Friday News Roundup

It’s Friday! Time for the News Roundup.

Study Links State ESA Program to Spike in Iowa K-12 Private School Tuition (The Des Moines Register)

Private schools aren’t stupid. Most have realized, with a number of states approving Education Savings Accounts to support families leaving public schools for their private counterparts, they can increase their per pupil tuition cost.

The Des Moines Register online reported recently that,

“A study published by Brown and Princeton universities shows that kindergarten tuition at Iowa private schools has risen 21% to 24% since the implementation of the state’s Education Savings Account program.”

“The ESA program, signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds in early 2023, allows families to create an account for their K-12 student to pay for private school tuition and associated costs. ESA accounts for the 2023-24 school year were $7,635 – equal to the per-pupil funding total received by public K-12 schools – and will increase to $7,826 for the 2024-25 school year.”

Exclusive: Texas Seeks to Inject Bible Stories into Elementary School Reading Program (The 74)

The 74 online reported last week that,

“Texas elementary school students would get a significant dose of Bible knowledge with their reading instruction under a sweeping curriculum redesign…”

“From the story of Queen Esther – who convinced her husband, the Persian king, to spare the Jews – to the depiction of Christ’s last supper, the material is designed to draw connections between classroom content and religious texts.”

Have we forgotten that we have church and state separation in this country, and that public education falls under the guise of the state?

Anti-ESA Republicans Fall in Texas Primaries, Setting Stage for School Choice Expansion (The 74)

The 74 online reported last week that,

“In a breakthrough win for Governor Greg Abbott and school choice activists around the country, conservative challengers defeated three Republican state representatives in Texas primary elections…”

“The shakeup could set the stage for a statewide roll-out of education savings accounts (ESAs), which allow families to use public dollars to pay for private school.”

With this news, it’s safe to say Education Savings Accounts are coming to Texas. If only Republican politicians had the vision to open these ESAs to families interested in creating learning pods and microschools, and not just moving money from the public system to private schools.

With the Opening of a New School, New Orleans Is an All-Charter District No More (The 74)

The 74  online reported recently that,

“…New Orleans Public Schools will open a district-operated school named for Leah Chase, a late civil rights activist and revered matriarch of a culinary dynasty. The school will eventually serve 320 students from pre-K through eighth grade, with an emphasis on the city’s culture and history. Located in a historic building, it will replace the failing Lafayette Academy Charter School.”

…

“You read that right: New Orleans’ love-it-or-hate-it, seven-year experiment as the nation’s first all-charter school system is coming to a close. Going forward, it will act both as a charter school authorizer and an old-fashioned school district.”

When New Orleans become a charter-only K-12 system seven years ago, some said that the Big Easy would become the model for a new public school system. Now, with New Orleans seemingly backing off a bit from their charter school commitment, who know?

Team Teaching: A Boost to Teacher Retention (EducationWeek)

Teachers would rather work together than in classroom isolation – imagine that?

EducationWeek online reported last week that,

“Giving teachers more control over their collaboration with peers may boost the effectiveness of teacher teams and encourage educators to stay in the classroom.”

…

“Early results of an ongoing study of the NEW program, developed at Arizone State University, in the Mesa [AZ] public schools suggest the team-teaching model gives educators flexibility to play to their strengths.”

“In the NEW model, groups of 100 students are assigned to teams of four to five teachers, who work together to cover core-subject areas as well as social-emotional learning.”

Teaming teachers was popular in the late 20^th century, and then it went away. When I was a middle school principal, our school found a lot of success with teaming adult learning leaders with a group of middle school-aged learners.

An Early Education Rebound: After COVID Disruptions, Report Shows Pre-K Enrollment Hitting Record Levels (The 74)

We’ve known for a long time that investment in early childhood learning makes a bigger difference in creating smarter and stronger reads, writers, and problem-solvers than any other age group.

The 74 online reported earlier this week that,

“Four-year-olds entering pre-K in Mississippi’s Lamar County Schools don’t spend their days on worksheets or bent over papers practicing their letters. But they do have plenty of books, Play-Doh and time for friends.”

“And some leave for kindergarten knowing how to read.”

“’But it’s not because we’re hounding them,’ said Heather Lyons, the program’s coordinator. ‘It’s because we’re constantly trying to help them pursue this love of learning.’”

“That careful mix of academics and social skills is one reason demand for the program is strong. Parents start calling in January to ask about registering their kids for the fall, Lyons said. Lamar’s program is part a statewide pre-K initiative now serving a quarter of the state’s 4-year-olds – up from about 3% six years ago.”

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens to K-12 learning in Mississippi once these pre-schoolers enter the public school system.

Stay tuned.

That’s it for this week’s News Roundup. Enjoy the weekend. And happy birthday to me! Til next week. SVB