Anna Merod

Baltimore

Reporter @K12DiveNews • Proud @DailyOrange/@SyracuseU alum • Email music recommendations and news tips to [email protected] • She/her

Articles

Ransomware attacks surge 69% across global education sector

1 week ago | k12dive.com | Anna Merod

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Ransomware attacks surged 69% in the global education sector for the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year. Some 81 ransomware incidents — both confirmed and unconfirmed — hit education internationally in the first three months of the year, compared to 48 attacks in Q1 of 2024, according to an analysis released Thursday by Comparitech, a cybersecurity and online privacy product review website.
Will end to federal Office of Ed Tech mean an end to equity?

1 week ago | k12dive.com | Anna Merod

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. From internet access to 1:1 devices, ed tech use in schools has grown at a rapid pace since Congress formed the Office of Educational Technology three decades ago within the U.S. Department of Education.
Supreme Court maintains freeze on teacher training grants

2 weeks ago | k12dive.com | Anna Merod

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. In a 5-4 split, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday granted the Trump administration’s emergency request to maintain a freeze on millions of dollars in federal teacher training grants. The administration's emergency application, filed on March 26, asked the justices to vacate a district court judge’s order requiring the U.S. Department of Education to reinstate some of Trump’s $600 million in slashed funding.
House panel weighs AI’s pitfalls, potential as Education Dept cuts loom large

3 weeks ago | k12dive.com | Anna Merod

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Congressional lawmakers appeared torn between embracing artificial intelligence's potential for classroom innovation and worrying about its effect on students' data privacy, biases and critical thinking skills, during a hearing Tuesday on the burgeoning technology's impact on K-12 education.
Education Department cancels ESSER spending extensions

3 weeks ago | k12dive.com | Anna Merod

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Some states are suddenly out hundreds of millions in emergency pandemic funds, as the U.S. Department of Education on Friday rescinded previously approved liquidation extensions for the spending. The abrupt decision, communicated to state education leaders via letter, caught states off guard, given that they are responsible for laying out money for the expenses before they can seek reimbursement from the Education Department.
McMahon: Lack of transparency on ‘ideological indoctrination’ violates FERPA

3 weeks ago | k12dive.com | Anna Merod

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Education leaders must keep parents informed about "ideological indoctrination" in schools to remain compliant with two federal privacy laws, said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in a "Dear Colleague" letter on Friday. If schools want to continue receiving federal funds, McMahon said, they must abide by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment.
As USDA scraps a $600M local food program, an Arizona district looks to next steps

3 weeks ago | k12dive.com | Anna Merod

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. For the past decade, Arizona’s Tucson Unified School District has purchased local produce to serve in its cafeterias.
5 years later: COVID’s impact lingers in school culture

4 weeks ago | k12dive.com | Kara Arundel |Anna Merod

Deciding to reopen schools in the fall of 2020 — during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic — was a controversial decision, but it felt like the right one for Jennifer Blaine, superintendent of Spring Branch Independent School District in Texas. “If you talk to any superintendent, probably one of the most difficult times in any of our professional careers was trying to deal with this, because it was just unprecedented,” Blaine said.
House Democrats push for Education Department closure transparency

1 month ago | k12dive.com | Anna Merod

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Democrats on the House Education and Workforce Committee introduced a resolution on Friday calling for transparency and information from the Trump administration and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on their efforts to shutter the U.S. Department of Education.
10 Trump changes education leaders need to know about

1 month ago | k12dive.com | Naaz Modan |Kara Arundel |Natalie Schwartz |Anna Merod

During the first two months of Donald Trump’s second presidency, a flurry of executive orders and other decisions have sent shock waves through the education sector. The weeks leading up to an expected order on the U.S. Department of Education’s future have seen massive layoffs at the agency, the cancellation of research contracts, shifting guidance, restrictions on DEI efforts and more. Here’s a recap of Trump actions so far that impact K-12 professionals nationwide.