The 802 Ed
What's going on in Vermont education policy and practice
Welcome back, and welcome to the new school year!
This issue of the 802 Ed covers many topics that are immediately useful like on-boarding guidance to help integrate new assistant principals, tips from a clinical psychologist on how to support students as they transition back to school, and a new two-prong test for Vermont’s independent schools to qualify for public funding, potentially tightening access. Be sure to check out a federal judge’s recent ruling that schools are no longer required to certify compliance with the administration’s ban on using race in decision-making!
New to the lingo? At the suggestion of a reader we include a guide to common abbreviations, just scroll down past the news.
- Steven Berbeco, Editor
School Leadership
Effective On-Boarding. Edutopia offers practical advice on supporting a new assistant principal, and the suggestions are applicable to many other roles in the school, too.
Locked out. The Brattleboro Reformer gets the scoop on a school bus driver strike and “temporary lockout” at the bus yard just days before the start of the new school year.
Racial Bias in Early Math. The Hechinger Report interviews members of a research team that is looking into how beliefs shape young learners’ experience in the classroom, especially at a politically fragile time.
Back-to-School Tips. WCAX hands the mic to a clinical psychologist, who offers suggestions on supporting students going back into the classroom.
This Is Just A Drill. Education Week gives advice on how to run an active shooter drill, with suggestions gathered from a recently published National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report.
English Above All. K-12 Dive briefs us on a recent decision by the U.S. Department of Education to rescind guidance that English language learners “have equal access to a high-quality education.”
Fewer Dollars for Religious Schools. VT Digger unpacks Act 73, recently signed into law, and a new two-prong test for independent schools to be eligible for public funding.
“Biggest Governance Reform in 100-And-Something Years.”Vermont Public covers the launch of the 11-member Vermont School District Redistricting Task Force, tasked with developing redistricting options for the legislature to consider: “This is a two-year work job being consolidated into four months.” This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it
Negotiating Beyond Salary. Higher Ed Jobs offers ideas for a school or district leader’s contract that can help ensure a successful new position. [Ed. For example, I asked to include paid lessons to learn the local language when I worked as a superintendent.]
Fast-Tracking Aspiring Teachers. Education Week checks in on research into the effects of loosening teaching credential requirements: “It’s not a slam dunk that the licensure requirements are definitely boosting teacher quality, but they are definitely limiting supply, especially for teachers of color.”
Best Case for AI. BBC interviews the founder of Khan Academy on the up-side of artificial intelligence’s arrival to the classroom.
Benefits of Assigned Seating. Edutopia reminds us of research that supports strategic seating arrangements in the classroom. Thanks for the tip, VPA!
Exiting Public Schools. The New York Times digs into the motivations of many families that choose private, charter, and other independent schools over their local public schools. Gift link
Unlawful to Bar Diversity Programs. Politico keeps us up to date on a federal judge’s ruling that removes the U.S. Department’s demand that schools certify they are complying with the federal administration’s prohibition against using race in decision-making.
Ed Labs Back On-Line. Education Week reports that a federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Education to restore funding to Regional Educational Laboratories programs, as well as nationwide Comprehensive Centers that provide technical assistance to states and schools.
Heads Up, Vermont. States are taking innovative steps to support their students and Vermont school leaders and lawmakers should take note:
Schools in Texas are offering a four-day school week as a teacher perk.
A charter school in Indianapolis discovered that food can be a strong motivator: absenteeism was lowest on days when biscuits and gravy were served.
Indiana is trying to make apprenticeships part of all its high schools: “College is important and I’m not dissing on that. But it’s not necessarily something that you need.”
School Shootings in 2025. Education Week’s tracker has logged seven school shootings in 2025: “On May 7, a 15-year-old student accidentally shot another 15-year-old student on a school bus outside Thurston High School in Redford, Mich.” Total school shootings in 2024: 39. As a reminder, DPS and AOE operate an anonymous school safety tip line for students, school staff, and their community: calling 1-844-SAFE4VT; texting SAFE4VT to 274637; or online at safe4vt.org. For questions about school safety training in Vermont, contact Sunni Erikson.
Buzz On The Street
This sections highlights recent op-eds and letters to the editor about education.
Jen Colman points to the important role of mentors in supporting youth mental health between school and home: “It’s time for Vermont to get creative in how we approach our youth mental health crisis.”
Laura Cannon argues that local school boards are a cornerstone of a healthy democracy: “Much of Vermont is rural. Our education system should reflect that and be accessible for rural families.”
Betsy Brigham checks the math on the assumption that education costs less at scale: “There is no correlation between school size and cost in Vermont's public schools.”
Reader Survey
In each issue we ask a survey question to get a sense of what is on our readers’ minds. Then, the following issue, we report back on what we learned.
Last issue we asked: What do you think will come of the School District Redistricting Task Force’s efforts? Responses were strongest for Several options that no one seems to like, with half as many readers selecting The whole thing just goes away. A few readers chose the most optimistic option A solid set of reasonable options for redistricting.
This issue’s survey question: What is the best part of the first day of school? Please indicate your response by clicking a check mark.
✅ The excitement of the new school year
✅ Snacks - it’s all about the snacks
✅ Only 80 school days until Winter Break
Thank you to the reader I chatted with in a library who suggested that survey question. What’s on your mind? Suggest a survey question to find out how your colleagues respond in an upcoming issue of the 802 Ed!
How Ya Doin’?
The start of the school year can be challenging for many reasons. It may be helpful to look for support around personal and professional issues. If you would like to schedule a time to talk with a rostered psychotherapist and VPA mentor, we can work on making small but significant steps that promote self-care, communication, and control. Sponsored by 802 Ed
Listen Up
Check out the 802 Ed’s conversation-style podcast! Generated by Notebook LM
Job Listings
Supercharge The Applicant Pool. The market for school staff in Vermont is fierce and it’s important to stand out when attracting quality candidates. Why get wedged in among thousands of open positions on SchoolSpring? Your opportunity can stand out in an upcoming issue of the 802 Ed, dropping into the Inbox of thousands of readers. Sponsored by 802 Ed
School Leader Vacancies. The 802 Ed tracks open school leader positions, like principal and assistant principal, that are turning over. Last year there were 65 positions, and we’ll keep you up to date on what’s happening this school year, too.
The Big List. Josh Czupryk compiles and publishes a monthly spreadsheet with more than 600 job opportunities for remote work in K-12 education.
Looking for a Change? With so many open positions in Vermont’s education scene, there are sometimes unusual opportunities. For example, the Department of Corrections published an RFP for someone to offer barbering and cosmetology classes in the state’s correctional facilities.
Thank The Team
You read it, you love it, and now is a good time to say thanks. Cover our coffee budget! Writing, editing, researching… all of that is caffeine driven. Choose this option and the extra energy will go to finding a few more updates to share.
Note From The Editor
The summer is winding down with the last visits to take the kids paddle boarding on the lake and celebrate with a creemee. And with that, the new school year is starting up for most of Vermont. It’s a time of great excitement for our students and, perhaps begrudgingly, for us grown-ups as well.
We want to think of our youngest generation soaking up knowledge in the best schools, not only superior because of our incredible teachers, school staff members, administrators, and school board members, but also because the buildings themselves are inspiring to the young minds.
But honestly, it’s been a bumpy ride when it comes to our school buildings. The pandemic years were challenging for physical spaces that needed quick air quality upgrades. And then the PCB debacle, where entire schools were shut down and, in at least one case, razed entirely.
The cracks in our education system are now more than metaphorical. Schools in Vermont are dealing with hazards like mold and flooding, which make it hard to offer a safe place for students and the school staff that support them.
School construction has been picked up and put down again as a funding priority in the state legislature for years now. The bugaboo of statewide redistricting means that it will be all that much easier to put off the conversation further. Why fix a school when it may end up getting shuttered anyway?
Hazard mitigation is a real issue, but it doesn’t seem to be taken as a priority. It’s time for the state to consider a long-term investment in building infrastructure, instead of patching leaks and disrupting learning.
Eye on Data
The chart below tracks open positions for school bus drivers in the past 45 days, presented as data points and a linear trend line. Data from SchoolSpring.
Pass It On
Like what you are reading? Hit the button below to send a copy to a colleague, friend, neighbor, your boss… whoever!
Grants & Opportunities
DIY Planet Search. The Center for Astrophysics is offering an online laboratory for students to engage with real data and search for an undiscovered exoplanet.
Librarian 101. The Department of Libraries is accepting applicants for its Certificate of Public Librarianship program.
Virtual Exchange for Teachers. The Smithsonian is offering “Democracy in Dialogue,” a student-centered, inquiry-based professional development opportunity in civics for January to May, 2026. Deadline to apply is October 5.
Keeping The Kids Safe. AOE, DPS and the Vermont School Safety Center announced the annual School Safety Conference on October 28, at the Killington Grand Resort Hotel. Registration information to follow.
If You Missed It
Build-A-District. The State of Vermont has published a mapping tool that lets users create their own merged districts based on current student counts and Grand List values per student. This was a popular item in last issue, so here it is again for readers who may have missed it
Draft Draft Draft. The Vermont Redistricting Task Force recently published a “template for proposing redistricting plans,” with a broad view of what its final plan may look like.
Since 2021 the biweekly 802 Ed has brought together the latest from Vermont’s associations for principals, superintendents, and school board members, as well as state and national education agencies and many other news sources. We hope that you’ll find something useful in each issue and welcome comments or suggestions for upcoming issues: editor@802ed.com.
Abbreviation list: AASA School Superintendents Association, AOE Agency of Education, DCF Department for Children and Families, DMH Department of Mental Health, DPS Department of Public Safety, FERPA Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act, NAEP National Assessment of Education Progress, NEASC New England Association of Schools and Colleges, RFP Request for Proposals, SBE State Board of Education, SEL Social Emotional Learning, UVEI Upper Valley Educators Institute, VEHI Vermont Education Health Initiative, VPA Vermont Principals Association, VPO Vermont Political Observer, VREC Vermont Rural Education Collaborative, VSA Vermont Superintendents Association, VSBA Vermont School Board Association, VSBIT Vermont School Boards Insurance Trust, VSBPE Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators, VTCLA Vermont Curriculum Leaders Association, VTSU Vermont State University.
Special bonus for making it to the bottom: The pygmy seahorse is thumb-length and has hot pink camouflage. You’re welcome.