Summer is winding down and schools are gearing up for another great year of learning! As you head back to your school or classroom, here are five things to help you create deeper learning opportunities for your students.

Today’s Federal Flash covers the FCC’s proposal to alter E-rate funding, why half a million students could lose automatic eligibility for free school lunches, and updates on the appropriations process heating up in Congress.

Think back to your middle school experience. Do the words “awkward,” “angsty,” and “misunderstood,” come to mind? It’s no wonder that adolescence is often considered a difficult and complicated age. But given that adolescents make up nearly one-fourth of the U.S. population, not understanding and serving the needs of young people in this stage of life is not an option.

As a first-generation college student who transferred from a local community college, graduating from Georgetown University is my life’s biggest accomplishment to date. Yet as I reflect on my educational journey, my heart is filled with dismay as much as it is with pride. Graduating from high school is a privilege many youth throughout America never attain. Currently, one out of every eight public high schools that enrolls 100 students or more in America has a graduation rate of 67 percent or less, according to the latest Building a Grad Nation report. This simple statistic brings me to a place of duality as I grapple with my personal challenges and privileges as a first-generation college student.

When teachers work collaboratively to identify specific student skill gaps, they can improve learning for all students more quickly.

Today’s digest highlights a professional learning strategy that encourages teachers to intentionally uncover student learning gaps, steps to help students share their learning in public, a whole school approach to professional learning, and a new podcast on preparing teachers for deeper learning.