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. Schools face surge in phone recorded fights

2. College students close math gaps in $28M state program

3. Curriculum is not the problem

Schools face surge in phone recorded fights

A troubling pattern is emerging in schools nationwide:

Students are using phones and social media to orchestrate, film, and spread footage of fights.

• At Revere High School in Massachusetts, a single cafeteria brawl escalated when students texted others to join, forcing administrators to lock down the school.

• According to a New York Times analysis of 400+ school fight videos, this isn't isolated — schools across California, Georgia, and Texas report similar incidents, with students using channels like Snapchat and AirDrop to coordinate fights.

The impact? Some districts face negligence lawsuits, while others see teacher exodus, highlighting an urgent need for new approaches to student technology use.

College students close math gaps in $28M state program

Maryland's new tutoring initiative (Maryland Tutoring Corps) reveals a scalable solution to the math crisis — mobilizing college students as paid tutors.

• The $28M state program deploys 1,000 university students to work with middle schoolers in small groups during school hours.

• Early results are promising — at UMBC alone, 85% of students report increased math confidence.

As more states invest in tutoring infrastructure, there's growing demand for tools to manage tutor recruitment, training, scheduling, and impact measurement.

The Maryland Tutoring Corps needs solutions for everything from background checks to performance tracking — and they're not alone. With federal relief funds extended through 2026, similar programs are launching nationwide.

Curriculum is not the problem

What really keeps educators up at night? According to new EdWeek data, it's not curriculum — which ranks dead last among teachers, principals, and district leaders at 2-4%.

What are their top concerns?

• District leaders lose sleep over funding and resources (33%)

• Principals wrestle with staffing shortages (27%)

• Teachers struggle with classroom behavior (21%)

Educators don’t need yet another curriculum platform. Innovators may find better opportunities focusing on behavioral support tools, staffing solutions, and resource optimization.

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

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