DA Staff

A whole new world: Education meets the metaverse

As technology advances to bring us new immersive and imaginary worlds, how we educate children and prepare teachers must also advance to meet these new opportunities.

Suburban Chicago district shifts to remote learning over mask protest

District's adaptive pause remains in effect until further notice in anticipation of protests that could “confront and/or interact directly with students.”

Why some states are treating schools differently when weighing end of mask mandates

Some blue states have nixed indoor mandates entirely and some experts who had pushed for stringent virus mitigation measures have called for an end to masks in schools. 

DeSantis rejects a proposed budget cut to schools that defied his mask mandate ban

Budget proposal targets the salaries of administrators who make $100,000 or more. The money would be redistributed to districts that did not have mask mandates.

Teens arrested after bomb threats at D.C. high schools; more threats reported

Two 16-year-olds were arrested in connection with threats made Wednesday as police said they were investigating several new reports.

Texas GOP candidate ‘not comfortable’ around transgender children

A Texas Republican candidate and former teacher said transgender children make her uncomfortable and questioned why other kids should be punished for making fun of them.

3 not-quite-true claims about the pandemic and schools

Some fear-inducing claims about the state of American schooling are inaccurate or unproven, although they may contain an important grain of truth.

White House condemns Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill

The White House slammed two states that recently advanced anti-LGBTQ bills, after being largely silent as an increasing number of states have considered legislation targeting transgender student-athletes and limiting classroom discussions.

Christian revival at school prompts student walkout in West Virginia

Between calculus and European history classes at a public high school, 16-year-old Cameron Mays and his classmates were told to go to an evangelical Christian revival assembly.

Dolly Parton’s Dollywood says it will pay all tuition costs for employees pursuing higher education

Dollywood will pay 100% of the tuition costs, fees and books for employees who pursue higher education. All 11,000 seasonal, part-time and full-time employees at the parent company's 25 U.S. attractions can register for the GROW U pilot program.

Massachusetts school mask mandate to end on Feb. 28

Massachusetts will end its mask mandate for all students and faculty in K-12 schools, following the route taken by several other states as COVID-19 cases drop after this winter's omicron-fueled surge.

DC schools evacuated for multiple bomb threats

Six Washington, D.C., schools were evacuated on Wednesday while authorities responded to multiple bomb threats but ultimately found no explosives.

Arizona superintendent urges lawmakers to act as schools face ‘closure ticking timebomb’

Arizona Superintendent Kathy Hoffman is urging lawmakers to lift the school spending cap as public schools are facing nearly $1.2 billion in budget cuts.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signals support for ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill

He said it was "entirely inappropriate" for teachers and school administrators to have conversations with students about their gender identity.

Oklahoma school board member slams gender identities, implies parents should kill themselves

"Do us all a favor, find the busiest street that you can find, take your (expletive) out, lay down on the center line and do the world a favor.”