Aug. 29, 2018 By Jim Allen For the teachers and classified staff in the Spokane Public Schools district, Thursday should be a rewarding day. The day begins with back-to-school activities and ends with a membership meeting at Shadle Park High School, where teachers and classified staff will vote on a tentative salary agreement with the district….
Category: Charter School
America’s public school teachers are far less racially and ethnically diverse than their students
Racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 20% of all public elementary and secondary school teachers in the United States during the 2015-16 school year, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). That makes teachers considerably less racially and ethnically diverse than their students – as well as the nation as a whole….
Seattle teachers and staff vote to authorize a strike — unless a deal is reached by Sept. 5
By Dahlia Bazzaz It’s official: Teachers and school staff in Seattle voted to authorize a strike Tuesday evening. The strike could take effect if negotiations with Seattle Public Schools don’t result in a tentative contract by the first day of school, Sept. 5. The vote followed perhaps the state’s first official strikes that disrupted the first day…
Detroit schools shutting off drinking water because of lead, copper
Lori Higgins, Aug. 29, 2018 The Detroit school district is shutting off drinking water to all of its schools after test results found elevated levels of lead or copper in 16 out of 24 schools that were recently tested. “Although we have no evidence that there are elevated levels of copper or lead in our other…
While support for a four-day school week won, the opposition is nearly even in some areas
August 23, 2018 By: Austin Howard FARGO—According to a recent InForum poll with the question. “Would you like to see local districts adopt a 4-day school week?” Minnesotans and North Dakotans are mostly split in their decision. Out of the 26 Minnesota votes, it was a 50/50 split with 13 in favor and 13 against the…
DeVos makes surprise visits to D.C. public schools that made gains on standardized test
By Perry Stein August 22 at 9:12 PM Education Secretary Betsy DeVos made a surprise visit Wednesday to three D.C. public schools to mark the start of the year and celebrate their notable gains on a national standardized test. The elementary schools — Hendley, Simon and Amidon-Bowen — are part of the traditional public school system…
Poll: GOP support for school choice growing
By Maria Danilova / The Associated Press August 23, 2018 WASHINGTON — Support for charter schools and private school voucher programs has gone up over the past year, with Republicans accounting for much of the increase, according to a survey published Tuesday. The findings by Education Next, a journal published by Harvard’s Kennedy School…
Despite Wisconsin’s top 10 public school ranking, debate over education funding remains
Wisconsin has one of the 10 best public school systems in the country, according to a new study by the financial consumer website, WalletHub. In its report “2018 Best and Worst Public Schools,” WalletHub ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on scores across 25 key metrics within two main categories…
Charter schools are big business. Who’s making money off public education?
THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC REVEALS WHAT CHARTER SCHOOLS DON’T TELL PARENTS. SEE THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION HERE Arizona Republic Aug. 22, 2018 With Arizona public schools struggling to raise students’ standardized test scores, the Legislature in 1994 began a grand experiment: charter schools. They were exempted from state procurement or conflict-of-interest laws and the oversight of elected boards. With less regulation, charters could…
Charter School Amendment Removed From Florida Ballot
AUGUST 21, 2018 By Tom McLaughlin Circuit Court Judge John Cooper clearly didn’t agree with the wording of the last of the constitutional amendments to be put before voters this November. Cooper on Monday ordered Amendment 8 stricken from the ballot, calling both the amendment language and the title it would have been introduced under…
Standing Strong for Public Education! 