Virginia Beach looking again at changing school start times

VIRGINIA BEACH The School Board is taking another look at changing school start times. Board members discussed potential changes during a workshop Tuesday, when they received a packet filled with more than 100 pages of information on the topic. They’ll likely debate again at a meeting in mid-November, before taking a formal vote toward the…

How are America’s public schools really doing?

It’s hard to find a public official today who, when talking about public schools, doesn’t talk about what a mess they are. Failing. Some of them are, in fact, failing kids. This piece, written by Jack Schneider, an assistant professor of education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the author of “Beyond Test Scores: A…

Austin ISD considers increasing class sizes to save money

October 8, 2018 Tom Miller AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin ISD is considering increasing the student to teacher ratio next year at campuses throughout the district in an effort to reduce its multi-million dollar budget deficit. Under the proposal, kindergarten through fourth-grade classes could grow by as many as two students, increasing to 24 per teacher. Middle…

Florida must prioritize public schools over charter schools, influencers say

September 17, 2018 05:00 AM Updated September 18, 2018 10:21 AM Charter schools play an important role in Florida’s education system but should not be prioritized over traditional public K-12 schools, according to a panel of the state’s leading voices. In a new survey of the Florida Influencers, a group of prominent political and policy figures…

State Board of Education Adopts Act 46 Forced Merger Guidelines

Foreground, from left: Vermont Agency of Education staff members Donna Russo-Savage, Brad James and Emily Simmons face the State Board of Education at a meeting in Bethel on Tuesday.  HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN OCT 3, 2018 After an all-day meeting Tuesday in Bethel, the State Board of Education has adopted a set of guidelines to help steer…

Pittsburgh Public Schools consider arming school police

JAMIE MARTINES Oct. 2, 2018, Pittsburgh Public Schools are exploring a possible policy change that would allow school police officers to carry guns. Pittsburgh Public Schools police Chief George Brown told the board Monday that officers need guns to do their jobs. He added that they’ve been trained to work with all students and to…

More Than Money: A Tech Giant’s Commitment to Public Schools

Caitlin Reilly October 4, 2018 Salesforce.org, the philanthropic arm of Salesforce, recently committed $15.5 million to local school districts in San Francisco and Oakland. With this gift, Salesforce has given more than $50 million to Bay Area public schools over the company’s five-year partnership with the districts. Salesforce has long been a trailblazer in corporate…