-
After historic declines in math scores, schools look to bolster summer programs to help kids catch up
School districts around the country, reeling from dramatic drops in fourth- and eighth-grade math scores on the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, hope to recoup at least some of what’s been lost through summer programs. Flush with federal dollars, new and robust offerings have been open to a wide swath of students starting in...
By Jo Napolitano | June 29, 2023
-
Supreme Court skirts question of whether charter schools are public
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a case that could have upended the long-held view that charter schools are public, throwing into doubt — for now — a controversial effort to publicly finance religious schools. The court decided not to hear a North Carolina case involving a public charter school’s dress...
By Linda Jacobson and Greg Toppo | June 28, 2023
-
NAEP scores ‘flashing red’ after a lost generation of learning for 13-year-olds
COVID-19’s cataclysmic impact on K–12 education, coming on the heels of a decade of stagnation in schools, has yielded a lost generation of growth for adolescents, new federal data reveal. Wednesday’s publication of scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) — America’s most prominent benchmark of learning, typically referred to as the Nation’s...
By Kevin Mahnken | June 27, 2023
-
LAUSD moves forward with revamped math and reading intervention program
Correction appended June 26 A popular literacy program that LAUSD superintendent Alberto Carvalho proposed significantly altering will get a one-year reprieve, with specialist positions off the budgetary chopping block. Part of the recently approved $18.8 billion budget, the move responds to teachers and parents who protested Carvalho’s plan to revamp the program, known as Primary...
By Will Callan | June 25, 2023
-
Educators Beware: As budget cuts loom, now is NOT the time to quit your job
For several years there have been lots of available jobs in school districts. Employees could take a year off and, with all the openings, take comfort in the knowledge that districts would always be hiring if and when they wanted to come back. But those days are over. Thinking of quitting in the next few...
By Katherine Silberstein and Marguerite Roza | June 22, 2023
-
Analysis: How good are the tests teachers give their students? Districts need to know
At this critical juncture in K-12 education, it’s essential that schools invest in tools to better identify students’ learning needs so they can address pandemic recovery and chronic inequities. But while most districts use commercial interim assessments to guide them, far too little is known about the effectiveness of these tests. Interim assessments are big business....
By Eric Hirsch, Dr. Erika Landl & Dr. Susan Lyons | June 21, 2023
-
Inside the celebrity-backed Roybal Film and Television Production Magnet, classrooms connect teens to Hollywood careers
This profile marks one stop in a national tour of high school campuses organized by our parent organization The 74. Follow the coast-to-coast road trip. The outdoor walkways of the Roybal Learning Center offer a panoramic view of the Los Angeles skyline that would be a fitting backdrop for any Hollywood movie. That’s what grabbed...
By Linda Jacobson | June 20, 2023
-
Report flunks teacher prep programs on the science of reading
Only 25% of teacher preparation programs cover all the core elements of scientifically based reading instruction, and another quarter don’t cover any adequately, according to a report released earlier this month by the National Council on Teacher Quality. Evaluating 693 undergraduate and graduate teacher training programs, the council found that 40% of programs instruct aspiring educators...
By Kate Rix | June 19, 2023
-
Commentary: Schools must know if their learning-loss programs work — before ESSER funds end
Since the pandemic began in March 2020, the federal government has provided nearly $190 billion in education funding to states and districts. The three rounds of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding represent the largest infusion of federal funds in history for reopening schools, updating buildings and supporting learning recovery. Now, over three years...
By Anu Malipatil | June 15, 2023
-
National study of 1.8 million charter students shows charter pupils outperform peers at traditional public schools
Charter school students make more average progress in math and English than their counterparts in traditional public schools, including months of additional learning in some states, according to a new national overview. The authors of the study find that campuses grouped within larger charter management organizations are particularly effective at accelerating student achievement. The report,...
By Kevin Mahnken | June 14, 2023