US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is advocating for reduced federal involvement in education and more school choice amid a decline in average reading and math scores from 2017 to 2019 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. DeVos touted the Every Student Succeeds Act as a way for states to funnel more funding into programs designed to boost student achievement.

Students in rural areas often face unique challenges, such as lack of access to advanced courses and resources, according to a report released Thursday by the Rural School and Community Trust. The report finds 9.3 million US students attend rural schools and identifies five priority states: Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

A bill proposed by presidential hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., would provide five-year grants of up to $5 million to school districts serving predominantly low-income families to extend the school day until 6 p.m. The measure proposes the time be spent on extracurricular activities such as music, athletics or engineering to alleviate the need for working parents to find child care.

The California State Board of Education is poised to approve a new Local Control and Accountability Plan template to make it shorter and easier to understand. The new plan, set for adoption in January, will not, however, require districts to itemize their supplemental and concentration spending.

Social media is among the top ways teenagers are exposed to vaping, according to a survey by Common Sense Media. The survey found that about 25% of teenagers said they first learned about vaping on social media and almost 60% said they have seen social media content on vaping, including about 75% of those who use Instagram and Snapchat as well as 64% who use YouTube.

SAT and ACT scores remain important factors in admissions at slightly fewer than half of institutions that responded to a survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. About three-fourths of colleges say students' grades in high school and college-level courses are important factors.

Schools seeking to develop students' social, emotional, and academic skills should consider service learning as one way to help students apply those skills. As of the 2017-18 school year, 37 states and the District of Columbia required or encouraged school districts to offer community service education and service-learning programs. A new NASBE analysis explores how state boards of education are uniquely positioned to support and model such community service initiatives.

Want more information on state policies that support students' academic, physical, emotional, and social well-being? Visit NASBE's State Policy Database on School Health, a library of state policies enacted as of September 2017 for 136 variables aligned align it to the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model. It covers such issues as health education; physical education and physical activity; nutrition environment and services; health services; counseling, psychological, and social services; social and emotional climate; physical environment; employee wellness; family engagement; and community involvement.