-
More parents motivated to vote in midterms, poll finds
A majority of parents are more likely to vote in the upcoming midterm elections than they were four years ago, a new poll shows. But the economy, far more than education, is the issue driving them to the polls. While 82% of parents said they are very or extremely likely to vote in the election,...
By Linda Jacobson | November 1, 2022
-
Arts education on the ballot: Inside Prop 28 and the campaign to boost K-12 spending by $800 million
Parading down a busy street in San Pedro, a Los Angeles neighborhood, students waved signs over their heads and urged passing cars to support their cause. “Honk for 28!” they yelled. “Say yes on 28.” The shouting referred to California’s Proposition 28, a ballot initiative that aims to pump at least $800 million into K-12...
By Linda Jacobson | October 31, 2022
-
Analysis: States to ‘likely see a doubling’ of pre-pandemic chronic absenteeism
It’s not unusual for federal education data to be a school year or two behind. But it doesn’t often come with a red warning label urging “abundant caution.” That’s how the U.S. Department of Education released chronic absenteeism data last month for the 2020-21 school year. But more recent data, available from just four states, suggests the...
By Linda Jacobson | October 27, 2022
-
In Congress and the courts, charter supporters seek to undo grant revisions
Charter advocates were partially successful three months ago in getting the U.S. Department of Education to ease what they saw as onerous new rules for a program that provides start-up funds to new schools. But that compromise hasn’t stopped advocates in two states and members of Congress from trying to remove the remaining changes to the $440...
By Linda Jacobson | September 29, 2022
-
‘Wake-up calls’: New parent survey shows 9% enrollment drop in district schools
With state data projecting at least 10% drops in student enrollment over the next decade in some California counties, superintendents are worried. “Some of them are scratching their heads, saying ‘This is something we didn’t expect, and it is hard to know if this is our new enrollment trend,’” said Suzanne Speck, executive vice president of Sacramento-based...
By Linda Jacobson | September 26, 2022
-
Biden’s move to cancel student debt a boon for many teachers, child care workers
The federal government will forgive $10,000 in debt for college loan borrowers earning under $125,000, President Joe Biden said in a long-awaited announcement Wednesday. Pell grant recipients are eligible to see $20,000 of their debt wiped out. Biden, who made student debt relief part of his presidential campaign, also extended a COVID-related pause on student loan payments through the...
By Linda Jacobson | August 25, 2022
-
Poll: Support for schools shook by pandemic
The historically positive views toward public schools took a hit during the pandemic, according to poll results released earlier this month. In 2019, 60% of Americans graded their schools an A or a B. But after more than two years of disruption, 52% give those marks in the latest Education Next survey, which has measured...
By Linda Jacobson | August 22, 2022
-
‘Like a gut punch’: Advocates reel as Manchin compromise abandons pre-K
A year ago, Miriam Calderón was leading the U.S. Department of Education’s work in early-childhood, a time when $400 billion in new federal funding for programs serving young children still seemed within reach. Now she’s working on the outside, hoping Congress passes a bill with a small fraction of that amount. While the Senate once...
By Linda Jacobson | August 4, 2022
-
‘Long road to recovery’: Math, reading scores remain below pre-pandemic levels
The nation’s students showed small signs of academic recovery during the 2021-22 school year, but high absenteeism, quarantines and short-term closures “thwarted hopes of a strong comeback,” new data shows. Overall, the findings — from 8.3 million students in 25,000 schools — “point to a long road to recovery still ahead,” wrote researchers from nonprofit...
By Linda Jacobson | July 26, 2022
-
Ed Department launches ‘unprecedented’ parent council
Recognizing a growing movement for parent rights in education, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Tuesday announced the creation of a new “Parents and Families Engagement Council.” The council will include representatives from 14 organizations that advocate for giving parents a voice in their children’s education — including families involved in charters, homeschooling and private schools....
By Linda Jacobson | June 16, 2022