🛝 Social Media & Reading Scores, Ohio's Literacy Shift, Special Ed Leaves Federal Oversight

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

This week's reality check: New research shows social media is measurably hurting cognitive performance in kids, Ohio's multimillion-dollar reading overhaul isn't moving the needle yet, and the federal government is dismantling the infrastructure that's supported special education for decades.

💎 Data Gem

Only 30% of ACT-tested 2025 grads met 3+ College Readiness Benchmarks, according to ACT's latest data release analyzing approximately 1.4 million students.

Kids' Social Media Use Linked to Lower Reading and Memory Scores

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 9-13 year-olds with rising social media exposure performed worse on reading, memory, and vocabulary tests than peers who used little to no social media.

The researchers analyzed 6,554 children and identified three patterns: 

• 58% had virtually no social media use, 

• 37% had low increasing use (about one additional hour daily by age 13), 

• 6% had high increasing use (about three additional hours daily by age 13).

The performance gap was clear. 

Adolescents with low but increasing social media use scored 1-2 points lower on cognitive tests, while those with high increasing use scored up to 4 points lower - even after accounting for factors like socioeconomic status and other screen time.

"This is only over a two-year period," said lead researcher Jason Nagata, a professor at UC San Francisco. "With more time, the differences can add up, and at population level, with millions of kids being affected, they can matter."

The explanation? 

Social media might be displacing time for homework, reading, and sleep. 

The constant switching between apps and short-form videos can also train brains to seek novelty, making it harder to sustain focus on complex tasks.

The study comes as hundreds of school districts are suing social media companies and at least 31 states now require cellphone bans or restrictions in schools.

The research adds quantifiable evidence to what many educators already suspected. 

For innovators, this creates demand for tools that help schools teach digital literacy and self-regulation in upper elementary grades - ideally before kids get their first social media accounts. There's also opportunity in solutions that help parents make informed decisions about device and social media introduction.

Ohio's Science of Reading Switch Not Yet Bringing Results

Ohio's push to improve reading scores using the science of reading has hit a rough patch. 

Despite millions spent on new textbooks and mandatory teacher training, third grade ELA proficiency fell from 62% in 2023 to 61% this year.

A brief jump to 65% in 2024 turned out to be temporary.

The state gave schools until this fall to fully implement the science of reading, so districts adopted the approach at different speeds. 

Some, like Elyria - which switched in 2022 - are hoping this year's third graders will finally show the gains they've been waiting for.

But experts caution it could take three to five years before scores improve statewide. Mississippi, the model everyone points to, didn't really excel for six years after its literacy campaign launched in 2013.

"Last school year, we had districts who were in very different places in their implementation," said Chris Woolard, chief integration officer of Ohio's Department of Education and Workforce.

The concern? 

Ohio has a history of abandoning improvement projects that don't show quick results. 

Stanford professor Thomas Dee, who studied California's literacy improvements, said changes can happen quickly if classroom methods truly change - but state declarations don't always translate into responsive changes in practice.

Teachers can fall back into old habits of having students "guess" at words using context or pictures, practices Ohio banned in its 2023 reading law but can't easily track.

Ohio's experience reveals the implementation gap that exists between curriculum adoption and actual classroom transformation. 

For education companies, this points to ongoing demand for implementation support tools - observation protocols, coaching platforms, and systems that help districts verify whether evidence-based practices are actually happening in classrooms, not just purchased and sitting on shelves.

Education Department 'Exploring' Ways to Move Special Education Elsewhere

The U.S. Department of Education confirmed it's exploring partnerships with other federal agencies to move special education programs out of the department. 

Secretary Linda McMahon emphasized that any transition would happen "without any interruption or impact on students with disabilities."

The administration has indicated the Department of Health and Human Services as a potential partner for overseeing federal special education activities.

This comes as the department has shrunk to about half its workforce through buyouts, early retirements, and mass firings. 

About 121 employees in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services were let go on October 10.

The goal is to reduce federal bureaucracy and give states and districts more control. But special education advocates are concerned about what happens when federal oversight, monitoring, and technical assistance disappear.

Without federal experts, the compliance burden for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act - which turns 50 next month - falls entirely to states and districts. 

The transition creates uncertainty about where districts will turn for guidance on special education compliance and best practices. As federal technical assistance shrinks or disappears, there's potential demand for private platforms that help districts navigate IDEA requirements, provide compliance training, and offer the monitoring and data systems that federal programs previously supported.

⚡️More Quick Hits

This week in education:

• $73M in out-of-school time grants  -  Michigan's MiLEAP opened applications for K-12 expanded learning grants, with a November 18 deadline

• AI adoption accelerates  -  EdWeek reports rapid classroom adoption alongside uneven readiness, highlighting district moves to build AI literacy and workforce pipelines

• Wi-Fi hotspot program ends  -  FCC policy shifts ending hotspot lending support have blindsided libraries, jeopardizing connectivity for students

• Ed-tech privacy concerns grow  -  Industry leaders urge transparency and responsible AI as digital tools flood classrooms

🔎 Worth Checking Out

Monthly roundup of resources you might like:

• State of Computer Science 2025 — State-by-state tracking showing 32 states now require high schools to offer CS courses and 12 mandate CS for graduation.

• K-12 Lens 2025 — Report showing teacher shortages declining to 66% of districts (down from 81%), but persistent gaps remain in special education and substitute roles

• Universal Connectivity Imperative — Data on the "homework gap": 84% of students have school devices in class, but many districts no longer allow take-home access

• National AI in K-12 Survey — Full survey data showing declining public support for AI tools across multiple use cases.

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