Category: Current News

Here’s your Friday News Roundup. Skyrocketing Test Gains in Oklahoma Are Largely Fiction, Experts Say (The 74) Sometimes, high-stakes testing leads to unintended consequences – like cheating. The 74 reported last week that, “Oklahoma school districts got some shocking, but welcome news this month when the state released results of student tests from last school…

It’s Friday! Time for the News Roundup. Against Ten Commandments in Schools? Tell Your Kid Not to Look, Governor Says (Washington Post) Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported that, “Parents who oppose the display of the Ten Commandments in public classroom in Louisiana should ‘just tell the child not to look,’ Governor Jeff Landry,…

It’s a July Friday. Time for the Roundup. Texas’ Christian-Influenced Curriculum Spurs Worries about Bullying, Church-State Separation (The Texas Tribune) The line between church and state is becoming narrower across the nation, but probably nowhere more than Texas. The Texas Tribune reported last week that, “Andy Wine thinks most children can understand the Golden Rule.…

It’s Friday! Time for the Roundup. Was Los Angeles Schools’ $6 Million AI Venture a Disaster Waiting to Happen? (The 74) Earlier this month, The 74 reported that, “When news broke last month that Ed, the Los Angeles school district’s new, $6 million artificial intelligence chatbot, was in jeopardy – the startup that created it…

It’s Friday, so it’s time for the News Roundup. How Districts Can Keep High-Impact Tutoring Going After ESSER Money Expires (The 74) It seems like the only strategy working these days to help kids improve their reading, writing, and problem-solving skills is small group or one-to-one tutoring. But funding for that tutoring is questionable moving…

It’s Friday. Time for the News Roundup. Iowa Ranks 7th for Kids’ Well-Being, Report Says. But Students Struggle with Reading, Math (The Des Moines Register) The Des Moines Register reported last week that, “A new report ranks Iowa seventh in the nation for children’s well-being, but a nonprofit leader cautions that the state still faces…

Happy Flag Day! It’s Friday so it’s time for the News Roundup. Here we go… Class Time Roulette: Kids Receive Up to Two Years More School Depending on Where They Live (The 74) The traditional school system might not be so systematic after all. According to The 74 online this week, “Depending on where they…

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…

It’s Friday. Here is your News Update. Retention Is the Missing Ingredient in Special Education Staffing (EducationWeek) Lack of staffing continues to plague America’s traditional K-12 system, especially when it comes to serving special populations. EducationWeek online reported recently that, “Special education staffing strategies often focus on recruiting and training new teachers in the specialty,…

Teacher Prep Programs See “Encouraging” Growth, New Federal Data Reveal (The 74) It seems like enrollment in teacher education programs is on the rise. The 74 online reported that, “…new federal data has given researchers some cause for optimism, suggesting efforts to make teaching more financially viable with strategies such as paying student teachers have…