Welcome to Playground Post, a bi-weekly newsletter that keeps education innovators ahead of what’s next.

Here’s what we have on deck for today…

1. Maryland’s literacy challenge

2. Organizations making STEM more inclusive for girls

3. Better tests unlock valuable learning time

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Maryland’s literacy challenge

Maryland faces a massive literacy challenge with 66,619 students in grades 4-8 unable to read proficiently. At the current pace, it would take 40 years to reach state reading goals.

• Maryland READS' new report shows that too much screen time is part of the problem.

• Print materials help students slow down and think about what they're reading, while digital screens encourage skimming.

For education innovators, there's a clear opportunity to develop tools that balance technology with evidence-based reading methods, creating solutions that leverage screens without sacrificing the benefits of traditional reading approaches.

Organizations making STEM more inclusive for girls

Girls remain underrepresented in STEM fields, but five organizations are working to change this:

• Girls Who Code offers coding clubs for middle and high schoolers

• Techbridge Girls provides hands-on learning for underserved communities

• EngineerGirl highlights female engineers

• SciGirls creates engaging videos

• Million Women Mentors connects girls with industry professionals.

Innovators can help by connecting girls with mentors and creating programs showing real-world STEM applications that help young women envision themselves in these careers.

Better tests unlock more learning time

Students lose up to 100 classroom hours per year taking tests, with some districts using 15 different assessments.

The problem isn't just volume — most tests compare students to each other rather than measuring progress toward grade-level standards.

• When Louisiana districts audited their testing programs, they reclaimed five instructional days per year.

• In Madison, school leaders’ support for assessment changes jumped from 44% to 97% after a thoughtful redesign.

The opportunity? Create assessment tools that serve multiple purposes while delivering actionable insights that teachers can immediately use. The winning formula combines fewer tests with better data that directly connects to classroom instruction.

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We’ll be back with another edition on [next post day]. See you then!

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