This has been National Education Week, and a Pennsylvania high school teacher is among only five educators nationally to receive one of the profession's highest honors.

The Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence went to Kevin Gallagher, a high school computer science, math and statistics teacher at Keystone Oaks High School in Pittsburgh. It comes with a $10,000 award, and Gallagher will be featured in a mini-documentary from the National Education Association Foundation.

Gallagher, who has been teaching for 26 years, noted that the award recognizes leadership, not only within the classroom but for community involvement.

"Typically, the award is for advocacy for the profession. It's advocacy of our students - levels of intelligence, of diversity, gender, race - any equity in the classroom," he said. "Also for my contribution to my colleagues too, like professional development that I've provided for them."

Gallagher said he's dedicated to increasing diversity, and has worked to eliminate some barriers to learning, such as prerequisites that could otherwise keep students from enrolling in statistics and computer science classes. He was nominated for the award by the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

The award is named after Horace Mann, a member of Congress in the 1800s who advocated for public education.

Gallagher said one of his many responsibilities as an educator is to always encourage students to do their best and use their creativity in their coursework.

"The things that we need to do on a daily basis to keep students motivated, to keep students engaged - it's a very distractible world," he said. "In my classroom, [I'm] always looking to keep students engaged; what do they like to do? They get to code, they get to do computer science exercises in their own personalization."

For example, he said, his school district is highlighting an event Dec. 8 called a Night of Code, when families with kids from kindergarten through eighth grade can take part in coding activities for computer science classes.

In this week's 2026 budget address, Gov. Kristi Noem proposed establishing education savings accounts for K-12 students in South Dakota. Opponents countered a voucher program could undermine the state's education system, by siphoning dollars away from public schools.

Noem announced she set aside $4 million in next year's budget to launch the accounts at about $3,000 per qualifying student. She explained the initial investment would pay for a portion of a student's private school tuition or home schooling.

"Good education starts in the home, and parents should have the tools that they need to choose the educational path that is best for their kids," Noem stated. "My hope is that these ESAs will ultimately be available to every single student in South Dakota."

Noem added her proposal will not cut funding for public schools. But opponents argued the 1.25% funding increase Noem proposed for public education will still be a cut, as it won't be enough to cover the cost of inflation.

Five statewide education groups released a joint letter last week, urging policymakers to strengthen public education. Among them is the South Dakota Education Association.

Sandra Waltman, director of public affairs for the association, said Noem's plan to expand the accounts over time would harm South Dakota students, who largely attend public schools.

"This will certainly divert scarce tax dollars from our public schools, which serve 80% of South Dakota students, to private school operators that lack any taxpayer accountability," Waltman contended. "Public schools will lose thousands of dollars in state aid, yet operational costs will remain the same."

The governor's proposal echoes similar Republican-led legislation in other states and will require action from South Dakota lawmakers in the next legislative session. A similar K-12 voucher bill brought to the House Education Committee in 2023 died in the chamber.

Hundreds of former North Carolina college students are back on track to getting their degrees, thanks to an innovative program called Project Kitty Hawk.

The project started in 2023 and has reenrolled more than 2,900 students who started but left college and are now on their way to graduation. The reenrollment program is an affiliate of the University of North Carolina System and allows students to pick up where they left off at any of 10 campuses around the state.

Andrew Kelly, president and CEO of Project Kitty Hawk, said students leave college for various reasons, but most have a similar motivation for returning.

"One thing those individuals often have in common, many of them wish that they could find a way to come back and finish that credential," Kelly observed. "Because it's often what stands in the way of getting promoted, from them finding a family, sustaining wage in their work, and from really launching that career."

Kelly explained that they contact former students who never finished, walk them through options for when and how to resume their studies, and help them find an institution that fits their needs. He pointed out that some former students return after a few years, but for others, it can be a decade or more.

Kelly noted some former students left campus for personal, family or economic reasons and have found it challenging to resume their studies. He emphasized it is often a matter of tailoring their study plan to meet their individual needs.

"Mostly what you see with this demographic is they really do often need to learn online," Kelly outlined. "They can't uproot and move to a college town and live in a dorm. They can learn when they have the time."

He acknowledged returning to classes after an extended period away can be daunting and many said they need help figuring out where to start. Kelly added the program's counselors walk students through the steps to help them succeed.

"There's an individual you are assigned to, and that person really is your coach," Kelly said. "They help coach you through the program, answer your questions about your program, help you set goals and hold yourself accountable, develop study skills and just be the person in your corner."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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Georgia higher education officials are crediting a program assisting high school students with a wave of new enrollment in the state's colleges and universities.

Recruiting officials say Georgia Match helped the 26 schools in the University System of Georgia reach a total enrollment of almost 365,000 students, up 5.9% over 2023.

Sonny Perdue, chancellor of the University System of Georgia, said Georgia Match helps students and their families understand the long-term value of a college education.

"We try to promote the facts of the value and because people can understand value and that's really what we're trying to do," said Perdue, "quality versus cost - and if you have a great quality product at an affordability rate, then people are more likely to choose that."

Georgia Match reaches out to high school students with information on opportunities at Georgia universities and assists them with admissions.

Perdue said enrollments have been down since before the pandemic in 2019, and state officials are looking to boost the numbers.

He added the University System of Georgia saw its growth outstrip that of other state colleges nationwide. The National Student Clearinghouse reports in 2024, student enrollment nationwide grew by just 3%.

"We swam against the stream nationally and doubled the incoming first-time freshmen," said Perdue. "Where much of the country was down, we were up - and that was 2.6%. So, we're focusing on value."

Georgia Match is part of a nationwide trend called direct admission. The idea is to reach students who haven't considered going to college.

Perdue said more than half the students who received a letter applied for admission to a public Georgia college.

"The value of the ability to move within the system is helpful even for those who may not be able to attend or be admitted to one of the larger flagships earlier," said Perdue. "They see a path that way eventually, and I think that helps our recruitment in our access colleges."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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