Friday News Roundup

It’s Friday. Time for the Roundup.

Exclusive: New Google Partnership a “Sizable Investment” in AI for Teachers (The 74)

Teacher training is essential whenever new technology is introduced into the classroom – especially when it comes to artificial intelligence.

According to The 74,

“A top professional organization for teachers [ISTE+ASCD] has inked a three-year deal with Google to offer AI training to ‘all six million K-12 teachers and higher education faculty’ in the U.S., an audacious undertaking by the tech giant that could reach millions of students and dwarf previous tech forays into education.”

“It’s the latest in a series of large-scale teacher training initiatives over the past few months. In July, the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s second-largest teachers union, announced its own $23 million National Academy for AI Instruction, partnering with Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic to train up to 400,000 educators.”

“Commons” Founders Say Phone-Free Schools Rob Kids of Agency (The 74)

The 74  reported this week that,

“Over the past few years, the phone-free schools movement has rapidly gained steam, with states and school districts pushing to limit smartphone access during school hours. As of early 2026, 38 states and Washington, D.C., have restricted or banned student mobile phone usage in K-12 classrooms. Companies like Los Angeles-based Yondr, which offer special magnetic pouches that lock phones away, are experiencing brisk business.”

“While the policies are almost uniformly popular, a few observers see a downside. The movement ‘happened so quickly there wasn’t a thoughtful, nuanced approach’ to the problem of helping young people manage digital distraction, said Julia Gustafson, a public health expert who spent five years developing school partnerships for Yondr.”

“She and partner Shannon Godfrey last year founded The Commons, a technical solution to distraction that they believe offers the benefits of a bell-to-bell mobile phone ban that also teaches students how to manage their digital habits and learn skills that give them greater agency without hiding their devices in a pouch.”

“On its website, The Commons describes itself as ‘airplane mode for schools,’ creating what amounts to a large geofence around a campus that essentially turns off the Internet during the school day. Schools can ‘whitelist’ sites they need, such as Google Classroom, Khan Academy, Duolingo and the like, but others are inaccessible. Students keep their phones with them, but they must adjust the app’s settings to turn individual apps or games on.”

“Students who look for ways around the system trigger a notification that offers a ‘nudge,’ giving them the opportunity to turn the apps off. If they don’t, alerts go to administrators, who can easily track down the student and address the issue.”

Instead of banning cellphones as the final solution, it seems like The Commons app may teach young learners responsibility about cellphone use during the learning day.

Why One School Is Leading the Return to Cursive (EdWeek)

How many of us still practice “cursive” writing?

“When states in 2010 introduced the Common Core State Standards, which didn’t include cursive writing, most schools abandoned the flowy form of writing altogether. But cursive has begun making a comeback recently, and students at one elementary school in Georgia are embracing it.”

“Powers Ferry Elementary, in Georgia’s Cobb County school district, has taken up cursive with gusto. It was the only school in its district to receive the Georgia education department’s 2024-25 John Hancock Banner and Ribbon of Distinction, an award recognizing schools in which at least 90% of students can write both their name and the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution in cursive….”

That’s the Roundup for this week. Enjoy your weekend. Til Monday. SVB