Time for the Friday News Roundup.
School Choice Questions Dominate November Ballot Propositions (The 74)
Election Day is right around the corner, and education issues will play a part in the day – especially education savings accounts primarily to be used for private school tuition.
According to The 74,
“Voters have a history of rejecting private school choice measures at the ballot box. Recent voucher proposals garnered less than a third of the vote. But advocates in three states [Nebraska, Kentucky, and Colorado] are hoping to break that trend on Election Day.”
It would be nice to see a state float a proposal to their voters that would give families stuck in low-performing schools a education savings account to be used for any type of learning – in or out of school. Middle class families have resources to access that low-income families don’t. Let’s even the playing field a bit by giving families stuck in sucky schools an option to offer better to their kids.
What Happened When A District Put Struggling Students in Regular Algebra? (EducationWeek)
EducationWeek reported last week that,
“When students take Algebra I matters.”
“If high schoolers don’t pass the course by 9th grade, they’re unlikely to reach college-preparatory math in high school. There are too many courses to get through in four years. As a result, struggling students face two potential pitfalls: being pushed into algebra courses that they’re not ready to tackle, or shunted onto a lower-level track that makes it unlikely they’ll ever catch up to their peers.”
“But a new study shows that some students who would have otherwise been placed in remedial math can succeed in 9th grade algebra – if they have the right support structure.”
This is another big problem with our traditional K-12 system – coursework being taken without the proper amount of instructional support – or the sink or swim challenge.
When I was a middle school principal, most of our kids completed Algebra I before moving onto high school. Some finished it in eighth grade, some in seventh – a few in sixth. With support, kids will amaze you with what they can learn and when they can learn it.
New Survey Says U.S. Teachers Colleges Lag on AI Training. Here are 4 Takeaways (The 74)
The 74 reported this week that,
“In the nearly two years since generative artificial intelligence burst into public consciousness, U.S. schools of education have not kept pace with the rapid changes in the field, a new report suggests.”
“Here are four key takeaways from the finding:
- Most college faculty are neither ready nor able to embrace AI.
- Programs that integrate AI use it mostly to help teachers prevent plagiarism.
- A few teacher training programs show promise in integrating AI into teacher prep. (Two mentioned were the University of Northern Iowa and Arizona State University)
- Teachers colleges need systemic, strategic investments in AI education.
How the Culture Wars Are Costing Schools Billions (EducationWeek)
It used to be that public education was safe from partisan politics. No longer.
EducationWeek reported this week that,
“School districts have increasingly found themselves at the center of tense conflict in recent years. And those conflicts come at a cost.”
“These clashes – over issues like how districts are addressing race and policies related to LGBTQ+ students’ rights – cost American schools more than $3 billion in the 2023-24 academic year, according to a new analysis.”
Imagine how many kids could learn to read if $3 billion were available to help them.
More California Schools Than Ever Are Embracing Vegan Meals (Reasons to be Cheerful)
Reasons to be Cheerful reported this week that,
“Three years ago, Erin Primer had an idea for a new summer program for her school district: She wanted students to learn about where their food comes from. Primer, who has worked in student nutrition within California’s public school system for 10 years, applied for grant funding from the state to kick off the curriculum, and got it. Students planted cilantro in a garden tower, met a local organic farmer who grows red lentils and learned about corn. ‘Many kids didn’t know that corn grew in a really tall plant,’ said Primer. ‘They didn’t know that it had a husk.’”
“The curriculum, focused on bringing the farm into the school, had an effect beyond the classroom: Primer found that, after learning about and planting ingredients that they then used to make simple meals like veggie burgers, students were excited to try new foods and flavors in the lunchroom. One crowd pleaser happened to be totally vegan: a red lentil dal served with coconut rice.”
Like media literacy, personal nutrition is largely ignored by our traditional K-12 system – to the detriment of our young learners. They don’t know what is health when it comes to information or food.
Costly Data Demands Leave Some Minnesota Districts Frustrated (MPR News)
Minnesota Public Radio reported this week that,
“The first data request showed up on Cathy Moen’s desk in July. It came from an anonymous email address and was signed only ‘good citizen.’ Whoever they were, they wanted data from the Hastings Public Schools. A lot of it.”
“Other queries followed. ‘Good citizen’ wanted detail on all reimbursements made to district employees and elected officials, information on all policy discussions – and all district communications regarding ‘critical race theory,’ inclusivity and equality.”
“Moen, the districts director of human resources, spent weeks this fall watching the pile of boxes in her office grow. They were filled with reams of meticulously gathered and printed district data. She guessed just one of the requests involved at least 100,000 pages that would need to be reviewed by a district attorney – incurring legal fees – and made available for the requester to view.”
When I worked in a large urban school district, information requests like the ones described above crippled the district – and this was the fourth largest school district in the country. Imagine how information requests cripple small districts.
In professional sports, coaches get a few challenges each game to get a play reviewed by extra officials. Our Freedom of Information Act should start to operate in the same way. You can request information, but you must prioritize the frequency and amount of information you choose.
Til Monday. Have a great weekend! SVB
A Better Path to Learning 
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