“I’ve been that child under the desk crying because my father wasn’t around,” said one African-American teacher. by Ron Allen and Leah Smith / Jun.16.2018 / 2:29 PM ET PHILADELPHIA — “You’re great!” That’s what every student hears from teacher Herman Douglas when they enter his seventh-grade class at Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School in a neighborhood…
Category: Accountability
Wisconsin Elementary School Gets With the Program — Saying No to Bullying, Celebrating Differences — and Earns Human Rights Campaign Seal of Excellence
June 18, 2018 MEREDITH NELSON It’s not enough to just stand by and watch — you need to stand up to bullies, says Ava Weber, a second-grader at Schenk Elementary School in Madison, Wisconsin. But the youngster was quick to point out to the Wisconsin State Journal that it “works better” to say something and treat the…
This Week’s ESSA News: Nation’s First Turnaround Plan Gets Green Light, Feds Approve Plans for North Carolina and Nebraska, How Opt-Outs Will Work & More
June 10, 2018 ASHLEY INMAN This update on the Every Student Succeeds Act and the education plans now being refined by state legislatures is produced in partnership with ESSA Essentials, a new series from the Collaborative for Student Success. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos approved state ESSA plans for Nebraska and North Carolina this…
This Week’s ESSA News: Tennessee Gets Creative on School Ratings, Opt-Outs Give Utah & New York Trouble, Leveraging Results From Innovation Investments & More
June 18, 2018 ASHLEY INMAN This update on the Every Student Succeeds Act and the education plans now being refined by state legislatures is produced in partnership with ESSA Essentials, a new series from the Collaborative for Student Success. It’s an offshoot of their ESSA Advance newsletter. Utah State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sydnee Dickson was recently…
From the Schoolhouse to the State House: These 7 Teachers Are Running for Office to Say ‘No More’ to Slashed Education Funding
June 18, 2018 LAURA FAY If you don’t count high school student body president, Aimy Steele has never held political office. But as a teacher and school administrator, she’s run classrooms and schools, and now she’s running to represent her district in North Carolina’s state house of representatives. Steele and thousands of teachers around the…
How America’s Schools Have (and Haven’t) Changed in the 64 Years Since the Brown v. Board Verdict — as Told in 15 Charts
By KEVIN MAHNKEN | May 13, 2018 Thursday marks the 64th anniversary of the Supreme Court abolishing segregated schools in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. That means a generation of Americans has been born, attended public schools, matured into adulthood, raised children of their own, and now reached retirement age — all outside the shadow of…
House Committee Advances Education Spending Bill With $41 Million Increase, Ends Long-standing Ban on Federal Integration Efforts
The House Appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Education Department approved a bill Friday that would slightly increase federal funding while giving the Trump administration almost none of its requests. The bill would allocate $71 billion to the department for fiscal 2019, an increase of $43 million. The Trump administration had, for the second year in…
Does Race Matter in Education? New Survey of Millennials Reveals Conflicting Opinions on Equity
By KEVIN MAHNKEN September 14, 2017 The prevalence of race in American schools has been reexamined in recent years, as new reports indicate growing segregation more than six decades after Brown v. Board of Education. But a new study of millennials reveals surprisingly mixed views when it comes to equity and the need for racial integration. Respondents also voiced strong — if occasionally…
Public Schools For a New Generation: 5 Reasons Why Millennials Will Bend the Arc of American Education
One of my goals this year is inspiring fellow millennials to join the work of improving America’s public schools. Last November, I wrote in The 74 about the results of a poll showing that millennials believe education provides the best opportunity for success in life — much more so than factors like how much money you have or…
Hiler — No College Left Behind: 5 Lessons From the Pitfalls of NCLB to Keep in Mind As We Reform Higher Education
June 18, 2018 TAMARA HILER When I switched from federal K-12 policy to federal higher education policy two years ago, I assumed moving from one issue area to the other wouldn’t be that hard. I quickly learned that while both of these policy areas share a topline interest in improving school systems, the two worlds…
Standing Strong for Public Education! 