K-12 Education News

February 17, 2026

Top Headlines

Scientists Discover Protein That Rejuvenates Aging Brain Cells

Feb. 12, 2026 A newly identified protein may hold the key to rejuvenating aging brain cells. Researchers found that boosting DMTF1 can restore the ability of neural stem cells to regenerate, even when age-related damage has set in. Without it, these cells ...

The Simplest Way Teens Can Protect Their Mental Health

Jan. 7, 2026 Teens who sleep in on weekends may be giving their mental health a boost. A new study found that young people who made up for lost weekday sleep had a significantly lower risk of depression. While consistent sleep is still best, weekend catch-up ...

ADHD Drugs Don’t Work the Way We Thought

Dec. 29, 2025 ADHD stimulants appear to work less by sharpening focus and more by waking up the brain. Brain scans revealed that these medications activate reward and alertness systems, helping children stay interested in tasks they would normally avoid. The ...

Rising Temperatures Are Slowing Early Childhood Development

Dec. 10, 2025 Researchers discovered that unusually high temperatures can hinder early childhood development. Children living in hotter conditions were less likely to reach key learning milestones, especially in reading and basic math skills. Those facing ...

Daily Music Listening Linked to Big Drop in Dementia Risk

Nov. 17, 2025 Older adults who regularly listen to or play music appear to have significantly lower risks of dementia and cognitive decline. The data suggests that musical engagement could be a powerful, enjoyable tool for supporting cognitive resilience in ...

A Simple DNA Test Could Reveal the Right Antidepressant for You

Nov. 9, 2025 Millions struggle with depression and anxiety, often enduring long waits for effective treatment. Scientists in Sweden, Denmark, and Germany are developing a genetic test to predict which medications will actually work. Using polygenic risk scores, ...

Scientists Reverse Stroke Damage with Stem Cells

Sep. 16, 2025 Scientists in Zurich have shown that stem cell transplants can reverse stroke damage by regenerating neurons, restoring motor functions, and even repairing blood vessels. The breakthrough not only healed mice with stroke-related impairments but also ...

Why so Many Young Kids with ADHD Are Getting the Wrong Treatment

Sep. 16, 2025 Preschoolers with ADHD are often given medication right after diagnosis, against medical guidelines that recommend starting with behavioral therapy. Limited access to therapy and physician pressures drive early prescribing, despite risks and reduced ...

Experts Warn: Smartphones Before 13 Could Harm Mental Health for Life

Sep. 6, 2025 Getting a smartphone before age 13 may drastically increase the risk of poor mental health later in life, according to data from more than 100,000 people. Early use is linked to suicidal thoughts, aggression, and detachment, largely driven by social ...

9 in 10 Australian Teachers Are Stressed to Breaking Point

Aug. 26, 2025 Australian teachers are in crisis, with 9 in 10 experiencing severe stress and nearly 70% saying their workload is unmanageable. A major UNSW Sydney study found teachers suffer depression, anxiety, and stress at rates three to four times higher than ...

Doctors Used Music Instead of Medication—what They Saw in Dementia Patients Was Remarkable

July 19, 2025 A groundbreaking pilot in NHS dementia wards is using live music therapy—called MELODIC—to ease patient distress without relying on drugs. Developed by researchers and clinicians with input from ...

The Brain’s Sweet Spot: How Criticality Could Unlock Learning, Memory—and Prevent Alzheimer’s

June 25, 2025 Our brains may work best when teetering on the edge of chaos. A new theory suggests that criticality a sweet spot between order and randomness is the secret to learning, memory, and adaptability. ...

Latest Headlines

updated 7:58am EST

Why Some Kids Struggle With Math Even When They Try Hard

Feb. 15, 2026 A new Stanford study suggests math struggles may be about more than numbers. Children who had difficulty with math were less likely to adjust their thinking after making mistakes during number ...

Why Music Brings No Joy to Some People

Jan. 12, 2026 A small group of people experience no pleasure from music despite normal hearing and intact emotions. Brain imaging reveals that their auditory and reward systems fail to properly communicate, ...

A Century-Old Piano Mystery Has Just Been Solved

Oct. 2, 2025 Scientists confirmed that pianists can alter timbre through touch, using advanced sensors to capture micro-movements that shape sound perception. The discovery bridges art and science, promising ...

Guardrails, Education Urged to Protect Adolescent AI Users

June 3, 2025 The effects of artificial intelligence on adolescents are nuanced and complex, according to a new report that calls on developers to prioritize features that protect young people from exploitation, ...

Singing to Babies Improves Their Mood

May 30, 2025 Singing to your infant can significantly boost the baby's mood, according to a recent study. Around the world and across cultures, singing to babies seems to come instinctively to caregivers. Now, ...

Hitting the Right Notes to Play Music by Ear

May 27, 2025 A team analyzed a range of YouTube videos that focused on learning music by ear and identified four simple ways music learning technology can better aid prospective musicians -- helping people ...

New Research Highlights Health Benefits of Using Heritage Art Practices in Art Therapy

May 19, 2025 To better understand the potential therapeutic benefits of heritage art practices, researchers examined the impact of these practices on mental and ...

The Key to Spotting Dyslexia Early Could Be AI-Powered Handwriting Analysis

May 14, 2025 A new study outlines how artificial intelligence-powered handwriting analysis may serve as an early detection tool for dyslexia and dysgraphia among young ...

New Survey Shows Privacy and Safety Tops List of Parental Concerns About Screen Time

May 13, 2025 As kids spend more time on screens, a new national survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of The Kids Mental Health Foundation, founded by Nationwide ...

Music Therapy Helps Brain-Injured Children

May 8, 2025 Music could provide a breakthrough in assessing consciousness levels in children who have suffered significant brain injuries, according to new ...

Earlier Headlines

Science Says We’ve Been Nurturing “gifted” Kids All Wrong

Dec. 21, 2025 A major international review has upended long-held ideas about how top performers are made. By analyzing nearly 35,000 elite achievers across science, music, chess, and sports, researchers found that ...

This 100-Year-Old Teaching Method Is Beating Modern Preschools

Jan. 1, 2026 A first-of-its-kind national trial shows that public Montessori preschool students enter kindergarten with stronger reading, memory, and executive function skills than their peers. These gains ...

Study Suggests We Don't Just Hear Music, but 'Become It'

May 6, 2025 Your brain and body literally “sync” with music, according to new research. Instead of just understanding rhythm, our neural circuits physically resonate with it—shaping how we feel and move to ...

Spanking and Other Physical Discipline Lead to Exclusively Negative Outcomes for Children in Low And Middle-Income Countries

May 5, 2025 Physically punishing children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has exclusively negative outcomes -- including poor health, lower academic performance, and impaired social-emotional ...

STEM Students: Work Hard, but Don't Compare Yourself to Others

May 1, 2025 A new study shows how damaging it can be for college students in introductory STEM classes to compare how hard they work to the extent of effort put in by their ...

Essay Challenge: ChatGPT Vs Students

Apr. 30, 2025 Researchers have been putting ChatGPT essays to the test against real students. A new study reveals that the AI generated essays don't yet live up to the efforts of real students. While the AI ...

Missed School Is an Overlooked Consequence of Tropical Cyclones, Warming Planet

Apr. 29, 2025 New research finds that tropical cyclones reduce years of schooling for children in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in areas unaccustomed to frequent storms. Girls are ...

Using ChatGPT, Students Might Pass a Course, but With a Cost

Apr. 22, 2025 With the assumption that students are going to use artificial intelligence and large language models such as ChatGPT to do their homework, researchers set out to learn how well the free version of ...

Study Shows Addressing Working Memory Can Help Students With Math Difficulty Improve Word Problem-Solving Skills

Apr. 21, 2025 Working memory is like a mental chalkboard we use to store temporary information while executing other tasks. Scientists worked with more than 200 elementary students to test their working memory, ...

Father's Mental Health Can Impact Children for Years

Apr. 19, 2025 Five-year-olds exposed to paternal depression are more likely to have behavioral issues in grade school, researchers ...

Favorite Music Sets the Brain's Opioids in Motion

Apr. 16, 2025 A new imaging study showed that listening to favorite music affects the function of the brain's opioid ...

Viewing Art Can Boost Wellbeing by Giving Meaning to Life

Apr. 16, 2025 The simple act of looking at a piece of visual art can boost your wellbeing, a new research study has found, and this benefit can be gained in a hospital setting as well as an art ...

Early Education Impacts Teenage Behavior

Apr. 8, 2025 Researchers explored the long-term effects of preschool expansion in Japan in the 1960s, revealing significant reductions in risky behaviors amongst teenagers. By analyzing regional differences in ...

'Ugh, Not That Song!' Background Music Impacts Employees

Apr. 7, 2025 Have you ever gone to a store or a restaurant where the music was so annoying that you walked right out? Now imagine what it must be like for the employees. In a new study, researchers found that ...

Fear of Rejection Influences How Children Conform to Peers

Apr. 4, 2025 The fear of rejection -- familiar to many children and adults -- can significantly impact how kids behave in their peer groups, according to new ...

Nurture More Important Than Nature for Robotic Hand

Apr. 3, 2025 How does a robotic arm or a prosthetic hand learn a complex task like grasping and rotating a ball? Researchers address the classic 'nature versus nurture' question. The research ...

How GPS Helps Older Drivers Stay on the Roads

Apr. 3, 2025 New research shows that Sat Nav systems are helping keep older drivers on the roads for longer. The study reveals that over 65s with a poorer sense of direction rely more on help from GPS navigation ...

Genes May Influence Our Enjoyment of Music

Apr. 1, 2025 Does our ability to enjoy music have a biological basis? A genetic twin study shows that music enjoyment is partly heritable. Scientists uncovered genetic factors that influence the degree of music ...

Classroom Talk Plays a Key Part in the Teaching of Writing

Mar. 27, 2025 The way teachers manage classroom discussion with pupils plays a key role in the teaching of writing, a new study ...

A Simple Way to Boost Math Progress

Mar. 24, 2025 Scientists investigated whether email interventions informed by behavioral science could help teachers help students learn ...