LAist compiles a survival guide with resources
and helpful tips for California students considering higher
education, including public and private colleges, trade schools
and online institutions.
This is a terrific roadmap from @KPCC to help California's students navigate the complex path to #highered. Informative, thoughtful, and visually engaging, it's my pick for this week's #tellEWA. https://t.co/ZrhdUau1Ih
Jessica Votipka of The Grand Island Independent
reports on a Nebraska-based school-to-work program that helps
students with disabilities explore various careers and transition
into the workforce.
Last summer, protest after protest made waves across the nation.
It was no different in Texas, and Whitfield, who had weeks
earlier been named the first Black principal at Colleyville
Heritage High School, couldn’t just sit back. He said he felt
like he had a platform that other Black Americans didn’t have and
he wouldn’t let that go to waste.
At 4:30 a.m., he wrote a letter to the school community declaring
that systemic racism is “alive and well” and that they needed to
work together to achieve “conciliation for our nation.”
Hiring and retaining good workers has been tough in the
child-care industry for years, but it is escalating into a
crisis. Pandemic-fueled staffing challenges threaten to hold back
the recovery, as the staffing problems at day cares have a ripple
effect across the economy. Without enough employees, day cares
are turning away children, leaving parents — especially mothers —
unable to return to work.
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, Jim HaddadinConnecticut Public Radio
Staff shortages have perplexed high-poverty districts throughout
Connecticut for years. That’s because districts like Bridgeport
struggle to keep their teachers from leaving for suburban
districts, where the pay is often higher and class sizes smaller.
Almost a month into this school year, Bridgeport still has 16
special education teaching positions it needs to fill. Statewide,
between 95 and 250 teaching positions go unfilled each
year. Most are in high-poverty districts.
An Education Week team presents the Big Ideas
report, composed of 10 essays focusing on education during the
pandemic, challenges, and tough questions.
If you're an @EdWriters journo looking for inspiration, @educationweek's 'Big Ideas' is essential. They cover everything from educator mental health to student homelessness to framing schools' role in society. (Great art, too!) It's my pick for #tellEWA. https://t.co/eae94GVDW8
As Tennessee schools battle over whether parents can opt their
children out of mask mandates, Memphis reached a grim milestone –
20,000 students tested positive for COVID-19 since March 2020,
reports Samantha West for Chalkbeat
Tennessee.
I can't stop thinking about the grim milestone Shelby County reached earlier this week: 20,000 school-age children have tested positive for COVID since the pandemic began. A month after the school year began, TN is now the nation's top hotspot. #TellEWAhttps://t.co/IVSHWY0Ycq
Welcome to the start of a new school year and the 2021 edition of
our Big Ideas report.
While returning children to school buildings safely and making
the year as normal as possible is driving you and your work, we
understand how much more complex your job has become.
The cover of this year’s report and the 10 essays inside reflect
this complicated moment and the constellation of emotions we know
you’re experiencing: hope, excitement, grief, urgency,
trepidation, and determination.
Harvey Ellington was 7 the first time someone told him the state
of Mississippi considered Holmes County Consolidated School
District a failing district. Holmes had earned a D or an F
almost every year since then, and Ellington felt hollowed out
with embarrassment every time someone rattled off the ranking.
Technically, the grade measured how well, or how poorly,
Ellington and his classmates performed on the state’s
standardized tests, but he knew it could have applied to any
number of assessments.
A little-known New York law has allowed the state to sue nearly
16,000 students who owe college tuition, library fines and unpaid
parking tickets. Many cases end in default because of a
requirement that defendants appear for a hearing in only one
location – Albany, reports The Hechinger Report’s
Meredith Kolodner.
What might have served New York better in long run? Suing a college student for $3,705 in unpaid tuition, or helping her craft plan to earn the THREE CREDITS she needed to graduate? Fine work by @hechingerreport's @merkolodner. She's my pick for #tellEWA. https://t.co/uYbaN80S5f
Damage from Hurricane Ida caused school closures across
Louisiana, affecting 250,000 students who haven’t attended class
in more than a week, Marta Jewson writes for
The Lens.
An Oregon school board is facing backlash from some parents and
students for firing a superintendent who followed a
state-required mask mandate for K-12 schools, though he
personally opposed the mandate, Liliana Frankel
reports for the Malheur Enterprise.
This @MalheurNews story by @EdWriters' New to the Beat rookie @frillyankle is rightfully getting lots of attention. It's deeply reported, loaded with voices, and explains painful domino effect of anti-mask protests. She's my pick for this week's #tellEWA. https://t.co/egb2RT04yv
The Education Department on Monday announced investigations into
five states that have imposed policies prohibiting schools from
imposing mask mandates.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said
Monday it sent letters to the chief state school officers of
Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennesse and Utah informing them
of the investigation into whether the policies discriminate
against students with disabilities and health vulnerabilities who
face a heightened risk of COVID-19 infection.
Six newsrooms across the country produced an eight-part
solutions-focused series that explores practices schools are
employing for getting students back on track.
Come for @edwriters Reporting Fellow @jillbarshay's smart look at research on what works for high-need students, stay for collaborative effort by six (6!) newsrooms on next steps for schools in COVID-19 era. The superb project is my pick for this week's #tellEWA. h/t @soljournohttps://t.co/10bEUrSOIH
After two dozen school districts defied a soon-to-be in effect
Arizona law banning mask mandates in K-12 public schools, the
governor launched an incentive program to get districts to
comply, offering additional funding per student, writes
Rocio Hernandez for KJZZ.
Although many college students have struggled with remote
learning over the last year, some with disabilities found it to
be a lifeline. As the fall semester approaches, those students
are pushing for remote accommodations to continue, even as
in-person classes resume.
As Illinois schools welcome students back to fully reopened
classrooms this month amid another coronavirus surge, educators
face a thorny question: How do you teach students who are
quarantined by COVID-19?
Schools nationwide are struggling with staff and supply
shortages, which are affecting the start of the new school year,
reports Abha Bhattarai for TheWashington Post.
A California school district became one of the first in the state
to require COVID-19 vaccines and weekly testing for students in
addition to staff, Diana Lambert and Ali Tadayon
report for EdSource.
After hearing 70 people speak during an eight-hour period, the
Virginia Beach school board voted to require masks for students
and staff, reports Sara Gregory for The
Virginian-Pilot.
One more #tellEWA shoutout for the week from me: Kudos to ALL the @EdWriters journos covering marathon school board meetings (and the chaos in the parking lots) these days. Pace yourselves, stay hydrated, and keep those phones charged. https://t.co/589zu77fAe
California State University adopted a vaccination mandate for
students, but the deadline comes long after the start of fall
classes, Mikhail Zinshteyn reports for
CalMatters.
By me: The Cal State University system reversed course and set a vaccine mandate by Sept. 30 or sooner.
But at most CSU campuses, in-person classes begin by late August. That gap means unvaccinated students could be on campus for a month. #tellewahttps://t.co/vQg5IryQKF
Prep course costs are just one layer of the much larger financial
obligation that comes with becoming a doctor, including attending
college, paying MCAT registration fees, medical school
application fees and traveling to interviews, to name a few.
According to a 2020 analysis conducted by the
Association of American Medical Colleges, only 38.1% of MCAT
examinees from lower-income backgrounds completed test
preparation courses, compared to 50% of examinees coming from
higher-income backgrounds.
Colleges lost millions in revenue after international student
enrollment dropped 72% due to the pandemic, visa restrictions and
more, reports Karin Fischer and Sasha
Aslanian for The Chronicle of Higher
Education and APM Reports.
Really interesting and important look at the rise and decline of foreign students studying in the U.S., including what factors are slowing it down and what the impact will be from @chronicle and @apmreports. #TellEWAhttps://t.co/sUOmR9sTwK
Rather than implement a mandate, several California community
colleges are offering money and free textbooks to students who
get vaccinated for COVID-19, reports Emma Hall
and Matthew Reagan for Cal
Matters.
After the pandemic reduced college enrollment in 2020, New Jersey
colleges and universities hope in-person classes and activities
will increase student enrollment this year, reports
Claire Lowe for The Press of Atlantic
City.
Because a governor’s order prohibits vaccine mandates at Idaho
colleges, education leaders are encouraging students to get
vaccinated, appealing to their sense of community, Kevin
Richert writes for Idaho Education
News.
Today, Fort Lewis’ student population is more than 40% Native
American or Alaska Native. The institution prides itself on its
diversity, inclusivity and a waiver covering the cost of tuition
of any students from federally recognized Native American tribes
or Alaska Native villages.
But the college originated more than a century ago as one of the
country’s Native American boarding schools — institutions the
federal government used to recruit Indigenous children from
across the nation in an effort to strip them of their culture and
force assimilation.
Colorado educators reflected on challenges they faced during the
past school year, with the goal of helping improve K-12
education, reports Jenny Brundin for
Colorado Public Radio.
Texas school leaders are seeking ways to support first-year
educators who lost student-teaching opportunities and other
training due to the pandemic, reports Silas
Allen for Fort-Worth Star-Telegram.
Student teaching was disrupted last year along with everything else. How will Fort Worth schools support their first-year teachers? https://t.co/MIG4asZoEg#tellewa
With many students needing academic intervention after the
pandemic, school district officials in Columbus and Cleveland,
are turning to “mastery” learning as a strategy to catch them up.
The mastery, or “competency” approach lets students learn at
their own pace, making sure they fully understand key skills
before moving on.
That could be a good fit when students return to school in the
fall after making drastically different progress online or in
very limited in-person classes.
A records request showed only two people emailed the Alabama
superintendent about critical race theory, yet he drafted a
resolution targeting the teachings of the academic framework in
K-12 schools, Trisha Powell Crain reports for
AL.com.
This is how you do it: @Trish_Crain used #FOIA to determine only 2 (!) people contacted Alabama state superintendent w/ concerns about critical race theory. (He pushed resolution slamming it, anyway.) She's my pick for this week's @EdWriters' #tellEWA. https://t.co/yTVjSB1DFc
Talia Richman of The Dallas Morning
News covers Texas educators’ concerns about a new bill
that would require them to disclose their lessons and activities
online.
Yessika Magdaleno, owner of a home-based child care program in
Orange County, Calif., is a problem-solver by nature. When she
opened her program 20 years ago, she attracted families by
expanding her hours to nights and weekends to accommodate those
with non-traditional work hours.
When Rydell Harrison started a new job as a school superintendent
in southwestern Connecticut last August, he was excited to join a
community that seemed committed to diversity and equity.
Two Boston Globe reporters separately
highlighted the lack of educators of color in leadership and
Boston Public Schools’ alleged coverup of racially charged text
messages from former employees.
California colleges intend to address learning loss by offering
tutoring and academic counseling for incoming freshmen this fall,
Larry Gordon reports for
EdSource.
Melissa Korn and Andrea FullerThe Wall Street Journal
Lured by the aura of degrees from top-flight institutions, many
master’s students at universities across the U.S. took on debt
beyond what their pay would support, the Journal analysis of
federal data on borrowers found.
Undergraduate students for years have faced ballooning loan
balances. But now it is graduate students who are accruing the
most onerous debt loads. Unlike undergraduate loans, the federal
Grad Plus loan program has no fixed limit on how much grad
students can borrow—money that can be used for tuition, fees and
living expenses.
Michigan health officials recommended continued mask-wearing and
other COVID-19 safety measures for the upcoming school year,
reports Jennifer Chambers and Craig
Mauger for the Detroit News.
The pandemic’s effects highlighted inequities for migrant
students who were already prone to learning loss, explains
Janine Zeitlin for USA TODAY
Network-Florida.
'We had to work twice as hard.' How the pandemic magnified inequities for Florida's migrant students. A deep look at enrollment, attendance data w/first-person narratives from students, parents. #tellewa@EdWritershttps://t.co/Jvy4oysK65
In Chicago and across the country, there is growing evidence that
this year has hit Black and Latino boys harder than other
students. Amid rising gun violence, a national reckoning over
race, bitter school reopening battles and a deadly virus
that took the heaviest toll on Black and Latino communities,
the year has tested not only these teens, but also the school
systems that have historically failed many of them.
It has severed precarious ties to school, derailed college plans
and pried gaping academic disparities even wider.
Olivia Krauth live-tweeted the first protest
against critical race theory at Kentucky’s largest school
district for the Courier Journal, showing how
misinformation was widespread among the crowd.
Special education services slowed or stopped after the pandemic
began, “devastating” families who watched their children’s skills
backslide, reports Cory Turner and
Rebecca Klein for NPR.
"I just watched my child not learning and going backwards. I'm just sad for her." Superb teamwork by @NPRCoryTurner & @rklein90 on students missing vital special ed services amid pandemic. The dynamic duo are my pick for this week's @EdWriters#tellEWA. https://t.co/zJu3WlMtbo
After nearly 100 anti-maskers packed a school board meeting,
forcing the meeting to shut down, a Georgia school district is
bringing in more security, writes Alia Malik for
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
An anti-mask crowd shut down a Georgia school board meeting for 40 minutes last month, leading to an increase in security for tomorrow's meeting #tellEWAhttps://t.co/VEaS6dFwX1
A plan to give California’s community college system $170 million
for faculty is dividing finance officials and professors,
explains Mikhail Zinshteyn for Cal
Matters.
Interesting and context-loaded explainer from @mzinshteyn on why proposed $170 million for new community college faculty isn't being cheered by all. (Also bonus points for using the verb "grouse.") He's my pick for this week's #tellEWA. https://t.co/RcB2AEuY00
Education leaders are scrambling to recruit teachers after North
Carolina lawmakers required districts to offer summer school,
reports Ann Doss Helms of WFAE.
#tellEWA North Carolina has lots of students who need extra help, lots of teachers who are exhausted from the past year, millions in federal COVID relief money and a mandate to do summer school. The result? Bidding wars for teachers.https://t.co/7kw7jamych
Teaching students about the Tulsa Race Massacre and other
unpleasant aspects of history could be derailed because of a new
Oklahoma law, reports Tawnell D. Hobbs of
The Wall Street Journal.
“It has been a dirty little secret.” For decades, Oklahoma students weren’t required to learn about the Tulsa Race Massacre in school, and now there’s fear a new law jeopardizes progress made to teach about it. #tulsa#greenwood#tellewahttps://t.co/fnPXsmMIk6
USA Today’s Lindsay Schnell
tells the story of a first-generation college student’s struggle
to stay in school throughout the pandemic.
She dropped out of college — then lied to her parents about it. Inside a first-generation student’s life during COVID. By @Lindsay_Schnell, with many thanks to #tellewahttps://t.co/OFfbJmOm78
Nada Atieh and Kristan Obeng
spent four months tracking hundreds of students who dropped
contact with schools in three California counties for USA Today
Network-California.
Back when I still worked for USA Today Network-California, @nadatieh_RS and I spent four months tracking "lost kids" in Tulare, Shasta and Tehama counties. Proud to have worked with you, Nada! #tellEWAhttps://t.co/MYLdh6zrMQ
Chris Quintana of USA TODAY
chronicles a veteran’s experience with a for-profit college and
examines what critics call a breakdown in the rules intended to
protect students from predatory for-profit schools.
His family hadn't attended college, so the hard sell this vet received from Argosy University didn't strike him as weird. Then it closed, leaving him indebted & homeless. @CQuintanaDC on how for-profits target 1st gen students. With many thanks to #tellewahttps://t.co/kJ0AYI1Bdw
U.S. News & World Report’s Lauren
Camera covers the uptick in wealthy parents pulling
their kids from public schools, which is further exacerbating the
inequities plaguing urban public school systems.
"... when public goods are scarce, the privileged are almost always able to use their money or social capital to get the best version of what is available." Must-read via @laurenonthehill, my pick for @edwriters' #tellEWA. https://t.co/ag2RNBGApA
Temporarily suspending the admissions exam at some Boston schools
increased the diversity of accepted applicants, new data shows,
reports James Vaznis of The Boston
Globe.
Marta W. Aldrich of Chalkbeat
Tennessee covers a legislative measure that would ban
classroom discussions about systemic racism.
Great context by @marta_w_aldrich "The legislature approved Tennessee’s academic standards, which include topics such as slavery and civil rights. Those standards also ask students to “critically examine” sources, not simply memorize facts." #tellEWAhttps://t.co/Iwt5Lw99xM
Texas college officials are cautiously planning a return to
normal campus life this fall, reports Brayden
Garcia and Valeria Olivares for
The Dallas Morning News.
Hi #EWA21! I wanted to share a story I worked on w @bjgarcia27 recently.
We included how universities want campuses to look like they did before the pandemic, but also how some students aren't sure what to expect after being online for so long. #tellEWAhttps://t.co/tWvbqaQOkd
A USA TODAY NETWORK reporting team in Wisconsin
covers all the ways high schools are adapting their plans for
pandemic-era proms.
At one WI prom this year, students, dressed in gowns and suits, will gather for dinner and entertainment — but no dancing. In another, dancing will be permitted, but the DJ has been instructed to only play social distancing-friendly songs. #tellEWAhttps://t.co/lZzDZ7MG05
Trisha Powell Crain of AL.com
reports on a summer learning program that is focused on the
individual needs of English learners.
Hey there, @EdWriters. Happy to share this story of how a north Alabama school district has focused summer learning efforts to improve educational outcomes for English learners. #tellEWAhttps://t.co/KFSypNMQo2
The Christian Science Monitor’s Chelsea
Sheasley gathers perspectives on the shift from school
resource officers to safety specialists in Minneapolis Public
Schools.
Authorities restraining children using techniques like those
used against George Floyd is commonplace in Minnesota schools,
the 74’s Mark Keierleber
reports.
The murder of George Floyd has put national attention on police use of force. But thousands of Minnesota youth are subjected to similar physical restraints at school each year @The74#TellEWAhttps://t.co/yloMW3w9q3
Faculty members at a private Oregon university call for the
university president and board chair to resign after the latter
two allegedly made anti-Semitic comments, reports Meerah
Powell of OPB.
The 74’s Asher Lehrer-Small dives deep into a fellowship that helps Rhode Island paraprofessionals transform their experiences into teaching certifications and diversifies the teacher workforce.
.@The74's @small_asher might be an @edwriters New to the Beat rookie, but he knows how to craft a snappy read. Great use of descriptive details, voices, data on efforts to diversify Rhode Island's teacher workforce. He's my pick for #tellEWA. https://t.co/28bxXdNtY7
In a weeklong Idaho Education News series, Sami Edge explores youth access to mental health services in Idaho schools and the challenges that COVID-19 poses for school-based mental health efforts.
More school districts are turning to digital surveillance to keep tabs on students during remote learning. That has some families, educators, and privacy experts concerned, reports Education Week’s Stephen Sawchuk.
Amid rise in remote learning, schools are ramping up digital surveillance tools for teachers -- but at what cost to student privacy and trust? Characteristically fine work here by @educationweek's @Stephen_Sawchuk. He's my pick for this week's #tellEWA. https://t.co/kuXp7jXXkI
Emily Tate of EdSurge explains why some guidance counselors are taking steps to address their implicit biases, and how that could improve services for students going forward.
“We all make mistakes, and we’ll make more mistakes. But if we are dutiful,” one school counselor says, “we will be better going forward.” #TellEWAhttps://t.co/ZcqhooWeI6
In 2017, as many as 4.5 million young people—or 11.5 percent of
young adults ages 16 to 24—were neither in school nor working,
according to the nonprofit Measure of America. By the summer of
2020, the organization estimated, the ranks of these
“disconnected” young adults had swelled to 6 million.
Ann Doss Helms of WFAE public radio in Charlottecovers an analysis of how funds generated from the North Carolina Education Lottery are actually spent.
#tellEWA These profs (two are former K-12 supes) dug into a decade's worth of NC lottery data to analyze why the billions spent on tickets don't meet ed needs the way people expect.https://t.co/jGX7oyqzZT
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, districts have
been bombarded with unexpected costs: iPads for remote learning,
jugs of bleach to disinfect classrooms, Plexiglas for safety
dividers, hazard pay for janitors, and PD for remote teaching.
But the public school system’s fiscal infrastructure is
infamously rigid, making it almost impossible for administrators
to pivot suddenly and spend large chunks of money on anything
other than big-ticket items such as teachers, administrators, and
curriculum.
“Every day is new, and every day is different,” the children
sing. But one thing that’s changed little for them this year -
their daily presence in a classroom. Germany’s quick response to
the pandemic in the spring allowed it to get some children back
in schools after just a few weeks. And schools have remained open
this fall, even as the country shut restaurants and gyms back
down.
With an in-depth portrait of one second grader, The Washington Post’s Perry Stein looks at the high toll the pandemic is taking on students’ basic literacy skills in D.C.
"She posts a handwritten sign on her apartment door reminding the teenagers whose voices echo in the hallways: 'SCHOOL IN PROGRESS HERE.'” Superb work by @PerryStein on high cost of remote learning for DC's vulnerable students. She's my pick for #tellEWA. https://t.co/DHJPDMpiCi
Writing for Chalkbeat, Jason Gonzales digs into whether the University of Colorado Boulder is meeting its mission to serve students from low-income families.
In St. Louis, many public school districts are just beginning to
bring students back for in-person instruction. Saying it’s still
not safe, other districts continue to offer only a virtual model.
But in Germany, things look much different. School was in session
last spring, and it resumed in person again in August — and not
just for little kids, either.
It’s halfway through the fall semester, and many students in the
St. Louis and Kansas City areas are just now trickling back into
classrooms. Thousands are still learning from home. Meanwhile, in
most of Europe, schools have been open since August with students
attending in person daily.
A robust public health system, hygiene measures and targeted
quarantines of students and staff exposed to the coronavirus get
the credit. But that early success could soon be put to the test
as cold weather arrives along with a resurgence of cases of the
coronavirus.
Erica L. Green, Mark Walker and Eliza ShapiroThe New York Times
Zulayka McKinstry’s once silly, sociable daughter has stopped
seeing friends, talking to siblings and trusting anyone — changes
Ms. McKinstry dates to the day in January 2019 when her
daughter’s school principal decided that “hyper and giddy” were
suspicious behaviors in a 12-year-old girl.
Ms. McKinstry’s daughter was sent to the nurse’s office and
forced to undress so that she could be searched for contraband
that did not exist.
#tellEWA Member Stories (September 17-23)
Here's what we're reading by EWA members this week:
LAist compiles a survival guide with resources and helpful tips for California students considering higher education, including public and private colleges, trade schools and online institutions.
Jessica Votipka of The Grand Island Independent reports on a Nebraska-based school-to-work program that helps students with disabilities explore various careers and transition into the workforce.
Colleyville, Texas Principal Put on Leave Amid Critical Race Theory Debate
Last summer, protest after protest made waves across the nation. It was no different in Texas, and Whitfield, who had weeks earlier been named the first Black principal at Colleyville Heritage High School, couldn’t just sit back. He said he felt like he had a platform that other Black Americans didn’t have and he wouldn’t let that go to waste.
At 4:30 a.m., he wrote a letter to the school community declaring that systemic racism is “alive and well” and that they needed to work together to achieve “conciliation for our nation.”
Child-Care Workers are Quitting Rapidly, a Red Flag for the Economy
Hiring and retaining good workers has been tough in the child-care industry for years, but it is escalating into a crisis. Pandemic-fueled staffing challenges threaten to hold back the recovery, as the staffing problems at day cares have a ripple effect across the economy. Without enough employees, day cares are turning away children, leaving parents — especially mothers — unable to return to work.
Read and listen to the full story here.
State Finds Half Of Bridgeport Schools Don’t Have Enough Special Education Teachers; We Found Other Districts With The Same Issue
Staff shortages have perplexed high-poverty districts throughout Connecticut for years. That’s because districts like Bridgeport struggle to keep their teachers from leaving for suburban districts, where the pay is often higher and class sizes smaller.
Almost a month into this school year, Bridgeport still has 16 special education teaching positions it needs to fill. Statewide, between 95 and 250 teaching positions go unfilled each year. Most are in high-poverty districts.
#tellEWA Member Stories (September 10-16)
Here's what we're reading by EWA members this week:
An Education Week team presents the Big Ideas report, composed of 10 essays focusing on education during the pandemic, challenges, and tough questions.
As Tennessee schools battle over whether parents can opt their children out of mask mandates, Memphis reached a grim milestone – 20,000 students tested positive for COVID-19 since March 2020, reports Samantha West for Chalkbeat Tennessee.
Big Ideas for Education’s Urgent Challenges
Welcome to the start of a new school year and the 2021 edition of our Big Ideas report.
While returning children to school buildings safely and making the year as normal as possible is driving you and your work, we understand how much more complex your job has become.
The cover of this year’s report and the 10 essays inside reflect this complicated moment and the constellation of emotions we know you’re experiencing: hope, excitement, grief, urgency, trepidation, and determination.
The Tragedy of America’s Rural Schools
Harvey Ellington was 7 the first time someone told him the state of Mississippi considered Holmes County Consolidated School District a failing district. Holmes had earned a D or an F almost every year since then, and Ellington felt hollowed out with embarrassment every time someone rattled off the ranking. Technically, the grade measured how well, or how poorly, Ellington and his classmates performed on the state’s standardized tests, but he knew it could have applied to any number of assessments.
#tellEWA Member Stories (September 3-9)
Here's what we're reading by EWA members this week:
A little-known New York law has allowed the state to sue nearly 16,000 students who owe college tuition, library fines and unpaid parking tickets. Many cases end in default because of a requirement that defendants appear for a hearing in only one location – Albany, reports The Hechinger Report’s Meredith Kolodner.
Damage from Hurricane Ida caused school closures across Louisiana, affecting 250,000 students who haven’t attended class in more than a week, Marta Jewson writes for The Lens.
#tellEWA Member Stories (August 27-September 2)
Here's what we're reading by EWA members this week:
An Oregon school board is facing backlash from some parents and students for firing a superintendent who followed a state-required mask mandate for K-12 schools, though he personally opposed the mandate, Liliana Frankel reports for the Malheur Enterprise.
Education Department Investigating Mask Mandate Bans in Five States
The Education Department on Monday announced investigations into five states that have imposed policies prohibiting schools from imposing mask mandates.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said Monday it sent letters to the chief state school officers of Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennesse and Utah informing them of the investigation into whether the policies discriminate against students with disabilities and health vulnerabilities who face a heightened risk of COVID-19 infection.
#tellEWA Member Stories (August 20-26)
Here's what we're reading by EWA members this week:
Six newsrooms across the country produced an eight-part solutions-focused series that explores practices schools are employing for getting students back on track.
After two dozen school districts defied a soon-to-be in effect Arizona law banning mask mandates in K-12 public schools, the governor launched an incentive program to get districts to comply, offering additional funding per student, writes Rocio Hernandez for KJZZ.
For Some College Students, Remote Learning Is a Game Changer
Although many college students have struggled with remote learning over the last year, some with disabilities found it to be a lifeline. As the fall semester approaches, those students are pushing for remote accommodations to continue, even as in-person classes resume.
How Schools are Teaching Quarantined Students this Fall
As Illinois schools welcome students back to fully reopened classrooms this month amid another coronavirus surge, educators face a thorny question: How do you teach students who are quarantined by COVID-19?
Read the full story here.
#tellEWA Member Stories (August 13-19)
Here's what we're reading by EWA members this week:
Schools nationwide are struggling with staff and supply shortages, which are affecting the start of the new school year, reports Abha Bhattarai for The Washington Post.
A California school district became one of the first in the state to require COVID-19 vaccines and weekly testing for students in addition to staff, Diana Lambert and Ali Tadayon report for EdSource.
#tellEWA Member Stories (August 6-12)
Here's what we're reading by EWA members this week:
After hearing 70 people speak during an eight-hour period, the Virginia Beach school board voted to require masks for students and staff, reports Sara Gregory for The Virginian-Pilot.
California State University adopted a vaccination mandate for students, but the deadline comes long after the start of fall classes, Mikhail Zinshteyn reports for CalMatters.
Leaping Medical Education Barriers: Alumna Founds Alternative to Pricey Tutoring
Prep course costs are just one layer of the much larger financial obligation that comes with becoming a doctor, including attending college, paying MCAT registration fees, medical school application fees and traveling to interviews, to name a few. According to a 2020 analysis conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges, only 38.1% of MCAT examinees from lower-income backgrounds completed test preparation courses, compared to 50% of examinees coming from higher-income backgrounds.
#tellEWA Member Stories (July 30- August 5)
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Colleges lost millions in revenue after international student enrollment dropped 72% due to the pandemic, visa restrictions and more, reports Karin Fischer and Sasha Aslanian for The Chronicle of Higher Education and APM Reports.
Rather than implement a mandate, several California community colleges are offering money and free textbooks to students who get vaccinated for COVID-19, reports Emma Hall and Matthew Reagan for Cal Matters.
#tellEWA Member Stories (July 23-29)
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After the pandemic reduced college enrollment in 2020, New Jersey colleges and universities hope in-person classes and activities will increase student enrollment this year, reports Claire Lowe for The Press of Atlantic City.
Because a governor’s order prohibits vaccine mandates at Idaho colleges, education leaders are encouraging students to get vaccinated, appealing to their sense of community, Kevin Richert writes for Idaho Education News.
Search for Remains at Colorado’s Native American Boarding Schools to Proceed Slowly, Respectfully
Today, Fort Lewis’ student population is more than 40% Native American or Alaska Native. The institution prides itself on its diversity, inclusivity and a waiver covering the cost of tuition of any students from federally recognized Native American tribes or Alaska Native villages.
But the college originated more than a century ago as one of the country’s Native American boarding schools — institutions the federal government used to recruit Indigenous children from across the nation in an effort to strip them of their culture and force assimilation.
#tellEWA Member Stories (July 16-22)
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Colorado educators reflected on challenges they faced during the past school year, with the goal of helping improve K-12 education, reports Jenny Brundin for Colorado Public Radio.
Texas school leaders are seeking ways to support first-year educators who lost student-teaching opportunities and other training due to the pandemic, reports Silas Allen for Fort-Worth Star-Telegram.
Helping Students Learn at Their Own Pace: Why Some Ohio Schools Are Adopting a ‘Mastery’ Approach in Hopes of Closing COVID Learning Gaps
With many students needing academic intervention after the pandemic, school district officials in Columbus and Cleveland, are turning to “mastery” learning as a strategy to catch them up.
The mastery, or “competency” approach lets students learn at their own pace, making sure they fully understand key skills before moving on.
That could be a good fit when students return to school in the fall after making drastically different progress online or in very limited in-person classes.
#tellEWA Member Stories (July 9-15)
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A records request showed only two people emailed the Alabama superintendent about critical race theory, yet he drafted a resolution targeting the teachings of the academic framework in K-12 schools, Trisha Powell Crain reports for AL.com.
Talia Richman of The Dallas Morning News covers Texas educators’ concerns about a new bill that would require them to disclose their lessons and activities online.
An Oral History of Early Childhood Educators During the Pandemic
Yessika Magdaleno, owner of a home-based child care program in Orange County, Calif., is a problem-solver by nature. When she opened her program 20 years ago, she attracted families by expanding her hours to nights and weekends to accommodate those with non-traditional work hours.
Critical Race Theory Battles are Driving Frustrated, Exhausted Educators out of their Jobs
When Rydell Harrison started a new job as a school superintendent in southwestern Connecticut last August, he was excited to join a community that seemed committed to diversity and equity.
#tellEWA Member Stories (July 2-8)
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Two Boston Globe reporters separately highlighted the lack of educators of color in leadership and Boston Public Schools’ alleged coverup of racially charged text messages from former employees.
California colleges intend to address learning loss by offering tutoring and academic counseling for incoming freshmen this fall, Larry Gordon reports for EdSource.
‘Financially Hobbled for Life’: The Elite Master’s Degrees That Don’t Pay Off
Lured by the aura of degrees from top-flight institutions, many master’s students at universities across the U.S. took on debt beyond what their pay would support, the Journal analysis of federal data on borrowers found.
Undergraduate students for years have faced ballooning loan balances. But now it is graduate students who are accruing the most onerous debt loads. Unlike undergraduate loans, the federal Grad Plus loan program has no fixed limit on how much grad students can borrow—money that can be used for tuition, fees and living expenses.
#tellEWA Member Stories (June 25-July 1)
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Michigan health officials recommended continued mask-wearing and other COVID-19 safety measures for the upcoming school year, reports Jennifer Chambers and Craig Mauger for the Detroit News.
The pandemic’s effects highlighted inequities for migrant students who were already prone to learning loss, explains Janine Zeitlin for USA TODAY Network-Florida.
COVID At School: Boys Fell Behind More Than Girls. Can They Catch Up?
In Chicago and across the country, there is growing evidence that this year has hit Black and Latino boys harder than other students. Amid rising gun violence, a national reckoning over race, bitter school reopening battles and a deadly virus that took the heaviest toll on Black and Latino communities, the year has tested not only these teens, but also the school systems that have historically failed many of them.
It has severed precarious ties to school, derailed college plans and pried gaping academic disparities even wider.
#tellEWA Member Stories (June 18-24)
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A high schooler was vindicated after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a student’s right to free speech, explains Emily Tate of Ed Surge.
Olivia Krauth live-tweeted the first protest against critical race theory at Kentucky’s largest school district for the Courier Journal, showing how misinformation was widespread among the crowd.
#tellEWA Member Stories (June 11-17)
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Special education services slowed or stopped after the pandemic began, “devastating” families who watched their children’s skills backslide, reports Cory Turner and Rebecca Klein for NPR.
After nearly 100 anti-maskers packed a school board meeting, forcing the meeting to shut down, a Georgia school district is bringing in more security, writes Alia Malik for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
#tellEWA Member Stories (June 4-10)
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A plan to give California’s community college system $170 million for faculty is dividing finance officials and professors, explains Mikhail Zinshteyn for Cal Matters.
Education leaders are scrambling to recruit teachers after North Carolina lawmakers required districts to offer summer school, reports Ann Doss Helms of WFAE.
#tellEWA Member Stories (May 28-June 3)
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The New York Times’ Eliza Shapiro tells the stories of essential school staffers who worked in NYC school buildings throughout the pandemic.
Teaching students about the Tulsa Race Massacre and other unpleasant aspects of history could be derailed because of a new Oklahoma law, reports Tawnell D. Hobbs of The Wall Street Journal.
#tellEWA Member Stories (May 21-27)
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Meghan Mangrum of The Tennessean covers a historic $1 billion “continuity of operations” budget request from Metro Nashville Public Schools.
USA Today’s Lindsay Schnell tells the story of a first-generation college student’s struggle to stay in school throughout the pandemic.
#tellEWA Member Stories (May 14-20)
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Nada Atieh and Kristan Obeng spent four months tracking hundreds of students who dropped contact with schools in three California counties for USA Today Network-California.
Chris Quintana of USA TODAY chronicles a veteran’s experience with a for-profit college and examines what critics call a breakdown in the rules intended to protect students from predatory for-profit schools.
#tellEWA Member Stories (May 7-13)
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U.S. News & World Report’s Lauren Camera covers the uptick in wealthy parents pulling their kids from public schools, which is further exacerbating the inequities plaguing urban public school systems.
Temporarily suspending the admissions exam at some Boston schools increased the diversity of accepted applicants, new data shows, reports James Vaznis of The Boston Globe.
#tellEWA Member Stories (Apr. 30 – May 6)
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Marta W. Aldrich of Chalkbeat Tennessee covers a legislative measure that would ban classroom discussions about systemic racism.
Texas college officials are cautiously planning a return to normal campus life this fall, reports Brayden Garcia and Valeria Olivares for The Dallas Morning News.
#tellEWA Member Stories (Apr. 23-29)
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A USA TODAY NETWORK reporting team in Wisconsin covers all the ways high schools are adapting their plans for pandemic-era proms.
Trisha Powell Crain of AL.com reports on a summer learning program that is focused on the individual needs of English learners.
The Christian Science Monitor’s Chelsea Sheasley gathers perspectives on the shift from school resource officers to safety specialists in Minneapolis Public Schools.
#tellEWA Member Stories (Apr. 16-22)
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Authorities restraining children using techniques like those used against George Floyd is commonplace in Minnesota schools, the 74’s Mark Keierleber reports.
Faculty members at a private Oregon university call for the university president and board chair to resign after the latter two allegedly made anti-Semitic comments, reports Meerah Powell of OPB.
#tellEWA Member Stories (Apr. 9-15)
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The 74’s Asher Lehrer-Small dives deep into a fellowship that helps Rhode Island paraprofessionals transform their experiences into teaching certifications and diversifies the teacher workforce.
In a weeklong Idaho Education News series, Sami Edge explores youth access to mental health services in Idaho schools and the challenges that COVID-19 poses for school-based mental health efforts.
#tellEWA Member Stories (Apr. 2-8)
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More school districts are turning to digital surveillance to keep tabs on students during remote learning. That has some families, educators, and privacy experts concerned, reports Education Week’s Stephen Sawchuk.
Emily Tate of EdSurge explains why some guidance counselors are taking steps to address their implicit biases, and how that could improve services for students going forward.
Out of School, Out of Work
In 2017, as many as 4.5 million young people—or 11.5 percent of young adults ages 16 to 24—were neither in school nor working, according to the nonprofit Measure of America. By the summer of 2020, the organization estimated, the ranks of these “disconnected” young adults had swelled to 6 million.
Read the full story here.
#tellEWA Member Stories (Mar. 26 – Apr. 1)
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Education NC’s Liz Bell shares the struggles of the child care industry that have been brought to light amid the pandemic.
Ann Doss Helms of WFAE public radio in Charlotte covers an analysis of how funds generated from the North Carolina Education Lottery are actually spent.
District Savings Are Running Dry Amid COVID-19, Putting Some Schools in Dire Straits
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, districts have been bombarded with unexpected costs: iPads for remote learning, jugs of bleach to disinfect classrooms, Plexiglas for safety dividers, hazard pay for janitors, and PD for remote teaching.
But the public school system’s fiscal infrastructure is infamously rigid, making it almost impossible for administrators to pivot suddenly and spend large chunks of money on anything other than big-ticket items such as teachers, administrators, and curriculum.
How Germany Avoided A ‘Lost’ School Year
“Every day is new, and every day is different,” the children sing. But one thing that’s changed little for them this year - their daily presence in a classroom. Germany’s quick response to the pandemic in the spring allowed it to get some children back in schools after just a few weeks. And schools have remained open this fall, even as the country shut restaurants and gyms back down.
#tellEWA Member Stories (Nov. 27-Dec. 3)
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With an in-depth portrait of one second grader, The Washington Post’s Perry Stein looks at the high toll the pandemic is taking on students’ basic literacy skills in D.C.
Writing for Chalkbeat, Jason Gonzales digs into whether the University of Colorado Boulder is meeting its mission to serve students from low-income families.
What Missouri Schools Can Learn From How Germany Has Handled School Reopenings
In St. Louis, many public school districts are just beginning to bring students back for in-person instruction. Saying it’s still not safe, other districts continue to offer only a virtual model. But in Germany, things look much different. School was in session last spring, and it resumed in person again in August — and not just for little kids, either.
How German Students Have Been Back At School Since Spring, While Missourians Are Just Returning
It’s halfway through the fall semester, and many students in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas are just now trickling back into classrooms. Thousands are still learning from home. Meanwhile, in most of Europe, schools have been open since August with students attending in person daily.
A robust public health system, hygiene measures and targeted quarantines of students and staff exposed to the coronavirus get the credit. But that early success could soon be put to the test as cold weather arrives along with a resurgence of cases of the coronavirus.
‘A Battle for the Souls of Black Girls’
Zulayka McKinstry’s once silly, sociable daughter has stopped seeing friends, talking to siblings and trusting anyone — changes Ms. McKinstry dates to the day in January 2019 when her daughter’s school principal decided that “hyper and giddy” were suspicious behaviors in a 12-year-old girl.
Ms. McKinstry’s daughter was sent to the nurse’s office and forced to undress so that she could be searched for contraband that did not exist.