Education Policy Updates

Montana, Maine, Alaska, Nevada, and Michigan recently joined the growing number of states with official AI guidance for K12—bringing us to 31 states and 1 U.S. territory. Common priority areas across these new state guidelines include: • Human-Centered Approach - Ensuring AI augments rather than replaces human capabilities, judgment, and decision-making, with educators remaining central to instruction • Data Privacy and Security - Protecting student data and ensuring FERPA, COPPA, and state laws • Ethical Use and Academic Integrity - Establishing clear policies on plagiarism, proper attribution of AI-generated content, and responsible use practices • Professional Development - Encouraging districts to prioritize professional learning for educators on AI tools, pedagogy, and classroom integration strategies • Transparency and Accountability - Communicating clearly with stakeholders about AI use, disclosing when AI is employed, and establishing responsibility for tool selection and outcomes • Equity and Fair Access - Ensuring all students and schools have access to AI technologies, preventing widening of the digital divide • Policy Development and Governance - Creating board-approved guidelines, acceptable use policies, and frameworks for ongoing evaluation and continuous improvement Notably, Maine and Nevada also include AI for Education resources like our Drafting a GenAI Academic Policy and AI in Education 101 for Parents guide. This state-level policy development reflects the need and activity already happening at the district level, with recent research showing that 68% of districts have purchased an AI-related tool. We're also hearing from partners that it serves as a catalyst where state guidance exists—motivating districts and schools to begin their own local AI policy development. For those who want to learn more, we’ve compiled all of the current state level guidance for K12 in a single resource which includes summaries and links for each individual state. There you can also find all of the AI for Education resources shared as part of various state level guidance, including: • Drafting a GenAI Academic Policy at Your School • AI in Education 101 for Parents • Top 5 Questions for GenAI EdTech Providers • An Essential Guide to AI for Educators (free course) • Prompt Framework for Educators: The Five "S" Model • Prompt Library for Educators • How to Use AI Responsibly EVERY Time • AI Adoption Roadmap for Education Institutions Link in the comments!

🚀 HUGE NEWS for Canadian Innovators! The 2025 Budget just supercharged SR&ED incentives! 🇨🇦 After 16 years of helping companies unlock government funding, I can tell you with confidence—these are some of the most significant SR&ED enhancements we've seen in years. Here's what just changed: 💰 Enhanced Credit Limit INCREASED to $6 MILLION (up from $3M!) This means eligible businesses can now claim the enhanced 35% refundable credit on up to $6M in R&D spending annually. That's potentially $2.1M back in your pocket. 📈 PUBLIC COMPANIES NOW ELIGIBLE Breaking news: Canadian public corporations can now access the enhanced 35% credit. This opens up massive opportunities for publicly-traded innovators who were previously excluded. 🏗️ Capital Expenditures are BACK Remember when you could claim equipment and machinery? It's officially restored. Your R&D infrastructure investments now qualify again. ⚡ Game-Changing Process Improvements: - NEW elective pre-claim approval (get technical approval BEFORE you spend) - Processing time CUT IN HALF to just 90 days - AI-powered reviews = fewer unnecessary audits - Less paperwork, faster decisions The bottom line? The government is investing an additional $440M ongoing to fuel Canadian innovation. They're making it easier, faster, and more valuable to claim SR&ED. If you're developing new products, improving processes, or solving technical challenges—you need to know about this. Question: Are you currently claiming SR&ED? Or leaving money on the table? Drop a comment or send me a message. Let's make sure you're maximizing these new benefits. #SREDTaxCredit #CanadianInnovation #Budget2025 #RAndD #BusinessGrowth #Innovation #TaxIncentives #CanadianBusiness

Education in the 21st century has been a journey marked by inflection points, and we are standing at one right now. In the 2000s, education's focus was on knowledge, particularly in STEM fields, as we prepared for a rapidly changing technological world. Then, in the 2010s, we realized that mastering information wasn’t enough—soft skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and fostering a growth mindset became key to success. Now, as we approach the next great inflection point, the emphasis will shift once again. This time, the focus will be on values—and it is the arts, humanities, and social sciences that will be in the spotlight. These disciplines can help the next generation navigate the ethical dilemmas and social implications of an AI-powered world, providing them with a framework to ensure that progress serves everyone, not just a privileged few. Leadership in this era will demand more than technical expertise—it will require a deep understanding of the human condition. The next generation must be equipped with strong principles and a moral compass to make decisions with a sense of empathy and fairness, even when the answers aren't always clear. Education will no longer be solely about acquiring knowledge and skills —it will be about building a generation that can shape a future that reflects humanity’s highest values. A future where innovation goes hand-in-hand with responsibility, and where technological progress helps build a better and more equitable world. #education #knowledge #skills #values #technology #AI #GenAI #innovation

Learn fast, but act more slowly Authored by the UK Department for Education with input from leading practitioners and researchers such as Prof. Rose Luckin, Cheryl Shirley, Chris Goodhall and others, “The Safe and Effective Use of AI in Education – Leadership Toolkit” (June 2025) is a practical guide that helps school and college leaders plan, implement and govern generative-AI in line with national policy. The report is organised into seven video-based sections—Introduction, Audit of current practice, Safety, Opportunities, Embedding AI in a digital strategy, Department for Education guidance, and Planning for implementation—each broken down into focused sub-topics such as data/IP, safeguarding, staff workload, CPD and edtech frameworks.  Its goal is to give leaders an evidence-informed roadmap that aligns AI use with statutory duties, digital-technology standards and whole-school improvement priorities. Aimed primarily at head-teachers, trust and college executives, governors and IT/data-protection leads, the toolkit distils five headline messages / challenges: (1) begin with an honest audit to map gaps before adopting tools ;  (2) make safety non-negotiable—protect data, intellectual property and children’s welfare at every step ;  (3) harness AI to ease administrative load and personalise learning while keeping a “human-in-the-loop” to check accuracy and bias ;  (4) embed AI within a wider digital-strategy that covers policy, infrastructure, governance and sustained staff CPD ; and  (5) treat implementation as an iterative, evidence-driven process—monitor, reflect and adapt as technology, risks and pedagogical needs evolve . Source: https://lnkd.in/e5yjekwH

I'm lucky to be surrounded by friends and colleagues who make me think about the less obvious things. One recently asked if I'd seen the latest fallout from Trump's visa restrictions. I hadn't. They told me that American universities were in a panic and that Cornell alone expects to lose 800 international students in the autumn. As we discussed the implications, it became clear that while America's universities struggle with the consequences of isolationist policies, Britain faces an opportunity to become the world's educational destination of choice. Now I may be late to this, but I've not heard one political leader in the UK say that. Why not? The opportunity is clear. Trump's inflammatory rhetoric and recent executive order restricting student visas have sent shockwaves through US campuses. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports emergency meetings at over 200 American institutions facing potential revenue losses of $1.2 billion collectively. International applications to US universities have already dropped 7% since November's election. Britain's academic ecosystem offers global excellence that extends far beyond Oxbridge. Imperial College leads in engineering, Edinburgh in artificial intelligence, UCL in medical research, Manchester in graphene technology, Loughborough in sports, and St Andrews in international relations. This breadth of specialised excellence provides international students options that increasingly nervous American institutions cannot match. To seize this moment, however, Britain must urgently reform counterproductive policies. First, international students must be permanently removed from net migration targets; a change the Russell Group estimates would increase export earnings by £9 billion annually. Second, the graduate visa pathway should be extended from two to five years, matching competitor nations like Canada. Third, visa processing must be streamlined, with application fees reduced to competitive levels. All of three push up against an overly politicised debate around immigration, which is, regrettably, why short termist politicians are yet to step up. We need them to step up. The soft power implications are profound. British Council research shows 81% of international alumni maintain professional connections with the UK, while 77% report increased trust in British institutions. As former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted, "Education is the most powerful weapon for changing the world", and by extension, the most effective tool for projecting influence. While American universities cancel recruitment events and scramble to reassure nervous applicants, Britain has a fleeting window to position itself as education's global hub. The question for British policymakers isn't whether we can afford to welcome more international students… it's whether we can afford not to while America surrenders its educational leadership in real time.

Quietly, something big just happened in education policy. The DfE has put AI right at the heart of its latest research priorities – and it raises big questions for teaching and teacher education. Here are just a few of the research questions they’re prioritising: • How can AI reduce teacher workload and improve student outcomes? • What are the long-term opportunities and risks of AI across education stages? • How is generative AI already influencing schools, colleges and universities? • How do we use AI ethically and inclusively – without deepening existing inequalities? • What are the security and data protection risks – and how should we respond? They ask: “How can AI and other emerging technologies be implemented in our settings so that they do not widen existing inequalities or create new inequalities?” And also: “How has the increased accessibility of generative AI influenced our sectors (including schools, colleges etc)?” This marks a shift – from interest in the potential of AI, to questions about implementation, impact, and equity. What I’m really wondering is: How will these research priorities be felt through formal policy mechanisms? Will we start to see them reflected in the Teachers’ Standards, in the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF), or in Ofsted’s inspection handbooks? How might they influence the design of teacher CPD, digital strategy documents, or even curriculum guidance? There’s a lot to think through – and I’d be interested in hearing how others are reading the direction of travel here. Link in the comments. ⬇️

Canada’s international education sector has gone through a number of policy changes since the start of this year. As these changes have been made on a piecemeal basis by the Canadian government, hence Canada has been in the news far more than the sector would have liked. However, as happens with almost every major event, the ‘news’ turns into ‘noise’, fuelled largely by ignorance of the facts. It is especially true in India, from where a large number of students go to Canada. Lets look at the facts below and cut the noise. Change no. 1- Canada announces a Cap on its international student intake. Noise- Canada doesn’t want international students and now it’s very difficult to go there. Fact- While Canada announced a reduction in the number of international students it would take every year, it is still going to welcome 437K students, which remains the largest number going to any country in the world. No other country, including the USA, the UK, Australia etc get such a large number of students from across the globe. Till last year, almost 40% of Canada’s international students came from India and at this ratio, still 175K or even higher number of Indian students should be going to Canada. Change no.2- Canada restricts Post Graduate Work Permit(PGWP) to only 5 select streams. Noise: Now it’s very difficult for international students to get a post study work permit in canada and work there. Fact- Yes, it’s correct that only students across five streams will get the PGWP now. But, this a good thing as the Canadian government has linked it to their job market needs. Now the students know which study programs are in demand in the Canadian job market and if they wish to stay and work in Canada, they now have a clear idea which programs to go for. Students who do not wish to stay back and work in canada and hence do not need a PGWP, could still select which ever program they want. Change no.3- Removal of SDS visa route Noise: It is now more difficult for Indian students to get a student visa for Canada. Fact: SDS program was only applicable for few select countries, including India. It promised to decide student visa application within 21 days and also required relatively fewer documents. However, it needed a student to deposit first year tuition fee in advance. The reality is that there is not more than 1-2 week difference in visa issuance timeline vs the regular route. So, one just needs to apply 1-2 weeks earlier. One big advantage of the normal route is that students need to deposit only first semester tuition fee and hence initial fund requirement is lower.At IDP, our visa approval rates are very good for normal route application. If you are a genuine student and can afford studying in Canada, getting a student visa is NOT a problem. So, let’s promote FACTS and cut down on NOISE. Canada remains a Great place to study. Do watch the video below IDP Education Ltd IDP India #Canada #studyincanada #studyabroad #ielts #canadabound

As an immigrant, I loved having an opportunity to study in Quebec and I love living here. I'm deeply concerned about the recent decision by the Quebec government to significantly increase tuition fees for McGill University, Concordia University, Bishop's University and other English universities. This move, marked as 'credit negative' by Moody's (!!), not only places a heavy financial burden on students from other provinces but also threatens the financial stability and reputation of these esteemed institutions. The changes in funding for international students might lead to a net decrease in revenue per student, affecting the universities' ability to compete globally. At a time when we should be encouraging more inclusive and accessible education, these measures seem to move in the opposite direction. Furthermore, raising tuition fees to the highest across Canadian universities for out-of-province students risks altering the diverse and vibrant student community that these schools are known for. This decision could potentially decrease the demand from Canadian students, shift the composition of the student body, and impact the cultural diversity that enriches these campuses. I believe in protecting the French language and culture in Quebec, but not at the cost of compromising the quality and accessibility of education for all. I urge the Coalition Avenir Quebec government to reconsider these changes and explore alternatives that do not disproportionately impact English universities and their students. Nous avons tant à offrir au Québec et les étudiant.e.s des autres provinces et des autres pays ont tant à nous offrir en échange. Ne nous en privons pas !

😲 Making a profit off preschoolers is not the norm - except in Australia – a new OECD report finds 😲 It’s official. Australia’s early childhood education and care system is one of the most privatised in the world — with over 85% of children attending for-profit services. The OECD - OCDE has just released a brand-new research paper on how quality early childhood education is key to combatting inequity and the message for Australia is clear: We need to do better. “The importance of ECEC cannot be overstated. It is a cost-effective way to close achievement gaps before they widen and become entrenched. Unlike interventions aimed at addressing inequalities later in life, highquality ECEC promotes the development of foundational skills like language, literacy and numeracy, essential for later success. Early years policies, if co-ordinated and evidence-based, can reduce the need for expensive remedial education and social services in the future.” 
While other nations invest more in publicly provided early childhood education and care, ensuring access and equity, Australia’s over-reliance on private providers is leaving too many children behind.
 🚨 Here’s what you need to know: 💫 Quality early childhood education is a gamechanger. It is a cost-effective way to close gaps between children before they widen and become entrenched. 💫 Children who participate in high-quality ECEC are more likely to succeed in school, graduate and secure good jobs. And less likely to engage in criminal activities or rely on social welfare. ❌ 24% of Australians live in ‘childcare deserts’—where demand is at least three times greater than supply. ❌ Private providers tend to prioritise profits, meaning non-metropolitan and lower-income areas often go without services. 💫 Public investment leads to better outcomes — countries with strong government-funded childcare see higher workforce participation and long-term economic benefits.
 If other countries aren’t profiting from preschoolers why should Australia? Report in comments below. #childcare #earlychildhoodeducationandcare #OzEarlyEd

Canada raised student financial requirements by 11% overnight. Here's what this means for families planning their education investment. Canada just made studying there $2,260 more expensive for international students, and most families aren't prepared for this change. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that starting September 1, 2025, international students must prove they have $22,895 in living expenses, up from $20,635. It's an 11% increase that will fundamentally change who can afford Canadian education. Here's what this really means: 📌For current applicants: If you're applying before September 1st, you're still under the old requirement. Submit everything before this deadline if possible. 📌For families with multiple students: A family of four now needs $42,543 just for living expenses, not including tuition, which can be $30,000-$50,000 per year per student. 📌For financial planning: Canadian banks accept various proof of funds - GICs, bank statements, education loans, or scholarship letters. Start preparing these documents now. Canada wants international students (they contribute $22 billion annually to the economy), but keeps raising financial barriers. This creates a two-tier system where only wealthy families can access Canadian education, despite Canada's immigration goals. For students still planning to study in Canada, here are my two cents:  → Start saving immediately - don't wait until application time  → Consider provinces with lower living costs outside major cities  → Research scholarship opportunities early in your planning  → Look into education loans from participating banks  → Factor this into your total education budget planning Planning ahead will help you avoid financial stress later on. Does this change affect your education plans?