The Goodnewspaper The 2025 Education Edition

Like many young girls who had a knack for spelling tests and chapter books, I spent my elementary years believing I would grow up to be an English teacher. As I got older, I quickly realized I did not have what it takes: deep, fortified patience, empathy that extends to even the most irritable of interrupters, and a talent for explaining some of the world’s most complicated topics in engaging, easy-to-understand ways. My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Dayna Derichs, was such a wonderful teacher that the bar will forever be set by her earnest and joyful example. She instilled in me an optimistic worldview, a lifelong love of learning, a heart for justice, and the confidence I needed to become a writer — and the person — I am today.…

A new study from researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology uncovered an astounding truth: Every extra year of schooling — from primary school to university -lowers a person’s risk of mortality by roughly 2%, regardless of age, gender, or location. “Education is important in its own right, not just for its benefits to health, but now being able to quantify the magnitude of this benefit is a significant development,” Dr. Terje Andreas Eikemo, the study’s co-author, told The Guardian. The data solidified earlier findings from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. That study, which pulled data from 3,110 counties between 2000 and 2019, marked the first comprehensive look at life expectancy by education at a county level across the United States. Alarmingly, lead researcher Laura Dwyer-Lindgren…

Every year, Kristina Ulmer gives each of her ninth-grade students a $20 bill. They can spend it however they choose, with just a single stipulation: It must fund an act of kindness. It’s a tradition that the Pennsylvania English teacher has been keeping for nearly a decade, after she lost her 29-year-old sister Katie in a car accident. Katie had left behind a $100 waitressing tip in her wallet, and Ulmer wanted to use it for something special in her sister’s honor. So she matched the money with her own savings and distributed it to her students, challenging them to use it for good. “I want them to make connections to the people around them,” Ulmer told CBC News. “I wanted them to notice that, you know, people around them…

In November 2024, residents in St. John’s County, Florida, overwhelmingly backed a property tax hike reserved for boosting teacher salaries, increasing school safety, and expanding student programs. The county’s teachers’ union estimated that it would generate $23.7 million specifically for better teacher pay. “It is huge for St. Johns County and we are thrilled and we are grateful,” Kate Dowdie, president of the St. Johns Education Association, told Action News Jax. The newly padded paychecks range based on teacher experience, from teachers with less than five years of experience receiving a $4,500 boost, to teachers with more than 21 years under their belt getting up to $8,888. Checks will be distributed over the course of 10 to 12 months, during the 2025-26 school year. For teachers in the county, that…

GOOD Thank a teacher who’s made a difference in your life. A note or email can go a long way in showing appreciation, whether they taught you in college or kindergarten. teachingawards.com/about-us/thank-a-teacher BETTER Donate to the National Education Association Foundation to support public school educators and their districts as they face the unique teaching challenges of the day. neafoundation.org BEST Support public schools by standing up for everyone’s right to a public education. Advocacy groups like Public Funds For Public School have lots of resources and bill trackers to help you stay informed. pfps.org/advocacy…

School shootings like the tragedies in Winder, Georgia, and Uvalde, Texas, are all too common. And every fall, students like Lesley Andujar at Danbury’s Broadview Middle School take what they see in the news and channel it into change through Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit that helps students, teachers, and parents recognize the warning signs of gun violence, funds critical research into gun safety, and advocates for stricter gun law policies. Andujar, a seventh grader who has seen sadness and frustration mirrored in her peers, believes the real issue is isolation. “Maybe … they just need somebody to talk to,” she told the CT Mirror. “They feel alone and they feel isolated.” This feeling of isolation is one that Sandy Hook Promise counselor Christine Miller has spent years helping children…