DA Staff

Asheville, Buncombe schools discuss ChatGPT as school year starts; What are policies?

Asheville City Schools has an AI advisory team, which is engaging in conversations about the impact of AI on teaching and learning and includes how instruction will change with the availability of generative AI.

Schools afraid of gun violence are requiring clear backpacks

At least 27 school districts in the past 18 months have started restricting backpacks, according to news reports. Though security experts are skeptical the measures make schools safer, they’ve become a common response to school shootings and to fears sparked by students showing up to school with guns.

Missouri students still score lower on standardized tests than before the pandemic

Schools in Missouri are still rebounding from the pandemic's impact on student learning. State education leaders say they're also grappling with student mental health issues, chronic absenteeism and teacher shortages.

Miami-Dade Public School Board to “advocate for advancing education, not restrict learning”

Hours before MDCPS students returned to class, board members said they would not "sit silently" over concerns with new state standards.

The shortage in school bus drivers is getting worse

Looking for an alternative, the school district in Louisville, Ky., turned to a software program—leading to chaos. It’s one of many districts struggling to get students to class.

7 school districts in St. Louis area to move away from annual standardized tests

More frequent testing that provides quicker results to students and teachers is part of a push toward new methods for evaluating progress instead of backloading assessments each spring.

Texas school districts struggling to afford security to comply with new law

Texas now requires an armed officer on every campus, but districts say cost and recruitment are the two biggest hurdles stopping them from complying with the new law.

Extreme heat may prevent Florida high school football teams from playing

High school football preseason games are set to kick off across Florida this week provided the state's record-breaking heat wave eases. If it’s too warm to safely play, football games could be canceled or postponed.

Mayor Sylvester Turner criticizes state takeover of Houston ISD during Prairie View A&M commencement speech

Turner has four months left as mayor, and said he assumed he would not have to wage anymore political battles and speak out. But he said he owes it to his parents to speak against changes happening in HISD.

Why San Antonio could help teachers buy homes

Many teachers simply can't afford to live where they work, which can have repercussions for the quality of students' education, Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, told Axios.

Pa. Dept. of Education offering fresh fruits and vegetables to low income students and districts

It's all part of new funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Education that is targeting schools that utilize free and reduced lunch programs. 

Why is there a shortage of school bus drivers? Problem worsened by COVID reaches crisis level

A USA TODAY analysis of news coverage and local statistics found at least one instance of a major school bus driver shortage in every state this year, from Hawaii to New York.

Hawaii Superintendent Hayashi provides update to Maui staff and families impacted by wildfires

Superintendent Keith Hayashi tells families that several damaged schools buildings are not ready to reopen and one elementary school was destroyed.

Parents can’t challenge Maryland school’s gender identity policy, court rules

Parents could not challenge Montgomery County Board of Education policy against telling parents if their children identify as transgender or gender-nonconforming. Court says they lack standing because they had not alleged their children were transgender.

Teacher contracts set to expire ahead of school year in Detroit and Grosse Pointe

The Grosse Pointe Public School System Board of Education's $103 million annual budget for the new school year included the elimination of 15 teaching positions, which comes in addition to 19 retirements and 34 resignations from members this year, including some who took jobs in other districts.