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Why actually working isn’t enough to defend effective education ideas
There’s an old conversational set piece in the lively world of early education policy that goes something like this: a study comes out showing that pre-K programs do a solid job of raising children’s knowledge and skills, and even improve kindergarten readiness, but seem to be less effective at producing higher third-grade reading scores or some other...
By Conor Williams | August 10, 2022
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‘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
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Sex ed was in trouble before Roe v. Wade’s reversal. Now the curriculum matters even more
Originally published by The 19th What students learn in sex ed has taken on new urgency following the Supreme Court’s decision in June to reverse Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion access up to the states. And as the Texas Republican Party takes aim at what kids learn in school, that dynamic is front and center...
By Nadra Nittle | August 3, 2022
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Three ways L.A. schools are trying to get ahead of chronic absenteeism
Faced with a crisis of chronically absent students last academic year, Los Angeles County education officials have spent the summer training workers to connect with families so children return to class next month. Teachers and social workers have been learning to spot mental health issues; and help parents find resources such as daycare so older...
By Rebecca Katz | August 2, 2022
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Educator’s view: ‘Don’t Say Gay’ rules don’t have to silence teachers
Teachers play a critical role in developing students’ world views regarding marginalized communities. But educators are increasingly being silenced in their ability to deliver inclusive teaching. Since January 2021, 37 states have introduced measures to limit how race and discrimination can be taught in public school classrooms, and 14 have imposed laws or rules to enforce these restrictions. Across...
By Byron Flitsch | August 1, 2022
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To prevent principal exodus, new partnerships offer $20K stipends, therapy
Free therapy and professional coaching. $20,000 stipends. These are some of the incentives and supports aimed at preventing an exodus of principals and school administrators taking on pandemic stressors and the nation’s divisive climate. Focused on problem solving, self-care and leadership skills, a handful of nonprofits run by experienced educators have launched support and training...
By Marianna McMurdock | July 28, 2022
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Analysis: Schools try bonuses, stipends to attract & keep teachers in a tight labor market
This article originally appeared in the April 2022 School Business Affairs magazine and is reprinted with permission of the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO). The text herein does not necessarily represent the views or policies of ASBO International, and use of this imprint does not imply any endorsement or recognition by ASBO International...
By Chad Aldeman and Katherine Silberstein | July 27, 2022
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‘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
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As COVID-era tutoring need outpaces supply, California nonprofit offers AI-powered alternative
CK-12, a nonprofit focused on pairing educational content with the latest technologies, has fully embraced artificial intelligence, giving students and teachers using its free learning system access to an AI-powered tutor dubbed Flexi. Employing artificial intelligence, CK-12 engineers programmed Flexi to act as a tutor, responding to math and science questions, testing students’ knowledge, helping...
By Tim Newcomb | July 25, 2022
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GreatSchools to omit pandemic school testing data from its ratings
Parents and educators are asking: when is GreatSchools going to have new school data? The answer is two-fold. First, it’s important to know we are not going to give parents information that doesn’t help them, or only helps some of them. Second, we have been consistently adding new data, but its type and source may...
By Orville Jackson | July 21, 2022