thoughtfully. https://bit.ly/3QiqgIC

Parent reviews are one of the most powerful yet underutilized sources of school information. While ratings and data provide an important foundation, they don’t capture the day-to-day experiences families care about: communication, culture, and how a school actually feels. We’ve outlined practical ways schools can build stronger parent review engagement without making it complicated: https://bit.ly/45Kh2Kk #K12Leadership #FamilyEngagement #GreatSchools

Families are navigating more school options, more data, and more decisions than ever before. At GreatSchools, our goal is simple: make that process clearer, more transparent, and easier to navigate. From school profiles to parenting guidance, we’re focused on helping families make confident decisions. GreatSchools.org #K12Education #EducationData #GreatSchools

Finding the right school shouldn’t feel like solving a puzzle. Today, many families start with what’s nearby and work backward, sorting through profiles to figure out what might be a good fit. We’re working to change that. At GreatSchools, we’re building toward a more personalized search experience — one that helps families identify educational options based on their child’s unique needs, interests, and learning style. Because when families have better information, they can make more confident decisions. Thank you to Stand Together for highlighting this exciting and ongoing work! We look forward to sharing more.

Data is only as powerful as our collective ability to see it, understand it, and act on it (alongside parents and communities). Right now, our education system is grappling with a quiet but devastating crisis: chronic absenteeism. Alongside my friend and colleague Jon Deane from GreatSchools.org we say the quiet part aloud in The 74 Media - we can’t solve a problem that remains hidden in spreadsheets or delayed by reporting cycles. To move the needle, we need more than just "data"—we need radical transparency and real-time insights. At Project Unicorn and InnovateEDU, we believe that data must be a bridge, not a barrier. When parents, educators, and community members are looking at the same truth together, we can move from admiring the problem to implementing solutions that keep students in the classroom and on the path to success. Because when we treat data as a shared truth rather than a hidden statistic, we stop simply measuring the crisis and start solving it for every student. Check out the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/gkPS2wyB #Education #DataInteroperability #ChronicAbsenteeism #EdTech

Chronic absenteeism is one of the clearest signals we have about whether students are truly being reached, supported, and set up to succeed. In this new op-ed for The 74 Media, Erin Mote and I make the case for why families, educators, and communities need better access to school-level attendance data. When attendance information is clear, timely, and easy to understand, it can help parents ask better questions, spot patterns earlier, and become stronger partners in solving the problem. At GreatSchools.org, we believe families deserve information that is not only accurate but usable. That’s why we recently introduced year-over-year attendance trend data on school profiles in nearly 20 states (with more to come), focusing the display on simple language that would resonate with families. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gVt37xxX