Education, Research & Public Sector

Education Aid to Fall to $9.2B by 2027 as Learning Poverty Persists

Seattle – September 15, 2026 -- Nine in 10 children in low-income countries reach age 10 unable to read a simple text, even as global education aid is projected to fall from roughly $12-13 billion annually to $9.2 billion by 2027, according to a new sector report from nonprofit The Life You Can Save.

Financing gap reaches $97 billion annually across low- and lower-middle-income countries

The report puts the annual financing gap needed to meet global education goals at $97 billion, including $70 billion in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. Private philanthropy currently contributes approximately $1 billion annually to education globally -- less than 1% of that gap. In low-income countries, aid accounts for more than 12% of total education spending, while governments spend an average of just $55 per school-aged child annually; the report warns that in some countries, recent aid cuts could cut education budgets by as much as half.

Kaiser Permanente Commits $5M to Colorado Schools on Absence Crisis

Denver – – September 15, 2026 -- Kaiser Permanente is committing more than $5 million over the next three years to Colorado school districts, targeting rising student chronic absence and staff burnout that have strained education budgets statewide.

Kaiser Permanente Targets Chronic Absence Tied to Health Conditions

The multiyear investment addresses chronic absence rates in Colorado schools that run higher than the national average, a trend the insurer links to underlying health conditions. Districts currently lack granular data to identify why students are missing class, limiting their ability to intervene before absences compound into long-term health and academic setbacks.

Northern Tool Launches Tribal School Trades Build Ahead of SEMA 2027

Brookings, S.D. – September 15, 2026 -- Northern Tool + Equipment has launched its fourth annual student vehicle build program at Flandreau Indian School, tasking 14 career and technical education (CTE) students with transforming a 1976 Ford F-350 utility truck into a rolling showcase of skilled-trades careers for display at the 2027 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Build IV marks the program's first placement at a tribal school and its first gender-balanced student team

Half of the Flandreau Indian School Build Team is female, a program first for Northern Tool's four-year-old initiative. Students will handle welding, fabrication, automotive repair, paint, bodywork and design work on the truck throughout the 2026-2027 school year, working directly alongside industry professionals rather than watching contractors complete the work.

95 Percent Group Launches Toolkit to Close Reading Instruction Gap

Lincolnshire, Ill. – September 15, 2026 -- 95 Percent Group has launched 95 Principles to PracticeTM—Literacy, a facilitator toolkit aimed at closing the gap between science of reading training and actual classroom instruction in K-3 schools.

82% of K-3 teachers report science of reading training, but only 52% say instruction reflects it

The disparity, cited from a Fordham Institute report, illustrates what the company calls the "knowing-doing gap" in literacy education. Research reported by the International Dyslexia Association found that without dedicated implementation teams, it takes 17 years on average to embed roughly half of a new initiative into routine classroom practice.

Instructure, Veriff Embed ID Checks in Parchment to Fight Transcript Fraud

Salt Lake City – September 15, 2026 -- Instructure has partnered with identity verification provider Veriff to build identity checks directly into Parchment by Instructure Transcript Services, targeting fraud that has cost U.S. community colleges $180 million in a single year through so-called "ghost student" schemes.

Parchment network spans 6,200 colleges and 6,700 K-12 schools

Parchment operates the largest academic credential network in the world, connecting more than 6,200 colleges and universities with 6,700 K-12 schools and districts, and has exchanged over 165 million credentials to date. The new verification layer places identity checks at the point of credential issuance, inside the same network institutions already use to send transcripts.

Instructure Launches Free Canvas Lite With Mandatory ID Checks

Salt Lake City – September 15, 2026 -- Instructure will launch Canvas Lite, a free version of its Canvas learning management system, on September 30, 2026, opening the platform to educators who operate outside institutional licenses.

Canvas Lite targets teachers without district or campus access

The product, available at canvaslite.instructure.com, gives homeschool educators, tutors, community instructors and teachers piloting new courses a way to build course content, invite students and manage assignments without IT deployment or procurement. Instructure said the free tier includes core Canvas tools at the course level, including module and page building, file and URL submissions, quizzes with rubrics, SpeedGrader with audio and video feedback, messaging and discussions, third-party integrations with Google Drive, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, and the Canvas Teacher and Canvas Student mobile apps.

Encoura Report: Non-'Big Five' Majors Need Clearer Outcomes Data

Boston – September 15, 2026 -- Encoura has published a new analysis showing that academic fields outside higher education's most popular majors are drawing sustained student interest but lack the outcomes visibility needed to compete for enrollment. The Eduventures Admitted Student 2026 Trend Report, titled "Beyond the Big Five: Exploring Majors Outside the Mainstream," draws on more than 42,000 responses collected over three years through Eduventures Admitted Student Research.

Report identifies a 'Next Five' tier of academic fields trailing the dominant majors

The study defines the "Big Five" fields — Biology, Business, Computer Science, Engineering, and Health Professions — as benefiting from clear career pathways and employer pipelines. It identifies a "Next Five" tier — Visual and Performing Arts, Psychology, Education, Social Sciences, and Physical Sciences — as the next most significant area of admitted-student interest.

PLTW Wins Two 2026 Educators Pick Best of STEM Awards

Indianapolis – September 13, 2026 -- Project Lead The Way (PLTW) has won two categories in the Educators Pick Best of STEM® 2026 Awards, with PLTW Engineering named "Best of STEM: Engineering Education" and PLTW Gateway recognized as "Best of STEM: Hands-on Learning for Middle School."

Judging panel comprises certified science and STEM educators exclusively

The awards program, operated with MCH Strategic Data, the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), and the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), is the only STEM education awards initiative judged entirely by certified classroom teachers, specialists, and district leaders. Entries undergo rigorous evaluation for classroom suitability before recognition.

Leifras Wins 3-Year Nagoya Contract for School Instructor Bank

Tokyo – September 13, 2026 -- Nasdaq-listed LEIFRAS Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: LFS) has secured a three-year contract renewal from the City of Nagoya to operate the "Nagoya School Club Activities Human Resources Bank," extending a program it has run since April 2022 into a new term beginning September 1, 2026.

Nagoya renews Leifras deal to staff after-school programs across 16 wards

The contract covers the recruitment, training, and matching of instructors for "new sports and cultural activities" offered to grades four through six at municipal elementary schools across Nagoya's 16 wards. The initiative forms part of Japan's broader shift of school club management from school-based staffing to outsourced, community-based operation, a transition driving demand for vetted, professionally trained local instructors.

Benghazi University Reopens After 11 Years, Sets 3 Guinness Records

Benghazi -- The University of Benghazi resumed full operations on September 4, 2026, after an 11-year closure caused by war damage, following a three-year reconstruction led by the Libyan Development and Reconstruction Fund under Director General Belqasim Khalifa Haftar.

Reconstruction rebuilds an integrated university city in three years

The project restored the Faculties of Engineering, Humanities, Law, Science and Languages, along with the central library, teaching and administrative buildings, laboratories, utility facilities, student dormitories, internal roads and supporting infrastructure. The University of Benghazi, known as the "Mother of Libyan Universities," serves nearly 100,000 students and had been shuttered since sustaining extensive destruction during the Libyan armed forces' conflict with terrorist groups.