schools

The Pentagon has acknowledged that overreliance on artificial intelligence contributed to a missile strike that hit a school in Iran. The admission raises questions about how AI systems are used in military targeting decisions and the safeguards governing automated analysis. The report is drawing wide attention, with debate focusing on accountability, the risks of delegating lethal decisions to machine systems, and what the incident means for the future of AI in warfare.

New figures circulating online detail the collapse of UNRWA services in Gaza. Before the war, some 300,000 children attended 288 UNRWA-run schools, while the agency operated 22 healthcare centres across the Strip. Only six of those medical facilities remain active, with schooling effectively brought to a halt, fuelling calls for a ceasefire and renewed international support for the UN agency.

A Washington Post report says Ukrainian boarding schools are preparing teenagers to eventually take up arms, training a generation of boys whose fathers have been killed in the war with Russia. The story highlights how the conflict is shaping Ukraine's youth, with schools now playing a role in military preparation as the country faces prolonged personnel losses.

More than 500 million children across conflict- and crisis-affected regions, including Gaza, Sudan and Nepal, lack access to adequate education, according to a widely carried report by US outlets. Aid organisations are warning that interrupted schooling in war zones and disaster areas risks a lost generation, as schools are destroyed, displaced families move repeatedly, and funding for emergency education programmes falls far short of needs.

A Washington Post report describes Ukrainian boarding schools where teenagers are being trained to step into roles left by fathers killed in the war with Russia. The story highlights how Ukraine's education system is adapting to heavy military losses, preparing a generation of fatherless teens for future service and responsibility.

The US military has changed how it uses artificial intelligence in lethal targeting decisions following a strike that hit a school in Minab, Iran. The changes to the combat targeting process follow scrutiny over how automated systems were used in selecting and approving strike targets, Bloomberg reports. The episode has drawn attention to the risks of integrating AI into weapons decisions and the safeguards needed to prevent civilian casualties.

Russian forces struck a school in the Solomianskyi district of Kyiv, with the hit landing directly on the building's central entrance, according to reports circulating on Ukrainian news channels. The attack on an educational facility in the Ukrainian capital has drawn attention amid ongoing Russian strikes on the city. No immediate details on casualties were provided in the initial reports.

Russian forces struck a school in the Solomianskyi district of Kyiv, according to reports circulating on Ukrainian news channels. Commentators dismissed Russian claims of targeting military sites, calling the school yet another example of strikes on civilian infrastructure. The attack adds to ongoing Russian missile and drone bombardment of the Ukrainian capital.

The Trump administration has sharply reduced the federal government's collection of data on American education, curbing the testing and statistics that track how US students perform in math and reading. The Guardian reports the cuts leave educators, researchers and policymakers with far less information about school achievement and learning gaps, raising concerns that declining student outcomes will go unmeasured and unaddressed.

A New York Times opinion piece argues that relying on A.I. shortcuts is degrading how people think, warning that outsourcing reasoning, writing and problem-solving to machines erodes critical thinking skills. The article taps into a growing debate about the cognitive costs of everyday artificial intelligence use at work and school.

Peter Thiel's Palantir co-founder has sparked criticism after saying people should be less judgmental about a deadly strike on a school in Iran. The comments, reported by Mother Jones, have drawn backlash over the defense executive's apparent minimization of civilian casualties, adding to ongoing scrutiny of Palantir's role in military and intelligence technology.

The Trump administration is taking steps to restrict programs that address systemic racism in American schools. The move signals a push to curb race-conscious policies in education, drawing criticism from civil rights advocates who argue it weakens efforts to correct longstanding inequities, while supporters frame it as ending discrimination based on race.

Drone debris has fallen onto the grounds of a preschool in Kyiv's Svyatoshynskyi District, according to Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform. No casualties were reported in the initial report. The incident is a reminder of the ongoing risks to civilian areas, including schools and childcare facilities, as Russian drone strikes continue targeting the Ukrainian capital, with debris from intercepted drones frequently causing damage across the city.

Canadian police are investigating a threatening email sent to Muslim schools across the country, according to CBC News. The threats prompted concern among Muslim communities and calls for increased protection at Islamic schools. The story is drawing widespread attention amid broader discussion of religiously motivated hate and intimidation in Canada, with many condemning the targeting of children's educational institutions.

Peter Thiel, co-founder of data-analytics firm Palantir, is drawing criticism after arguing that people should be less judgmental about a deadly strike on a school in Iran. The comments, reported by Mother Jones, sparked debate over the ethics of civilian casualties in the Middle East conflict and the role of tech executives in shaping public attitudes toward military action.

A special education teacher was shot multiple times at a middle school in New Mexico. A juvenile suspect has been taken into custody. The shooting has prompted renewed concern about school safety and violence against educators, and details about the teacher's condition and the circumstances have not yet been released.

A new leader article argues that the worldwide decline in student test scores amounts to a slow-moving catastrophe with long-term economic and social costs. It points to falling achievement in schools across many countries and warns that governments are treating the slide as less urgent than it is. Readers are debating the causes, including pandemic learning loss, phone use and funding gaps, and what reforms could reverse the trend.

A USA Today opinion piece argues that Nikole Hannah-Jones, the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project, has overlooked the case for school choice in her commentary on education. The writer contends that school choice matters for families, especially those in underperforming districts, and frames Hannah-Jones's position as missing a key lesson about parental options in American education.