Takeaways from an Associated Press investigation that finds a business known for tough-love boarding schools for rebellious, rich teenagers has set its sights on a different demographic: adopted kids. Experts say adoptees account for an estimated 25-40% of those in residential treatment. What some call the “troubled teen industry,” a sprawling network of loosely regulated, for-profit residential treatment centers and boarding schools advertise to adoptive parents, promising to help adoptees heal, at a cost as high as $20,000 a month. Adoptees told AP they believe they were in a shadow orphanage system where children end up institutionalized in oppressive, sometimes abusive facilities.

Retiring Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart won’t take on a new high-paying role at the school after all. That announcement comes days after Gov. Andy Beshear questioned decision-making at the school that included Barnhart’s move. Barnhart and University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto issued statements Thursday confirming Barnhart wouldn't become the executive-in-residence for the UK Sport and Workforce Initiative. That job was set to pay Barnhart $950,000 annually through August 2030. Capilouto said Barnhart was concerned his status had “become a distraction” for the university.

More kids than ever are attending state-funded preschool in the U.S., 1.8 million of them the last school year. A report by the National Institute of Early Education Research finds that 37% of 4-year-olds and about 10% of 3-year-olds are enrolled. However access to free preschool remains uneven across states. California contributed significantly to the increase by making all 4-year-olds eligible for a program called “transitional kindergarten.” But the rapid rollout meant the state missed many quality benchmarks last school year. Evidence shows that high-quality preschool can positively impact a child's future, but challenges such as uneven access and funding persist.

The Supreme Court will hear from Catholic preschools that say it’s unconstitutional to exclude them from a state-funded program because they won’t admit kids from LGBTQ+ families. It's the latest religious rights case for the conservative-majority court. The justices on Monday said they'll hear from Colorado’s St. Mary Catholic Parish and the Archdiocese of Denver, which are supported by the Republican Trump administration. The schools argue Colorado is violating their religious rights by barring them from the taxpayer-funded universal preschool program over their faith-based admission policies. The state says religious schools are welcome to participate but are required to follow nondiscrimination laws. The case will be heard in the fall.