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New legal theory leads to court ruling that Detroit students have a right to literacy. Now, Michigan’s Governor has until Thursday to act

In recent days, dozens of Detroit parents — quarantined in COVID hotspots with one of the nation’s widest digital divides — have taken to their phones to demand Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer settle a lawsuit that found the state violated their children’s right to learn to read. Using the hashtags #RightToLiteracy and #settlethiscase, some are...
By Beth Hawkins | May 7, 2020
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DeVos releases Title IX campus sexual assault rule, courting controversy amid coronavirus pandemic

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos released a new rule Wednesday on how K-12 schools and colleges must address campus sexual misconduct, bolstering protections for accused students as the department seeks to combat abuse “without abandoning fairness.” The regulations, which go into effect in August, make wide-ranging changes to schools’ obligations under Title IX, the federal law...
By Mark Keierleber | May 6, 2020
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Despite ‘COVID slide’ concerns, most educators oppose extending upcoming school year to stave off negative effects, survey finds

With school campuses closed nationwide due to the coronavirus pandemic, researchers have warned that students’ time away from the classroom could lead to disruptive learning loss — an anomaly dubbed the “COVID slide.” But most teachers oppose extending the upcoming academic year to confront academic setbacks, according to the results of a new survey. Sixty-five...
By Mark Keierleber | May 6, 2020
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Latino superintendents: ‘Going back to normal’ not their goal after coronavirus crisis

Richard Carranza, chancellor of New York City public schools, says he doesn’t allow people to talk about “going back to normal.” Normal, he said in a virtual convening hosted by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, was a system in which social and economic privilege determined too much about the quality of a student’s...
By Bekah McNeel | May 5, 2020
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LAUSD has spent more than $100 million on Chromebooks and iPads, but an escalating technology shortage is delaying arrival of key equipment for educators across America

School districts in need of a sudden rush of technology will likely have to wait. During a virtual meeting of the Ossining Union Free School District in New York, Superintendent Raymond Sanchez told the school board he is aware of a potential for a five-month gap between placing an order for new technology and receiving...
By Tim Newcomb | April 28, 2020
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As impacts from the coronavirus shutdown multiply, state & district school chiefs demand boost to ‘woefully insufficient’ federal funds

As educators around the country continue trying to keep students engaged during the coronavirus shutdown while also bracing for what could be the worst economic slump since the Great Depression, 29 state education commissioners and district superintendents have a message for federal officials: schools need more support. The group — eight state education commissioners and...
By Zoë Kirsch | April 22, 2020
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For undocumented students, coronavirus pandemic brings learning disruptions — and economic panic — with few avenues for help

Miriam hopes to attend college and become an elementary school teacher. But right now, she’s worried that she won’t graduate from high school. Like many campuses across the U.S., her high school in San Antonio, Texas, transitioned to online instruction last month amid the coronavirus pandemic. Thanks to a school-issued hotspot, Miriam has internet at...
By Mark Keierleber | April 21, 2020
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More than half of students are not tuning in to online classes, informal teacher survey shows

As remote learning ramps up and more states announce that school closures will last through the end of the academic year, a new teacher survey suggests many students are still missing from their virtual classrooms during the coronavirus pandemic. Fifty-five percent of teachers said more than half of their students have not been tuning in...
By Laura Fay | April 20, 2020
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College costs may be a top concern amid COVID-19 economic crash, but here’s why picking a cheaper school now may actually leave students worse off

College affordability will be top of mind for many as the Coronavirus pandemic continues to upend family finances. But the temptation to save on college costs now may have consequences later in a student’s life, a new report cautions. At issue is that academically talented students who choose to attend community colleges — which tend...
By Mikhail Zinshteyn, CalMatters | April 15, 2020
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As higher education leaders wait for slow-to-arrive federal relief, students are taking charge of providing key services to their classmates & communities

Last month’s historic $2.2 trillion stimulus package earmarks $14 billion to higher education, but when that money will actually reach colleges and schools is anyone’s guess. As they wait for those dollars to land, institutions are now tapping into their coffers and donation networks to supply students with crucial financial assistance. “What we thought we...
By Mikhail Zinshteyn, CalMatters | April 14, 2020