Public school teachers in Rapid City still without contract

Oct 22, 2018 RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) – Public school teachers in Rapid City are still without a contract for the current academic year. The Rapid City Journal reports that the teachers union and the school board failed to come to an agreement during an Oct. 9 meeting. They’ll now meet with a state Labor Department…

Tennessee hits highest graduation rate for second year in a row

Jason Gonzales Oct. 1, 2018 Tennessee’s graduation rate held steady year over year, maintaining the record rate of 89.1 percent that was recorded last school year. In Middle Tennessee, Nashville public schools posted a similar graduation rate from the previous year while Williamson County Schools posted one of its highest graduation rates in several years. Overall, more…

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…

Pittsburgh Public Schools board votes against arming school police

By Mike Larson  –  October 25, 2018 Police officers who work in the Pittsburgh Public Schools will not be allowed to carry firearms. According to a report from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, the Pittsburgh Public Schools board voted on the issue Wednesday night, and the result was a resounding 8-1 against a proposal to provide guns to school officers….

Jonesboro Public School’s mindset is growing

By Destiny Quinn | October 24, 2018  JONESBORO, AR (KAIT) – A Region 8 school district is working to tap in to every student’s potential, no matter what their background might be. The Jonesboro Public School District has made an effort to improve their student’s way of thinking with a new idea called the “Growth Mindset.” Instead…

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…

Arizona Could Be a Case Study for Turning Teacher Protest Into Power

“I realized I wouldn’t be able to look my students in the eyes if I didn’t do everything possible.” EDWIN RIOSOCTOBER 12, 2018 6:00 AM In 2016, newly minted Arizona Teacher of the Year Christine Porter Marsh criss-crossed the state, giving speeches and listening to the concerns of her fellow educators. The Arizona Legislature had been slashing school…

Why Texas public schools are suffering. [Opinion]

David S. Knight  Oct. 11, 2018 Texas is a prosperous state, but lawmakers are failing to adequately finance public education, and communities and students are suffering the academic, physical and economic consequences. The upcoming legislative session provides a unique opportunity for our state’s elected leaders to right past wrongs, but a preliminary budget request from the…