Category: News

Introducing the Act 1 Graduation Plan Toolkit: A Framework for Timely Graduation (November 8, 2025)

Webinar: November 21, 2025 | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Navigating graduation requirements for students experiencing school instability can be complex, but Pennsylvania’s Act 1 and a well-designed Graduation Plan offer clear pathways to academic success. This session introduces participants to the new Act 1 Graduation Plan Toolkit, a practical resource designed to help school entities develop Graduation Plans for eligible students. The toolkit includes guidance on key components to include in the plan, strategies to streamline credit assessment, guidance to support decision-making, and a tool to empower students in the development of their own plan. Participants will explore the toolkit’s key features and functions, including its grade-level Graduation Plan template.

Register for “Introducing the Act 1 Graduation Plan Toolkit.”

PA Leads the Nation in Middle School Career Exploration, Ranks Highest in National Study (November 9, 2025)

As a result of the Shapiro Administration’s historic investments in K-12 education and a focus on ensuring that all Pennsylvania students have the skills they need to chart their own course to success, Pennsylvania earned the top spot among all 50 states in a national study of how schools across the country are preparing middle school students for careers.

Building on this progress, in October, Shapiro Administration officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) joined a coalition of teams from Arizona, Kentucky, Washington, and Arkansas to accelerate efforts nationwide to prepare American students for success beyond high school. The coalition formed from the “Extending the Runway” report that ranked Pennsylvania with the highest possible score for middle school career exploration. As part of  the coalition, Pennsylvania is continuing to lead the way by working with our schools on a new career-readiness program that will put students in an advisory role, focus on hands-on learning experiences, and leverage community partnerships. 

The “Extending the Runway” report follows Pennsylvania’s designation as the first state in the nation to meet a performance-based federal indicator for K-12 Career Readiness under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Pennsylvania’s Career Education and Work academic standards require schools to provide all students with meaningful career-exploration opportunities from kindergarten through high school.

In recent years, Pennsylvania has accelerated its nation-leading efforts to prepare young learners for future careers through Career Ready PA, a PDE initiative that facilitates training and resources to support educators with best practices and resources to prepare learners with employability skills necessary for postsecondary success. With a required career plan in grade 8 and strong cross-sector partnerships in every region of the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania is equipping students with the tools, experiences, and guidance they need to explore their interests and build a path toward lifelong success.

At the same time, Pennsylvania is delivering the support our students need to learn, grow, and succeed. The Governor’s 2024-25 bipartisan budget delivered a record $1.1 billion increase in K-12 public education funding — the largest year-over-year increase in Pennsylvania history — strengthening school safety, ensuring fair and adequate funding, supporting educators, and helping every child chart their own path to success.

Pennsylvania is also bringing career and technical education (CTE) back into our classrooms and has increased funding CTE and apprenticeships by $65 million – 50 percent more than the day Governor Shapiro took office. Governor Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal continues to build on this progress and creates more opportunity for Pennsylvania students with another $5.5 million increase for CTE programs.

CTE gives students the opportunity to learn practical, hands-on skills and knowledge directly applicable to in-demand careers across the Commonwealth. CTE students can explore different career pathways, earn industry credentials, college credits, and gain confidence in themselves and their abilities, helping them make informed decisions about future education, career, and life goals — whether it’s pursuing postsecondary education, joining the military, or entering directly into the workforce.

To further assist students in making those decisions, PDE encourages educators and families to visit the Pennsylvania CareerZone website with young learners. This free resource available to all Pennsylvanians – including adults looking to make a career change or pursue a new credential – offers a Pennsylvania-focused tour of the career landscape. Explorers can practice budgeting, research occupations and credentials, assess their personal interests and skillsets, begin building a career plan, and much more.

Pennsylvania is also using CTE to ensure it has a pipeline of new workers in critical industries, like nurses and teachers. For example, the new CTE program in Education for high school students has also shown promise in helping students earn industry-recognized credentials prior to graduating high school.

Fort more, click here.

U.S. Senator Baldwin Introduces Bill to Fund Head Start during Shutdown (November 8, 2025)

From CBS News

On November 7, 2025, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) introduced a bill to restore funding for Head Start programs during the ongoing government shutdown.

“My bill would give families certainty that Head Start and the care it provides will continue,” Baldwin said in a statement provided exclusively to CBS News. “If my Republican colleagues don’t want to sit down and talk about saving 22 million Americans from skyrocketing health care costs, I hope they can at least agree that 750,000 children and their families shouldn’t pay the price for Washington dysfunction.”

The Keep Head Start Funding Act of 2025 would ensure that programs could keep operating even if Congress hasn’t passed new appropriations bills. It would retroactively take effect from September 30th — immediately before government funding lapsed and the shutdown began. 

At least 140 Head Start programs, serving 65,000 children, have not received federal funding to renew grants in October or early November, according to the National Head Start Association. As of November 1st, the organization says 20 programs have partially or fully closed as a result of the shutdown, affecting nearly 10,000 children.

For more from CBS New, click here.

In Response to Executive Order, Pediatricians Release Videos to Explain Importance of Vaccines (November 8, 2025)

 In October, Governor Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2025-02 to safeguard vaccine access for Pennsylvanians and address any confusion caused by recent federal actions regarding vaccine safety and availability — and health care providers, especially pediatricians, are voicing their support for the Governor’s efforts to safeguard vaccine access. 

The Executive Order directs the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PDH) to establish a state-based safety net to protect children’s vaccine access and ensures all state agencies align policies with trusted medical experts, including:

  • Launching a central online vaccine portal
  • Creating a Vaccine Education Workgroup to strengthen public communication and combat misinformation
  • Ensuring continued coverage of recommended vaccines for all Pennsylvanians through Medicaid and private insurance
  • Directing the Departments of Aging and Education to support older adults and schools in following evidence-based vaccine guidance

To those ends, watch Geisinger Women and Children’s Institute Chair of Pediatrics Dr. Frank Maffei and watch St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children Chair of Pediatrics Dr. Renee Turchi discuss why protecting vaccine access is critical for Pennsylvania children.

Use of AI to Create IEPs and 504 Plans is on the Rise, But There Are Risks Involved (November 7, 2025)

According to a white paper from the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), teachers are increasingly using generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support students with disabilities in ways that save time for educators and provide best practices for interventions and clear communication for students and parents. In fact, almost 60% of special education teachers reported using AI to develop an IEP or Section 504 plan during the 2024-25 school year.

However, in doing so there are risks in using AI to craft individualized education programs, including potential violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and privacy laws, as well as possible introduction of inaccuracies and biases. Teachers should be cautious about entering identifiable information of students into AI tools, especially when using ones not vetted and approved by their school system.

According to CDT, although many feel this is an effective and efficient way to create these documents, the risks involved include legal and privacy liabilities. For example, IDEA requires each IEP to be unique and tailored to each students’ disabilities, goals and process for achieving their goals. An AI tool that develops IEPs based on little student-specific information and that is not significantly reviewed and edited by a teacher likely would not meet these IDEA requirements.

Educators and school systems should also be aware of privacy rules under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), IDEA and other state-level privacy policies when using AI tools. Further, any student information included in a query to a chatbot can be collected and likely stored by the chatbot company. In addition, the privacy risks and chance of violating FERPA vary depending on factors like the chatbot version being used and whether the school or district has agreements with vendors that license purpose-built tools, which may have more privacy protections. For more from K-12 Dive, click here.