Renaissance has launched the Flocabulary Student Voice Rap Contest, inviting students to create rap songs about historical figures who inspire them. The contest aims to enhance student engagement and writing skills through hip-hop, with winning entries turned into Flocabulary video lessons and shared with 20,000 schools during National Poetry Month.

AI tools can help teachers efficiently personalize instruction for diverse learners, writes elementary school tech coach Debbie Tannenbaum, describing how to incorporate the technology into the Universal Design for Learning framework. Tannenbaum details how educators can quickly tailor activities and prompts to foster engagement, representation and action.

Connecticut Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas has introduced an online civics course, "The Power of Civics," aimed at boosting civic engagement beyond voting. The course covers topics such as the legislative process, community engagement and interacting with elected officials, with Thomas emphasizing that the initiative is about community involvement, not politics, addressing concerns about potential politicization of civic education.

The STEM gender gap is re-emerging, with girls' scores in eighth-grade math and science declining more sharply than boys' since the pandemic. This widening gap starts as early as middle school and extends into high school, where girls are underrepresented in advanced STEM classes. Girls comprise only 34% of AP computer science classes in high school, which correlates with women holding just 35% of STEM jobs in the US.

A report from RAND Corp. indicates that nearly 75% of principals believe cellphone bans improve school climate, citing reductions in inappropriate behavior, cyberbullying and distractions during emergencies. However, 21% of principals note increased parental concerns about communication during emergencies.