U.S. News & World Report Looks at How States are Incorporating School Choice
U.S. News & World Report notes that just three of the 10 ESSA plans submitted to the Dept. of Education include language related to expanding school choice, despite Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ suggestion that they do so.
read moreRetired Educators Still Giving Back to Community
As they retire, baby boomers are determined to use their experience to make their mark on the world again.
read moreLibraries fuel cultural understanding and acceptance through Día, April 30
CHICAGO — On April 30, hundreds of libraries across the country will celebrate Día, a national library program that fosters literacy for all children from all backgrounds. Demographic projections show more than half of the country’s children will be part of a minority race or ethnic group in the next few years, and programs such as Día play a critical role in helping meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population, while also fueling cultural understanding and acceptance.
read morePENNSYLVANIA: PA Principals Association Supports School Breakfast Initiative
The PA Principals Association is one of 42 diverse groups 42 diverse groups from all over Pennsylvania that signed on to show support for the $2 million school breakfast initiative included in the state’s 2017-18 budget proposal.
read moreLOUISIANA: Mahalia Jackson Elementary might not close for good
Less than a week after Orleans Parish schools Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. recommended closing Mahalia Jackson Elementary, he’s given the Central City school a possible reprieve. Some organization might run a charter program there after the district departs in 2018, he said Tuesday (April 18).
read moreI Think I Can’t: Lack of Confidence in Math Keeps Girls Out of Lucrative STEM Careers
The rate at which women enroll in four-year colleges and complete bachelor’s degrees continues to outpace the rate for men. In fact, by 2025 women will represent nearly 60 percent of all university students. Yet despite their growing numbers on college campuses, women remain a small minority among students majoring in physical, engineering, mathematics, and computer (PEMC) sciences.
read moreIDAHO: Idaho Working Towards September ESSA Deadline
The Idaho State Dept. of Education announced it will submit an ESSA implementation plan in September. The State Board will review the plan in June and vote on final approval in August.
read morePENNSYLVANIA: ESSA Policy Summit Hosted by Congressman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson
Join Congressman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson for a K-12 Education Policy Summit at Lock Haven University on April 20: The Every Student Succeeds Act: Empowering Educators and School Leaders forthe 21st Century.
read moreThomas B. Fordham Institute Praises DeVos for ESSA “State Plan Peer Review Criteria”
Brandon Wright of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute published a praising Secretary Betsy DeVos for her ESSA “State Plan Peer Review Criteria.” According to Wright, the criteria encourage states to develop an accountability system that goes beyond just measuring proficiency. Through the use of three…
read moreMICHIGAN: MI Submits ESSA Plan to Dept. of Ed
Michigan submitted its ESSA plan to the Dept. of Education. In his letter, Gov. Rick Snyder criticized the plan’s inclusion of an n-size of 30, noting that it would “leave out many students who deserve transparency and accountability just as much as every other student.”…
read moreMaine Submits ESSA plan to Dept. of Ed
Maine is building on the great work being done in schools today moving from a century-old model of schooling to a more effective, learner-centered approach. This continues to require a steady focus on a handful of core priorities organized around meeting the individual learning needs of all students.
read moreLack of early education severely limits a child’s future
The recent editorial about the staggering number of vulnerable families in our state should be a call to arms for all of us. The need for quality child care and preschool particularly resonated for us as retired generals because these programs are critically important not only for our children’s future, but also for our future national security.
read moreA Look at How Some States Want to Handle School Ratings in ESSA Plans
One of the most closely watched issues in states’ Every Students Succeeds Act plans will be how they plan to assign ratings to schools. Thanks to several states that turned in their plans by the April 3 deadline, we have an early idea of where states on headed on this.
read moreWhat Are the Long-Term Academic Goals in States’ ESSA Plans?
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, which replaced the previous version of the nation’s main K-12 lawâstates have a lot of leeway in deciding what their long-term academic goals will be. That means that, unlike with the No Child Left Behind Act, there’s no requirement that all states ensure that 100 percent of students are proficient on state English/language arts and math exams by a certain school year.
read moreNational News: Having just one black teacher can keep black kids in school
Having just one black teacher in third, fourth or fifth grade reduced low-income black boys’ probability of dropping out of high school by 39 percent, the study found.
read moreIOWA: How a Community Copes When a School Shuts its Doors
Shuttered schools can devastate communities. For a small Iowa town, losing its high school felt like losing a member of the family.
read moreNATIONAL: Letter Sent in Support of Title II, Part A Funding
The American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA), ASCD, Learning Forward, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), New Leaders, —which collectively represent principals, teachers and other school leaders in the nation’s 115,000 elementary, middle, and high schools—are writing to express our support for full funding of Title II, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) as Congress works to finalize a funding measure for the remainder of FY 2017 and FY 2018.
read morePENNSYLVANIA: State reviews requirements for PSSA, Keystone exams
The Every Students Succeeds Act, the federal education law signed by President Barack Obama in late 2015, replaces the No Child Left Behind Act and provides flexibility for states. Pennsylvania must submit its finalized plan to the U.S. Department of Education in September.
read moreHow Will Trump’s Budget Address a Rural Ed. Program With Bipartisan Support?
There’s been a lot of speculation in the K-12 policy world about how President Donald Trump will handle education issues in rural America, where he won overwhelming support in the 2016 election. One part of the puzzle could be how he decides to deal with the the Secure Rural Schools program.
read moreStates May Get to Run Competitions for ESSA Block Grant Money
One of the big goals of the Every Student Succeeds Act was to give districts way more control over their federal funding, in part by creating a new block grant aka the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants or Title IV. Under the law, districts can use the money for a whole smorgasboard of things: student safety, dual enrollment, dance instruction, training teachers to use technology, hiring school counselors.
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