September 10, 2025 Newsletter
In This Edition:
1.Readers Rise Launches at APS
2.Take Our Survey on APE's Priorities for 2025-26
3.Advisory Committee Looking for Representatives
4. School Board Meeting Recap
5.Open Policies
6.What We are Reading
7.Happening Soon!
Big Win For Literacy: Readers Rise Launches at APS
Arlington Public Schools is kicking off a new pilot program this fall called Readers Rise to help build confidence and a love of reading, and it’s happening in part because of our community’s advocacy for stronger literacy partnerships.
How It Works:
Volunteers commit just one hour per week.
Paired with students in grades K–2 at Barrett, Hoffman-Boston, and Long Branch elementary schools.
Focused on reading practice, encouragement, and building lasting relationships.
The Big Picture:
APS will evaluate the pilot mid-year and look for opportunities to expand Readers Rise to more schools. This is a concrete step toward closing literacy gaps and strengthening community partnership.
Get Involved:
Interested in volunteering? Fill out the Readers Rise Mentor Interest Form.
Bottom Line:
Readers Rise has the potential to be transformative for students, and the more we invest now in community outreach and recruitment, the stronger the foundation will be for scaling this program in the future. So make sure you sign up to volunteer! This is a huge step forward for student literacy — and a win for everyone who spoke up for more investment in reading support.
Read more about how Arlington Parents for Education’s two-year push helped inspire this pilot in WJLA’s local coverage of the earlier “Read With Me” model and watch this week's coverage about the new program.
ake Just a Few Minutes and Fill Out Our Survey
The Arlington Parents for Education Board would like to get your feedback on our advocacy over the past school year, as well as how you would like us to prioritize our efforts going forward.
We have created a survey to get your feedback. It will only take 5-7 minutes to complete. Whether you are a parent, teacher, or other community member or all three, your input is extremely valuable to us, so please give us your thoughts!
Thank you!
The ACTL Needs More Volunteers
The Advisory Committee on Teaching and Learning, the APS committee comprised of volunteer representatives from all schools, needs more volunteers to help shape Arlington's district-wide policies regarding a wide range of curriculum and instruction issues. Chat with your PTA president or reach out directly to the committee to get involved.
September 4th, 2025 School Board Meeting Recap
Highlights from the September 4th School Board Meeting include:
Federal Funding Litigation Update
Superintendent Dr. Durán reported on Arlington Public Schools’ (APS) ongoing legal challenge to the U.S. Department of Education’s “high-risk” designation, which has effectively frozen approximately $23 million in federal funds. APS argued the DOE’s actions violated Title IX and other legal standards. Update since the meeting: On September 8, a federal district court dismissed the lawsuit ruling that the case belongs in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims though it allowed the complaint to be refiled without prejudice. APS stated it is reviewing next steps and remains hopeful about future resolution. Read more here and here.
Enrollment and Staffing Trends
As of September 4, enrollment stood at 27,603 students, approximately 819 below spring projections and 255 fewer than the prior year. APS began the year 99.3% staffed, with 23 teacher vacancies, mainly at the secondary level. The district plans to monitor enrollment shifts and consider class rebalancing through the end of September.
New School Year Priorities and Initiatives
For the 2025–26 school year, APS outlined five strategic focus areas: Partnerships, Operations, Workforce, Student Well-Being, and Student Success. Highlights include efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism, implement cell phone pouch procedures in high schools, deploy SchoolAI and other AI tools for instructional support, and begin planning for the 2027-2036 Capital Improvement Plan.
Board Actions on ERP Funding and Audit Plan
The Board unanimously approved a revised funding request of $1.15 million for the STARS (ERP) modernization project, scaled back from the original $2 million. APS will return any unused support hours funding to its capital reserve. Additionally, APS presented its FY 2025-26 Internal Audit Plan focusing on consulting contracts, emergency preparedness, and student conduct with a Board vote scheduled for the next meeting.
Read the full recap!
What We’re Reading and Listening To
‘Cognitive Science,’ All the Rage in British Schools, Fails to Register in U.S. (The 74Million)
Developed in the 1950s, cognitive science essentially explains how we learn, think, remember and process information. Applied to education, it allows teachers to maximize learning by incorporating key principles, among them: working memory and cognitive load…[However, m]ost U.S. teachers’ colleges “are not designed with learning science principles at their core — quite frankly there’s just a lot of stuff in schools of education that is not very good from a research standpoint, but that nonetheless has become ingrained.”
7 Study Habits to Teach Kids This School Year (Edutopia)
Weed Out Distractions…Think Like an Educator…No More Cramming…Don’t Forget to Take Breaks…Better Notes = Better Studying…Give Your Memory a Workout…Embrace the Challenge
Summer Reading Can Help Boost Literacy. Why Don’t High Schools Require It? (The 74Million)
[I]t is clear that struggling readers in middle school are now reading at much lower levels. Some of this may be because they are reading less than they used to…If there’s one institution that can make teenagers read, it’s school. And if there’s one time of year when teens have ample time on their hands, it’s summer. Indeed, to read a 300-page book over nine weeks of summer vacation is to read five pages a day. So it would make sense for schools to ask students to read more books when class is out…The results [of our survey of summer reading at schools] are disheartening.
Why Are So Few Kids Reading for Pleasure? (The 74Million)
Doomscrolling. Poor literacy instruction. Overscheduling. These are some of the reasons cited for a generational decline in students reading for fun…Hendrick, who has emerged internationally as a leading advocate for improving classroom instruction via better understanding of learning science, said digital distractions are taking a toll, hijacking kids’ ability to engage their working memory on difficult texts and problems. That kind of laser-like focus, he said, is rapidly disappearing from our lives due to the “weaponized distraction” of social media.
Read something that strikes a cord? Join the discussion on our Facebook Page or Facebook Forum.
Happening Soon
Wednesday, September 10, 7:00–8:30 PM – ACTL Meeting. Syphax Building, Rooms 452/454/456.
Thursday, September 18, 7:00 PM – School Board Meeting. Syphax. Sign up to speak. Watch live
Monday, September 29, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM - APE Exchange on Devices. Central Library, Glebe Room. We want to hear from you! What's working? What isn't? Share your thoughts with us on APS-issued devices. Reply and let us know if you can make it!
Thursday, September 30, 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM – School Board Work Session. Syphax. Watch live
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Work Session on Planning Factors – Planning for Phase 2 Implementation
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM Work Session on the HR Audit Report- Recommendations-Mid-Year Update on Implementation
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Work Session on the Feasibility Studies
2:45 PM - 4:00 PM Work Session on FY 2027-36 CIP Direction
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM - Closed meeting on the Discussion of Public Safety
Don’t forget! You can subscribe to APS School Calendars here.
