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Over 300 Texas school districts and charter schools have reported plans to implement the state-created Bluebonnet reading and language arts curriculum, characterized by its integration of biblical passages with more traditional phonics and mathematics education. As per information obtained by The Texas Tribune through an open records request from the Texas Education Agency (TEA), about one-quarter of Texas' 1,207 charters and districts are reviewing the curriculum, though figures might fluctuate before the time it is released formally sometime early in the fall.

For the majority of districts, it is not a matter of ideology. Administrators point to agreement with state learning standards, access to more funds, and deterrence of punitive state action on the basis of student performance on standardized tests. For $60 per pupil, Bluebonnet offers a short-term financial incentive to fiscally strapped districts, offering available funds previously out of reach.

Controversy and academic concerns

Universal application of the program aside, Bluebonnet has been a subject of mass controversy. The criticism is that its reading instructions downplayed historical facts by depicting the Founding Fathers such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to be morally against slavery without mentioning their ownership of slaves. Scriptural citations, including recitation of the biblical creation order, provoked concerns among groups that monitor civil liberties for what they perceive as potential infringements on students' rights against coercion in religion.

Its advocates note that the curriculum historicizes religion in US and world history and offers students carefully crafted, grade-level comprehension of abolition, Juneteenth, the Civil Rights Movement, and Black Texan achievements. Adoption is far from uniform, however: districts and charter schools invoke not challenging enough academics, i.e., phonics and science of reading, even while they implement the curriculum's math.

Implementation is difficult. Teachers have to weigh state alignment against the requirement to retain inclusiveness for multicultural students. Rural, politically conservative districts have found curriculum less difficult to implement, but urban districts are behind. Teachers are encouraged to preview lessons in advance and involve parents openly, thus religious content does not lead to segmentation or feeling excluded in class.

Bluebonnet reflects larger policy currents in Texas, where public schools are increasingly linked with right-wing cultural values. Its enforcement reveals the thin line between funding incentives, state-directed curricula, educational quality, and cultural inclusion. Districts' solutions to these tensions in the months ahead will define classroom life as well as the ongoing national conversation on the place of religion in public schools.

For over a century, the term "back to school" called up near-ritual: The familiar old line of students streaming through doors again into classrooms after summer break, their satchels full of new notebooks, their footsteps clattering off halls lined with chalkboards and lockers.

It was a rhythm that governed communities, economies, and family life, a temporal anchor around which the school year revolved. But it's all gone, disappeared quietly, irrevocably. School no longer has a single building, single calendar, or single pedagogy. It is in libraries and community centers, on electronic screens, in micro-learning centers, and in the very places where curiosity has room to spread.

The rigid, prescriptive, one-size-fits-all old beat has been replaced by a new one: One of choice, flexibility, and the unshakeable resolve of families who will not let tradition define the limitations of their children. In this new brave world, "back to school" is not going back; it is forward to a place where education is not about compliance but about possibility, about flexibility, and about promise of what each child can be.

Transition calendars

The peace of school calendars is past. Labor Day no longer is a hint about when a school year starts. Some schools extend instructional days and school years, and others employ rolling calendars or online semesters. The fragmentation of the school calendar is a sign of an even more profound intellectual change: Education no longer is controlled by tradition but by the needs of students and communities. Learning is adaptive, continuous, and tailored, lightyears from the assembly line days.

The age of choice

Perhaps the most revolutionary shift is who attends which school. Barely more than three-quarters of US students nowadays still retain the district-mandated public school, a whopping decline from almost 90% of previous generations, Forbes states. Parents are rushing to the charter schools, private scholarship schools, cyber schools, and microschools, creating an environment of alternatives to the long-time monopoly in education. These schools offer flexibility, imagination, and individualized learning experiences that allow parents to merge education with the child's talent, objectives, and method of learning.

The unequal bases of opportunity

Systematic inequalities exist even with increasing alternatives. Traditional district schools are supported by a combination of state and local taxes, but the great majority of choice programs have much smaller budgets and the additional cost of facilities. Charter and option schools typically receive a relatively small per-student amount compared to district competitors, limiting their capacity to expand or innovate. These inequalities not only restrict access but are also troublesome under the constitution because unequal spending literally denies families equal promise of an education under the constitution.

Policy and the promise of reform

The policy landscape is gradually changing to suit the needs of education for our times. State transformation and federal policies have increased scholarship accessibility and created new windows of opportunity. Legislation won't fill the gap, though. Actual change comes from diverting funds in place so that money follows the student and not the school. Properly implemented, these kinds of policies can maximize choice results, induce healthy competition, and drive innovation throughout the system.

The revolutionary potential of equity

Choice has introduced revolutionary gains even to collapsing systems. Alternative program students are more engaged, satisfied, and achievement-oriented, and traditional districts improve their offerings in response to competition. Imagine an entire system that is equitable where all students have access to services that they are entitled to, e.g., special learning needs students with disabilities or special students. Imagine a day when alternative schools and charters get equal facilities and operating budgets like district schools. The result would be a revolution: An education system focused on the student, not the bureaucracy. Back to school

The ceremony of returning to the same classroom one day is anachronistic.

Instead stands a living, student-focused vision of learning attuned to individual needs and free from tradition. Families have embraced this new reality; policymakers are now catching up. The challenge before us today is one of budget and policy alignment: that education must be equitable, accessible, and organized to reach the promise of each and every child. The "back to school" days are behind us. The "forward to education" days are here. Whether or not kids will succeed will depend upon whether or not leaders will get on board—or hold on to antiquated paradigms that keep kids fenced in. 

Any phone detected in the possession of a student within school premises will be confiscated. (Photo: Pexels)

The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education has come out with a prohibition on mobile phones within school compounds.

The ban, according to the Ministry, is to guard students from the potential dangers of carrying phones and encourage good behaviour in a secure learning environment.

Schools must confiscate phones

The Ministry also provided guidelines to schools for inspection and confiscation of phones in possession of students.

"Schools must conduct routine inspection campaigns to identify mobile phones. The inspections have to follow the law and be respectful of students' rights. Inspectors cannot touch students; they can only search their bags and personal effects, and students themselves have to present their items to the inspection committee in order to be transparent and respect rights," the school circular stated. 

Parents to be notified

As stated by the Ministry, in case a phone is found in the possession of a student on school premises, it will be seized and the parents alerted to the offense. Parents are also required to sign the official documents attesting to the seizure and return of the phone.

For the first offence by a student, the phone will be taken away for one month, and for repetition, the phone will be taken away until the end of the academic year.

Schools must create awareness

Along with the steps, schools have been instructed to increase awareness programs among students and parents, in particular, regarding confiscation periods and disciplinary actions.

It also threatened schools that non-compliance with these directives is an administrative offense that can expose them to accountability.

Mobile phones are also prohibited in private schools

Although the Ministry of Education directive is for public schools, a number of private schools in the UAE have also issued a similar ban on mobile phones for students.

Dubai-based Emirates International School (EIS) has imposed a ban on the usage of mobile phones within the classroom from this academic term. 

"Students will be required to hand over their phones to the management or refrain from bringing them to school. This (usage of mobile phones) will not be permitted at all until they complete their classes, then retrieve them," Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, owner of EIS, said.

The US Department of Education has formally revoked Biden-era guidance that allowed Federal Work-Study (FWS) funds to be used for some political activities on college campuses. With the new regulations, the money must now be earmarked for work only that offers students actual career experience.

What's different?

Students will not be compensated under FWS for jobs that are related to political or voting activities. These include jobs as poll workers, overseeing voter hotlines, helping out at polling stations, or coordinating rallies—even though the activities were once deemed to be nonpartisan.

"Federal Work Study is intended to give students the chance to gain valuable real-world experience that will help them succeed in the labor market, not as a means of subsidizing political activism on our college and university campuses," said Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent.

Why was the policy reversed?

This ruling unwinds Biden-era guidance that increased the ability of students to engage in civic action through federally funded work.

The new directive complies with Executive Order 14248, Protecting the Integrity of American Elections, and reiterates the Higher Education Act's ban on the use of federal funding for political activity.

New voter registration rules

Colleges are still required to make a "good-faith" effort to provide voter registration forms to qualified students, but no longer need to give forms to persons suspected of being ineligible, like foreign students.

The Department has also encouraged institutions to advise students on voting regulations, including:

US citizens only vote in federal elections.

It is a federal offense to vote more than once or on false pretenses.

Impact on students and colleges

Students who had counted on work-study jobs that were attached to civic activity might have to seek out other jobs or volunteer placements. Schools and universities will need to revise and restart their work-study job listings in order to meet the new standards.

Civic activity programs on campuses, like voter registration drives, will certainly persist but will need new sources of funding outside of FWS appropriations.

Why it matters

Institutions are to institute these changes at once and ensure students know which jobs are still eligible under FWS. Colleges also are being urged to seek other means of voter education and civic engagement without federal funding.

The EducationUSA Fair 2025 at Mumbai saw over 35 U.S. accredited schools in person interacting with Indian students interested in studying in the United States. The education fair was held on August 16, the fair was a gateway to pivotal information on admissions, scholarships, visa application, and school planning—enabling aspirants to make informed choices about their higher education futures.

Organized together by EducationUSA—the official US government advisory system—and the US Consulate in Mumbai, the fair had a good number of Indian students looking for undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD programs. Prestigious institutions like Arizona State University, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, and University of Washington participated in the fair.

The highlight was the directness of learning students gained through verbal interaction. Most prominent issues related to prospects for scholarships, course availability, visa longevity, student housing, and long-term career prospects. Students started showing greater interest in emerging fields such as data science, psychology, and business—in addition to traditional STEM fields.

Representatives like Bradley University's Holly Bland praised the figures, noting that Indian students were becoming open to lesser-known but quality schools. "They're not merely fixated on Ivy Leagues—they're interested in value-based educational possibilities," she said.

Visa issues, though, were foremost in mind. University counselors strongly urged early application and suggested that students prepare carefully for visa interviews. Sarah Burke of Canisius University emphasized that students need to be able to show clarity regarding the programs selected, knowledge of the institution, and academic aspirations within a brief three-minute interview.

For students like Lamees Kazi, who wants to pursue a Master's in Structural Engineering, the fair was not an event—it was an experience that decided her choices. "University reps' interactions gave me real clarity on what to expect educationally as well as in terms of costs," she told The Free Press Journal.

The EducationUSA Fair reminded us that successful student engagement—founded on counseling, openness, and academic advising—can actually convert dreams into action

India's K-12 education system is being re-scripted with unprecedented policy reforms that have the potential to transform the way students are preparing for opportunities in India and across the globe, says Ganesh Kohli, founder of IC3 Movement. From NEP 2020 to Maharashtra's plan to transition most government schools into the CBSE syllabus by 2028, the reforms are bringing the level of schooling at the state level to the global level.

Kohli has referred to Maharashtra's action as a shift and not an academic shift. "It's a gateway to change the student experience," he stated in an interview with The Free Press Journal. "This is a unique opportunity to inject structured career and college counselling into the DNA of our schools." Maharashtra's CBSE switch and the gap in counselling: He cited Maharashtra's consistently high suicide rates among students as one that points to the need.

"A vast majority of students, particularly the state's underprivileged enclaves, have no means of even elementary counselling. The CBSE emphasis on wholesome development gives the best opportunity to implement career and college guidance in government schools. Through access to trained instructors, meditation and mindfulness classes, and early exposure to post-schooling opportunities, we can make sure they not only plan their life but also enjoy doing it. This goes with new CBSE directions.". The board launched a Career Guidance Dashboard and Counselling Hub and Spoke model to connect more-resourced 'hub' schools with smaller 'spoke' schools in an effort to improve counselling access. The programs have been seen as a welcome by schools since they fill an age-old gap in student support.

According to Kohli, school counselling models that integrate are becoming increasingly relevant to schools. IC3 Career and College Counselling Laboratory, for instance, allows the NEP emphasis on flexibility and inter-disciplinary learning on a bigger level while supporting students from middle school through graduation. "These frameworks allow students to build self-knowledge, navigate global routes, and make informed decisions—not just at high school graduation, but along the way," he explained.

This is also facilitated by new ideas, like the IC3 school dramas. These are programs that introduce children to a healthy surrounding where they are able to exercise their creativity, socialize with each other, and develop confidence in themselves. These are all aspects which every university in the world is missing. While that, Maharashtra's introduction of new activity- and skills-based Std I textbooks—from local tales and riddles—is revolutionizing the landscape of early learning. Covering 68 foundational skills, they reflect the experience-, context-driven philosophy promoted by the NEP. Aspirations increasing, preparedness lagging: Policy shifts are inducing a change of heart, asserts Kohli. "We're noticing increasingly more and more students wishing to seek higher education internationally.". But whereas ambitions are on the increase, readiness is diverse, he stated.

Curriculum changes like CBSE's modules for skill-based from Class 6 and its recent announcement to introduce open-book exams for Class 9 from 2026-27 are aimed at instilling critical thinking and eliminating rote learning. But Kohli warns that "unless they have trained teachers and counsellors, most students will find it difficult to translate aspiration into action." He also stresses coordination between the government and schools so reform can be achieved. "Policies like the NEP 2020 and state-led reform are constructing an integrated scholastic architecture, but we must accompany them with strong support infrastructure in career guidance, language abilities, and thinking skills."

Kohli is adamant to start early. "When students begin to explore their future in Grade 6, they make room to think, to inquire, and to grow," he said. This, he feels, can level the metropolitan and rural students. CBSE teacher and school leadership capacity building workshops, he continues, is a good step in the right direction, but much needs to be done. "The NEP appeal to introduce career guidance at middle school level is timely. If students in resource-poor areas are adequately exposed and guided, then they are as driven and can pursue global opportunities."

What's next?

Kohli dreams of three straightforward trajectories of policy driving India's schools: More skills-driven education—incorporating vocational and 21st-century skills as a core element of the curriculum. Guidance and college and career guidance as a mandate—with funding and direct instructions for trained school counsellors in all schools. Mental health and wellbeing—more than hype and publicity campaigns to systematic interventions like mindfulness training, peer counselling, and trained staff to help. "These reforms, if implemented with success, will not merely make Indian students pass with the educational qualifications but with the life skills to compete on a global platform," Kohli asserted.