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. Hands-on science boosts scores across subjects

2. DOE cuts $600M in teacher prep grants

3. Khan Academy proves quality training data leads to better results

Hands-on science boosts scores across subjects

A Smithsonian Science Education Center study reveals the power of combining hands-on materials with targeted teacher training.

When teachers received physical science kits and experienced lessons as students first, test scores jumped across multiple subjects.

The results show clear wins for everyone:

• Students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) gained 15 points in science

• Girls and students of color improved by 7 points

• Even math and reading scores increased by 6 and 4 points

The key wasn't just giving teachers new curriculum — it was letting them build confidence by doing the experiments themselves first.

For education innovators, this research shows that physical materials plus teacher training can create a formula for success.

DOE cuts $600M in teacher prep grants

The Department of Education recently cut $600 million in teacher preparation grants, creating an urgent need for new solutions. With 400,000 teaching positions already vacant or filled by staff who don’t hold the proper credentials, the pipeline of new teachers is now at risk.

These cuts targeted programs that sought to train teachers in math, special education, and other hard-to-fill positions.

The grant cancellations signal a clear opportunity for education innovators: develop sustainable teacher preparation models that don't rely on federal funding.

Khan Academy proves quality training data leads to better results

Khan Academy research shows their AI tutor Khanmigo works best when paired with educational content they have already created.

It performs better and has lower error rates when it references existing problems that were written and verified by people.

What does this mean for education innovators?

If you’re building AI education tools, odds are you should focus on training with real educational content rather than massive datasets. For example:

• Questions that students are asking

• How students are answering questions in the classroom

• Real-life lessons that teachers are sharing in the classroom

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We’ll be back with another edition on Friday. See you then!

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