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. Early career programs triple student certifications

2. School staffing hits record high as enrollment drops

3. School funding cliff claims first major casualty

Early career programs triple student certifications

One Alabama district found a way to keep students engaged: bring jobs to them. Jefferson County schools launched 20 specialized academies offering certificates in fields from agriculture to automotive engineering.

The district mapped local job openings within a 50-mile radius to align courses with high-wage opportunities. Students can attend any academy via WiFi-equipped buses, removing transportation barriers.

The results? Industry certifications jumped from 1,000 to 4,000 in the first year. Meanwhile, Arkansas's Bentonville district partnered with Walmart to place over 50 student interns, showing how schools can build direct paths to major employers.

School staffing hits record high as enrollment drops

Public schools added 121,000 employees last year while serving 110,000 fewer students, according to new data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

• Over the past five years, schools increased staff by 171,000 while student enrollment fell by 1.3 million.

• The growth spans multiple roles: more teachers, counselors, psychologists, and support staff.

• However, administrative support, librarians, and media specialists saw declines.

With COVID relief funds expiring this year, districts face tough decisions about sustaining these staffing levels. This shift signals potential market changes for education service providers and technology solutions that can help schools operate efficiently.

School funding cliff claims first major casualty

FEV Tutor's sudden shutdown left thousands of students without support.

• The virtual tutoring provider, valued at $40 million with contracts in 30 states, grew from $1 million to $6.3 million in annual sales during the pandemic.

• However, as the $190 billion federal relief funding ends, even innovative business models are struggling to survive.

The company's collapse offers a crucial lesson for education organizations:

Rapid growth fueled by temporary funding requires a clear path to sustainable revenue.

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