States can choose to not follow the Every Student Succeeds Act but could face the loss of Title I federal funding for noncompliance, which makes up about 10% of overall K-12 funding, writes Alyson Klein. The law cannot be used to close school districts.

A coalition of more than 800 organizations -- led by the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition and the Consortium for School Networking -- is urging the Federal Communications Commission to maintain the Educational Broadband Service. The FCC is considering commercializing the band, which is dedicated to serving educational institutions.

In a campaign email sent Monday, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren pledged that, if elected, she would appoint a former public-school teacher to be secretary of Education. In her letter, she said she wanted someone to lead the Department of Education who has "real teaching experience."

The California State Board of Education has approved new guidelines for sex education in the state, including guidance for discussing homosexuality and transgender identities. Even though the standards are not required to be taught in schools, some opponents say it exposes children to topics that should be taught by parents.

On average, about 67% of education software product licenses are not being used, resulting in about $2 million in wasted funds each school year among the districts examined by Glimpse K12. This could mean that districts nationwide are wasting more than $5.6 billion annually, according to data from the Software & Information Industry Association.

Enrolling in high-quality preschool programs can improve outcomes for a student's siblings and their future children, according to studies from University of Chicago professor James Heckman. Findings show that enrollment in preschool was tied to successful education and employment as well as reduced involvement in crime.

Debates over how best to teach children to read and write have been raging for decades and have been rekindled with a recent surge of media attention on teacher preparation and literacy. Against this backdrop, the authors in NASBE's newest issue of the State Education Standard lay out the complexities inherent to literacy instruction and argue that no single intervention or policy will suffice to close persistent achievement gaps. To move the needle, state policymakers must consider the full spectrum of research and focus on high-quality teacher preparation, continuous professional development, and rich curriculum to meet the needs of all students.

NASBE's Leading for Equity and Excellence Program (LEEP) is now accepting applications for its 2019 national cohort. LEEP is a professional resource for state boards committed to advancing equity in education. Participants will learn to apply an equity lens to policymaking while increasing their capacity to engage in courageous conversations that identify root causes and strengthen state policy. Submit your application by May 22. Also, if you want to recognize a fellow board colleague with a NASBE award this year, or nominate someone to the Board of Directors, please submit your nominations by May 24.