$250 Teacher Tax Deduction Here to Stay in Final GOP Bill – Teacher Beat – Education Week
The final tax bill that Congress will soon vote on maintains the $250 tax deduction that teachers can use for classroom supplies—and yet teachers’ unions are finding little consolation in a legislative overhaul they say hurts working families.
read moreSome of the Surprising Reasons Why Students Drop Out of School
“Finally, what surprised me personally was the lack of interventions. We never know the full story, only the kids’ perspective, but very few recalled having any official interventions for truancy, or interventions from parents or the school.”
read moreA Tale of Two States: Education Funding in PA and NJ
A new “big-data” base on U.S. school districts provides new evidence that Pennsylvania has many high-performing schools but many lower-income rural and urban districts that perform less well.
read morePublic Comment Sought for Report on Obtaining Input from Rural Schools and Local Educational Agencies
In accordance with section 5005 of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Secretary seeks information from the public regarding actions the Department of Education (Department) can take to improve how it considers the unique needs of rural schools and local educational agencies (LEAs) as it develops and implements its policies and programs.
read moreD.C. Charter School Tackles Education Gap for Black Boys
Of the Black and brown children suffering academically throughout the U.S. school system, boys in particular seem to be affected the most, with extremely high educational literacies disparities found in the nation’s capital and neighboring Baltimore.
read moreD.C. EDUCATION BRIEFS: Early Action
One of the most important factors in college admissions is SAT scores. To that end, the academy further invested resources to offer SAT prep classes to seniors, and as a result, 97 percent of its students scored better than 800. Additionally, 50 percent of the academy’s students earned a “super score” of 1000 or greater.
read moreTransparency in Education Improves Parental Engagement, Experts Say
The public reporting requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) offer greater transparency about school quality, according to experts and education advocates who also predict that the new law will empower parents and make them more informed partners in the education process of their children.
read moreDISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Charter Schools Boost Education
AFRO NEWSPAPER — Backed by the decision to increase the Uniform Per-Student Funding Formula, which funds public school operating costs this school year and last, District families continue to demonstrate increasing confidence in D.C. public schools and D.C. charter schools.
read moreDistrict of Columbia ESSA Resources
ESSA creates an important opportunity for DC to expand upon its efforts around school improvement, educator development and support, and sharing of transparent and comparable information about District of Columbia public schools.
read moreState ESSA Plans ‘Not Encouraging’ on Equity, Education Trust Says
“What we are seeing so far is not encouraging,” concludes a report from The Education Trust, a Washington-based organization that advocates for low-income and minority students. “For all the talk about equity surrounding ESSA, too many state leaders have taken a pass on clearly naming and acting on schools’ underperformance for low-income students, students of color, students with disabilities, and English learners.”
read moreBetsy DeVos’ Team Asks Seven States for More ESSA Specifics
The U.S. Department of Education staffers seem to be burning the midnight oil on feedback letters lately. Four other states—Georgia, Maryland, Puerto Rico, and Utah—got responses last week. Every state has submitted a plan to implement ESSA. And 16 states and the District of Columbia have had their plans approved.
read moreTeachers Call on Legislators to Address Education Funding in Special Session
Connecticut teachers are urging legislators to take up the critical issue of education funding when they convene for a special session later this month to focus on the draconian cuts devastating the state’s public schools and shortchanging students’ education.
read moreFree Speech Is Under Attack in the Government. Are Schools Next? – Education Week
According to The Washington Post, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been prohibited by the current administration from using a list of words in any of its official budgetary documents for the coming year. Those words are “diversity,” “transgender,” “vulnerable,” “fetus,” “evidence-based,” “science-based,” and “entitlement.”
read moreBetsy DeVos Team Critiques ESSA Plans for Georgia, Utah, and Puerto Rico
Georgia and Utah, as well as hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, have some work to do on their plans to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act, according letters published this week by the U.S. Department of Education. Each turned in its ESSA plan back in September.
read moreA mother of two children with intellectual disabilities picks public school
Kelly Neal works in Macon but lives in Jones County so her two children with intellectual disabilities can attend a public school that can accommodate them.
read moreTEXAS: 20 school systems part of local academic accountability system pilot
(AUSTIN) – Commissioner of Education Mike Morath announced today that 20 school systems will participate in a pilot to develop its own local academic accountability system. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will oversee a small-scale pilot program in the 2017–2018 academic year.
read moreFutureED Launches Website on ESSA
FutureEd, a non-partisan think tank at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, launched a website on various education-related topics including ESSA examination.
read moreDemocrats Grill Trump Civil Rights, Special Education Nominees on Administration’s Record
Democrats on the Senate education committee had some tough questions Tuesday for President Donald Trump’s picks to head up civil rights and special education policy at the U.S. Department of Education.
read moreIOWA: “Does your student want to serve on the Board of Education?”
Each year the Governor appoints a student to serve as a nonvoting member of the State Board of Education. The term of the student member starts May 1, 2018, and ends April 30, 2019.
read moreGov. Holcomb joins students for computer coding training
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb hosted roughly 100 students at a Statehouse event highlighting the importance of high-tech skills
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