By SARAH SCHNEIDER 11-12-19 Morrison Young, left, a City Charter High School student reflects on a report on learning outcomes in Pittsburgh public schools. SARAH SCHNEIDER / 90.5 WESA Academic achievement gaps are persistent in Pittsburgh Public Schools, according to an annual report released Monday by education advocacy group A+ Schools. While the report has historically analyzed those trends, this…
Category: Advocacy
Detroit Students Fight for the Right to Literacy
By Kristiana Bolzman November 12, 2019 A 2016 lawsuit re-emerged last month that, if successful, could be the first to codify a fundamental right to literacy. But proponents ignore the possibility that competition within education may be a more effective solution to the challenges students face. The lawsuit began in 2016, when several Detroit students sued the State…
Gov. Cooper vetoes 4 bills impacting teacher raises, corporate tax cuts
November 8, 2019 RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Gov. Roy Cooper on Friday morning announced he had vetoed four bills impacting educator raises and corporate tax cuts in North Carolina. Surrounded by teachers at the Executive Mansion, Cooper vetoed H231 (UNC System & Community College Pay) and S354 (Strengthening Educator Pay Act). Cooper called for the…
ANALYSIS: Teachers Are Changing American Politics In Kentucky And Elsewhere
By Perry Bacon Jr. November 8, 2019 Teachers are changing American politics. We can’t quantify exactly how much of a role teachers and their opposition to Matt Bevin played in Andy Beshear’s victory this week. The teachers didn’t directly get Beshear elected on their own. There are about 42,000 public school teachers in Kentucky, so even if every one…
Michigan districts with biggest losses to school choice in 2018-19
By Julie Mack Second grade teachers greet their new students during the first day of school on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019 at Doyle-Ryder Elementary School in Flint, as Flint Community Schools transition into a balanced calendar for the first time. (Jake May | MLive.com) The list of Michigan school districts hit hardest by school choice includes…
Pittsburgh Public Schools unveils next phase of equity plan
Nov 7, 2019 Pittsburgh Public Schools unveils next phase of equity plan PITTSBURGH – It’s a push for change and fairness in the classroom that Pittsburgh Public Schools district leaders hope will continue elsewhere. The Pittsburgh Board of Public Education unveiled Thursday the next phase of its equity plan. The plan will help reduce…
Are Minnetonka Public Schools secretly monitoring students’ social media posts?
By Greta Kaul | 11/07/2019 MinnPost photo by Tony Nelson Minnetonka Public Schools Superintendent Dennis Peterson signed a three-year contract, at $23,500 annually, with a company that pledged to alert the district to “threats shared publicly.” In the summer of 2017, Minnetonka Public Schools Superintendent Dennis Peterson attended a conference in Baltimore put on by the Education Research and Development…
Detroit Public School Students Allege They Were Deprived Access To Literacy In Lawsuit
November 8, 2019 Students walk outside Pershing High School, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, in Detroit. (Carlos Osorio/AP) Detroit Public School Students Allege They Were Deprived Access To Literacy In Lawsuit A group of former students from five of Detroit’s worst-performing public schools is suing the Michigan Department of Education and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for…
CPS plan to make up days lost to teachers strike would cut into Thanksgiving, winter and summer breaks; teachers union criticizes proposal
By HANNAH LEONE NOV 05, 2019 Third graders wait in line for their teacher at Roswell Mason elementary school Friday as classes resume following an 11-day teachers strike. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) A plan by Chicago Public Schools to shorten school holidays to make up days lost to the teachers strike has been met with…
How the teachers strikes gave Democrats a win in deep red Kentucky
Republican Gov. Matt Bevin made some powerful enemies. By Alexia Fernández Campbell Nov 6, 2019 Kentucky Public school teachers rally at the Kentucky State Capitol to pressure lawmakers to override Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin’s veto of the state’s tax and budget bills on April 13, 2018 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Getty Images Andy Beshear just flipped Kentucky’s governor’s…