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Next wave of microschool founders are more diverse, less likely to be educators
The face of microschooling is changing — from the racial diversity and professional background of its founders to how these small, nontraditional learning centers finance their operations. Those are among the top findings of an analysis across 34 states of 100 current microschools and 100 more that were largely aiming to open this school year....
By Lauren Wagner | January 31, 2024
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Federal data shows a drop in campus cops — for now
More than 1 in 10 schools with a regular police presence removed officers from their roles in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a Minneapolis cop, new federal data on campus crime and safety suggest. Nearly 44% of public K-12 schools were staffed with school resource officers at least once a...
By Mark Keierleber | January 30, 2024
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Road Scholars: When these families travel, school comes along for the ride
Palm Desert, California Jon and Sam Bastianelli looked on patiently as their oldest son, the “history buff,” examined the axes, shovels and old farming tools displayed in a blacksmith shop at the Coachella Valley History Museum. His younger siblings crushed pumpkin seeds with a mortar and pestle in an exhibit honoring the Cahuilla tribe, the...
By Linda Jacobson | January 29, 2024
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Even as Caltech drops calculus requirement, other competitive colleges continue to expect hard-to-find course
When the prestigious California Institute of Technology announced in August it would drop calculus as an admissions requirement — students must prove mastery of the subject but don’t have to take it in high school — observers of an ongoing education equity debate might have thought it was the last holdout. According to a recent...
By Jo Napolitano | January 25, 2024
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Amid literacy push, many states still don’t prepare teachers for success, report finds
Most states have revised their strategies for teaching children to read over the last half-decade, a reflection of both long-held frustration with slow academic progress and newer concerns around COVID-related learning loss. An attempt to incorporate evidence-based insights into everyday school practice, the nationwide campaign has been touted as a promising development for student achievement....
By Kevin Mahnken | January 24, 2024
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Opinion: Microschools take center stage with new opportunities for learning for 2024
Last year, the landscape of K-12 education transformed as a record-breaking 20 states expanded school choice options. However, that is not the only school choice story to come out of 2023. As the nation steps into 2024, a fresh emphasis on innovation has emerged, along with new options for families. This is particularly true within the realm...
By Andrew Campanella | January 23, 2024
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Experts give Biden high marks on student achievement agenda. But what about parents?
The Biden administration received high marks for elevating key strategies to help students rebound from pandemic learning loss — addressing chronic absenteeism, offering high-impact tutoring and extending learning afterschool and during the summer. “These three strategies have one central goal — giving students more time and more support to succeed,” U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona...
By Linda Jacobson | January 22, 2024
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Campus antisemitism, Islamophobia reports prompt ‘huge influx’ of federal civil rights complaints
Amid reports of heightened antisemitism and Islamophobia in schools and colleges since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, a senior Education Department official said the agency has received a “huge, huge influx” of civil rights complaints that have led to a surge in federal investigations. Since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel...
By Mark Keierleber | January 18, 2024
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Are there really ‘fast’ & ‘slow’ learners? Study could help all students succeed
A November 2023 report debunking “The Myth of the Quick Learner” prompted an outcry of disbelief online and led to a closer look at the original paper, “An Astonishing Regularity in Student Learning Rate,” published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed journal. The March 2023 paper asserted: We found students...
By Alina Adams | January 17, 2024
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The ‘Godfather’ of top charter schools: A tribute to the late Linda Brown
The woman who was arguably one of the most influential U.S. educators in decades died on Christmas day in her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 81, with her fingernails freshly painted bright red — as always. That would be Linda Brown, who tried very hard to remain private, and succeeded. To date, there...
By Richard Whitmire | January 16, 2024