By Trisha Powell Crain Here’s a bit of good news for teachers in Alabama — who could all use good news after this surreal school year. Alabama’s teacher salary increases now appear to be outpacing inflation. Three years ago, inflation had outpaced salaries for at least a decade, meaning any additional money teachers made through raises wasn’t…
Schools that required masks, improved ventilation reported fewer COVID-19 cases: CDC study
BY JUSTINE COLEMAN – 05/21/21 Schools in Georgia that required teachers and staff to wear masks and improved ventilation reported fewer COVID-19 cases, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study released on Friday. The research, conducted by the CDC and the Georgia Department of Public Health, determined that COVID-19 incidence was 37 percent lower in schools…
Texas bans local governments, public schools from mandating masks
Local governments or officials who attempt to put mask requirements in place can face a fine of up to $1,000.ByJoseph Guzman | May 19, 2021 getty: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) Story at a glance The executive action taken Tuesday prohibits the state’s counties, cities, school districts, public health authorities or government officials from implementing…
Alabama offers free online summer learning to battle student COVID slide
By Trisha Powell Crain | tcrain@al.com Alabama students have more ways to keep learning over the summer, even without being in school. The Alabama Department of Education launched a free Summer Learning Challenge this week, offering children in kindergarten through 12th grade online access to hundreds of thousands of books, along with math exercises and online activities. State…
Hawaii public schools reopening for in-person learning, including all athletics activities, this fall
By Allison Schaefers May 17, 2021 CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / 2019Lanakila Elementary School kindergarten teacher Mrs. Janice Nii with former students (L-R) Zhyra Tanaka, Ruixi Zhuang, Christian Rabutan and Kolton Nagamine. Hawaii’s public schools will open for daily, in person learning for the 2021-22 school year. School Superintendent Christina M. Kishimoto sent a letter to school…
Alexandria will remove police from public school hallways
By Hannah Natanson May 16, 2021 The city of Alexandria will pull all police officers from public school hallways — ending a program that began nearly three decades ago — following a narrow and contentious vote by the city council earlier this month. The council voted 4 to 3 on May 3 to reallocate nearly $800,000 used…
Nearly 50 public school districts in Wisconsin remove mask requirements, despite CDC guidance to keep them in place
By: Ben Jordan May 17, 2021 Dozens of school districts across the state have done away with mask requirements despite the latest CDC guidance saying masks should be worn in classrooms due to low vaccination rates among children. The Mequon-Thiensville School District is meeting Monday night to decide whether to toss its mask mandate. Mequon mother Emily Landers…
Can Schools Require Students to Get COVID-19 Vaccines, and Will They?
By Evie Blad — May 12, 2021 7 min read As younger children qualify for COVID-19 vaccines, public health officials are unsure of how many families will opt to have their children inoculated if the shots aren’t required for school attendance. While some colleges and universities have made COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for their students, experts say it’s unlikely…
To Vaccinate Younger Teens, States and Cities Look to Schools, Camps, Even Beaches
The F.D.A.’s authorization of Pfizer’s Covid shot for 12- to 15-year-olds is a milestone in battling the coronavirus, but actually getting them vaccinated involves new challenges. By Abby Goodnough and Jan Hoffman May 11, 2021 The race is on to vaccinate the nation’s nearly 17 million 12- to 15-year-olds against Covid-19. The Food and Drug Administration’s decision on Monday to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine…
Why Some Parents Don’t Want Schools to Go Back to ‘Normal’ in the Fall
Greg ToppoThu, May 13, 2021, Gavin Newsom Get essential education news and commentary delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here for The 74’s daily newsletter. As more Americans receive Covid-19 vaccines and schools move to reopen widely, leaders are doing their best to make sure everyone gets the memo: School is happening in-person this fall. California Gov….
Gov. McMaster issues executive order on masks in South Carolina schools and local mask mandates
Greenville County Schools responds to the new order May 12, 2021 TRACKING THE COVID-19 VACCINE Sign up for daily emails with local updates and other important news.SUBMITPrivacy NoticeCOLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order Tuesday letting parents opt their children out of wearing masks in public schools, citing widespread coronavirus…
Alexandria City Public Schools Enrollment Declines for the First Time in 14 Years
The pandemic and virtual learning have pushed parents to reassess educational options for their children. BY SUSANNAH MOORE MAY 10, 2021 While students leave Alexandria City Public Schools every year for a variety of reasons, this is the first year in more than a decade that the total number of students enrolled in ACPS has actually declined. …
US Schools Fight to Keep Students Amid Fear of Dropout Surge
U.S. educators are doing everything they can to track down high school students who stopped showing up to classes and to help them get the credits needed to graduate. By Associated Press|May 11, 2021, US Schools Fight to Keep Students Amid Fear of Dropout SurgeMore A student walks between classes at Wyandotte High School in Kansas…
Teacher Appreciation Week: A thank you to all Rochester-area educators
BY WENDY MILLS ROCHESTERPUBLISHED 7:30 AM ET MAY. 07, 2021 ROCHESTER, N.Y. — From virtual classes to hybrid schedules and in-person learning, teachers and staff in every school district have had to adapt, change and juggle. All week, school districts from Wayne County to Livingston County and everywhere in between are acknowledging teachers for all their hard…
Alabama Governor signs bill aimed at attracting more math, science teachers
The TEAMS program will provide incentive pay for interested and qualifying math and science teachers BySTAFF-The Alabama Political Reporter May 7, 2021 Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday signed into law the Teacher Excellence and Accountability for Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) Salary Schedule Program, an aggressive piece of legislation to combat the estimated 3,000 unfilled math and science teacher positions…
Survey: Half Of Teachers Say They’ll Leave The Field Because Of COVID
By Bill Zeeble Published May 6, 2021 A survey from the nonprofit publication Education Week shows more than half of the nation’s teachers are thinking of dropping out in the next two years. That’s a jump of 20% compared to before the pandemic. The national survey of 1,000 teachers found 54% said they are ‘somewhat or very likely’ to…
Latina educator makes history as 2021 National Teacher of the Year
Juliana Urtubey, a special education teacher, is the first educator from Nevada to win the award and the first Latino recipient since 2005. Teacher Juliana Urtubey in a class at Kermit R Booker Sr Elementary School Wednesday, May 5, 2021, in Las Vegas.John Locher / APMay 7, 2021, 9:03 AM CDT / Updated May 7, 2021, 9:04 AM…
Biden hits schools goal even as many students learn remotely
By Associated Press| May 6, 2021 at 4:36 AM CDT – Updated May 6 at 4:36 AM (AP) – President Joe Biden has met his goal of having most elementary and middle schools open for full, in-person learning in his first 100 days, according to new survey data, but the share of students choosing to return has…
Arizona Bill hits teachers who ignore differing views
Howard Fischer May 6, 2021 Howard Fischer PHOENIX — Republican lawmakers voted Wednesday to punish teachers who don’t present both sides of controversial science or events. Some lawmakers say the effort could force teachers to seek out and present contrary views on everything from climate change, slavery, the 9-11 terrorist attacks, the Holocaust — and…
Alabama teachers getting 2% raise: Here’s how much districts pay now
By Trisha Powell Crain | Teacher pay in Alabama is going up this fall — 2% across the board, and more for middle or high school math or science educators. Gov. Kay Ivey first proposed the main raise in her state of the state address, and lawmakers made it final last week. The increase comes as teachers finish what…
White House defends CDC outreach to teachers union
BY BRETT SAMUELS – 05/04/21 02:03 PM EDT © Getty Images The White House on Tuesday downplayed criticism from conservatives that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sought input from a top teachers union in developing its school reopening guidelines. “It’s actually longstanding best practice for the CDC to engage with organizations, groups that are going…
Some schools skip student quarantines
By Donna St. GeorgeMay 2, 2021 at 6:33 p.m. CDT In the northern suburbs of Cincinnati, Superintendent Matt Miller kept school doors open. But the coronavirus kept pushing students out. In the fall semester, he counted 5,172 student quarantines. It meant a constant jostling of teaching and learning. “We have had students who had to quarantine three times,”…
Washington schools have logged 182 COVID-19 outbreaks this school year, says new report
April 30, 2021 at 5:48 pm Updated April 30, 2021 at 6:42 pm By Hannah FurfaroSeattle Times staff reporter Washington has logged more than 182 coronavirus outbreaks in school buildings this school year, with a slim majority of school-linked infections in children and teenagers age 18 and younger, according to a new Department of Health report released Friday afternoon. …
Cullman County Schools to return to 5 days a week, not requiring face masks
CULLMAN, Ala. (WBRC) -Students in Cullman County Schools in grades K-8th will return to a 5-day per week schedule beginning April 19. Students and employees will not be required to wear face masks after the state mask mandate is lifted, according to Superintendent Shane Barnette. Right now, out of the over 11,000 students and employees…
When will Alabama teachers receive COVID vaccine?
Updated 11:22 AM; Today 10:58 AM By Leada Gore | lgore@al.com Alabama teachers will likely receive the COVID-19 vaccinations in the coming months, officials said. Teachers, both public and private, education staff and childcare workers are in the 1B group, putting them just behind frontline healthcare workers and residents and staff of nursing homes and long-term care…
Many Alabama schools return to remote learning before Thanksgiving
Alabama school districts reported 1,592 positive cases last week, up 536 cases from the previous week. November 16, 2020 ByJohn H. Glenn Despite the state saying there are no plans for a statewide move to remote learning, numerous local systems across the state have begun transitioning to remote learning after a large number of COVID-19…
Alabama statewide school COVID tracker to debut Oct. 30; Here’s how it works
Updated Oct 28, 2020; Posted Oct 27, 2020 By Trisha Powell Crain Alabamians anxious to get a look at the prevalence of COVID-19 among students, teachers, and staff in schools statewide will get their chance on Friday. The dashboard, in the works since late August, will be published on the Alabama Department of Public Health website and will…
Tax increase for Montgomery Public Schools is a challenge well met, and a cause for new hope
On September 11, 2015, I spoke to the Montgomery Lions Club about a book on the founding of Lee High School, which I’d co-authored with several River Region educators, including retired Superintendent of Education Clinton Carter and former Trinity School Head Kerry Palmer, now dean of education at Troy University. Since I’m a product of…
Alabama’s K-12 schools COVID-19 dashboard now online
by JACK HELEAN | Friday, October 30th MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WBMA) — Alabama’s new digital COVID-19 dashboard for tracking COVID-19 cases across K-12 public schools went online Friday afternoon. The dashboard works much like the health department’s statewide COVID-19 dashboard and was built and designed by the same team at ADPH in partnership with the Alabama Department of…
With Layoffs Mounting, Educators Protest Sweeping Public Education Cuts
By Anaridis Rodriguez June 15, 2020 BROOKLINE (CBS) – As layoff notices go out across the state, educators rallied to save their jobs with a caravan through the streets of Brookline Monday. The procession, which involved an estimated 500 vehicles, started at Larz Anderson Park and ended at Brookline High — where hundreds protested sweeping education…
COMMENTARY: Still committed to public education
The Monitor Board of Contributors – June 7, 2020 Last session, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 3 to invest more state dollars in our classrooms and give a much-needed salary increase to our teachers. With the coronavirus pandemic, we have learned to appreciate even more the role of our schools and teachers. Unfortunately, given the…
Elementary principals urge Congress to boost school aid amid COVID-19
BY L. EARL FRANKS — 06/11/20 by © Getty Images The coronavirus outbreak continues to send shockwaves through health and economic systems around the globe. No aspect of society has been spared, including our nation’s public education system. This spring, at least 124,000 K-12 schools closed, causing significant disruptions in learning for more than 55 million students. Principals…
Will schools be safe this fall? Experts weigh in
By Annie Grayer Thu June 11, 2020 Now PlayingSchools in Hong Kong…Schools in Hong Kong reopen after 4 months 03:27 (CNN)Teachers, parents and, yes, even children are anxiously waiting for schools to reopen in the fall, but the biggest questions on everyone’s mind are when and how that can happen safely.With so much still unknown about how coronavirus…
A tale of two ZIP codes: COVID-19 exposes deep disparities in U.S. schools
“All COVID has done is put a magnifying glass on inequity in this country,” said Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Xavier Prater, 17, a Grosse Pointe South High School student, with his laptop outside his father’s home in Detroit.Brittany Greeson / for NBC NewsJune 8, 2020, 4:11 PM CDTBy Kenzi Abou-Sabe,…
Prince George’s Co. school board hears proposal to remove police from campuses
Michelle Murillo June 9, 2020, Schools in Prince George’s County, Maryland, have taken their first step in removing school resource officers from campuses after a call for police reform in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. At a meeting Monday night, the county’s public school board heard a proposal to end their relationship…
Petition asks Portland school board to end use of police in high schools
More than 800 parents, teachers and students have signed the request asking Portland schools to terminate an agreement with the Portland Police Department for the use of two school resource officers. BY RACHEL OHM The use of school resource officers is coming under renewed scrutiny in Portland Public Schools as cities and school districts around the…
How to Reopen America’s Schools
Many questions remain as experts weigh options for getting children back into the classroom. By The Editorial Board The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstandingvalues. It is separate from the newsroom. June 6, 2020 Parents who have watched their children struggle with online…
How the coronavirus pandemic will transform teaching
Kim Hart, Alison Snyder May 9, 2020 Coronavirus pandemic-forced school closures — from kindergarten to college — will transform how teachers teach and students learn. The big picture: Our long-held views of schools and the roles of teachers, students and parents will never be the same. That could be a good thing if we seize this opportunity to make changes that…
Coronavirus-style remote learning could replace old model of education, Cuomo says
By Selim Algar and Carl Campanile May 5, 2020 | | UpdatedCoronavirus-style remote learning could replace old model of education, Cuomo sayshttps://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.384.1_en.html#goog_1318828078Play Video Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic. Remote learning could replace the practice of a teacher standing in front of a classroom instructing students in the post-coronavirus area, Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggested…
Coronavirus ‘confusion’: Teachers had little training for how to do online classes
Caralee Adams This story about remote learning was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. After the Arizona State University Preparatory Academy announced on March 13 that it would shift its 11 schools to online learning because of the coronavirus crisis, teacher Theresa Ordell switched to high gear. The following…
Texas Senate OKs bill allowing home-schoolers to compete in public school sports
BY OLAFIMIHAN OSHIN – 05/24/21 The Texas Senate passed a bill on Saturday that allows home-schooled students to compete in public school sports. The proposed legislation gives equal opportunity to students who are not enrolled in public schools to participate in the University Interscholastic League, which lets students participate in sports and other activities. The bill, which passed on a…
Atlanta schools to discuss academic recovery plan amid parent concerns
By Vanessa McCray, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Atlanta Public Schools will hold a parent meeting to discuss a three-year plan to help students who have struggled academicallyduring the pandemic. The virtual meeting — billed as a “parent and community engagement session” — will start at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and can be viewed on the district’s Facebook page. Officials…
Standing Strong for Public Education! 