The Supreme Court has ordered the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a decision that upheld a New York law eliminating religious exemptions for school vaccinations. The order comes after the Supreme Court's decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which affirmed parents' rights to challenge school curricula on religious grounds. The Supreme Court has declined to review a case involving the removal of books from a Texas public library, leaving in place a ruling that makes it harder to challenge such removals.

A majority of the US Supreme Court on Monday appeared inclined to rule in favor of President Donald Trump's firing of Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter without cause. Such a decision would reverse a precedent that the court set 90 years ago, with US Chief Justice John Roberts calling the Humphrey's Executor decision "a dried husk of whatever people used to think it was." Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said overturning the ruling would enable the president to "fire all the scientists and the doctors and the economists and the Ph.D.s and replace them with loyalists and people who don't know anything."

Legal battles over religious charter schools have resurfaced after a 4-4 US Supreme Court deadlock on the issue. In Tennessee, Wilberforce Academy is suing Knox County Schools for denying a Christian charter, with Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti supporting the school, and in Oklahoma, the Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation aims to open a Jewish virtual charter school, while Colorado's Riverstone Academy faces funding threats for operating as a public Christian school.

Studies show that the average classroom sees more than 2,000 disruptions per year, often due to student confusion, frustration or the need for clarification. George Philhower, superintendent of Eastern Hancock Schools in Indiana, writes that teachers can minimize frustration by viewing disruptions as opportunities to engage with students' real-time needs and curiosity. By using some of his suggestions for less-rigid lesson plans, teachers can allow for more meaningful learning moments.

Teachers can promote deep thinking and learning without extra preparation by reusing presentation slides in innovative ways. Teacher Rob McEntarffer suggests adding blank slides after key points to encourage students to reflect before taking notes, incorporating old slides to connect past and current lessons, and creating reflection slides for all students to make their thinking visible.

US Education Secretary Linda McMahon's nationwide "History Rocks!" civics tour stopped at a New Jersey middle school Friday, drawing protests from parents who object to the program's ties to conservative and religious groups. District leaders defended the assembly as a history-focused event, while critics say it introduced partisan politics into public education.

Eighth-graders at Concord Middle School in Massachusetts recently participated in a civics showcase, presenting research and proposed solutions on issues they care about to adults. Project topics ranged from environmental advocacy to social inclusion and students were encouraged to take concrete actions such as volunteering or organizing events.

Established in 1980, the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation awards 40 scholarships of $2,500 each year to Michigan high-school seniors committed to social change and service. The foundation encourages applicants to embody the principles Rosa Parks stood for and aims to honor Parks' legacy by directly investing in the futures of young people, particularly those from marginalized communities.