DA Staff

After threat, Cedar Rapids schools see 60% student attendance

Proactive safety measures put in place Tuesday in the Cedar Rapids Community School District following a threat made on social media will remain in place through Friday.

School superintendent turnover is rising. A leader aims to ‘keep down the noise’ amid culture wars

Tracy Grit is just one of 30 new superintendents across North Carolina this fall, in a state with 115 school districts. Most of the new superintendents, like him, have never had the title before. This year, nine are serving in an interim role, and the ranks of Black, Latino and female superintendents have all declined slightly.

Exclusive: Houston ISD struggles with special education services after cutting workers

Houston Public Media confirmed that multiple Houston ISD campuses are not providing speech therapy, just over a month after the district slashed 21 special ed contractors. According to a spokesperson, the district is working to fill vacancies on its speech team.

Math test scores show some recovery from pandemic learning loss; reading scores stagnant

States across the country have made some progress in math over the past two years, while in English language arts some states made gains while others fell further behind.

Vail School District empowers students to employment

It's called the “Dream Stream”. It will be used by special education students through the transition from school to work program. Plus, the career and technical education marketing students will do the marketing for the "Dream Stream" too.

Ransomware delayed pay for school staff in Arizona county

More than 4,500 employees across 14 school districts were affected by a ransomware attack targeting Pinal County, Arizona.

Banned Books Week comes at tense time for nation’s libraries and schools

Banning books has become a top issue around the country, with many Republican states making it easier for parents to challenge what’s available on school shelves while Democratic states try to do the opposite.

Michigan schools working to improve lagging test scores

The Department of Education reported that math proficiency among students in grades 3–7 increased from 33.3% to 34.7%. Fifth-graders showed the biggest gain of 1.9%.

New Baltimore County Public Schools app ‘BusWhere’ allows parents, students to track bus locations in real-time

"I think information provides people with a level of security. They know the bus is going to come, instead of waiting and not knowing where the bus is," said Sarah Powell, Senior Operations Supervisor with Baltimore County Public Schools.

Building a Literacy Ecosystem: Keys to Transformational Change

Date & Time: Thursday, November 9 at 2 pm ET

In this 20-minute DA Ed Talk, learn why building a holistic literacy ecosystem should be a priority for any school or district leader, which crucial questions should guide any school community, and how to enact transformational change that will ultimately impact student achievement.

How one elementary school in Wisconsin is solving the early literacy challenge

Six years ago, Rich Wytonick became principal of Knapp. He worked to strengthen the instructional team and bring in community partners. As a result, Knapp was the first community school in the district–partnering with The United Way to provide wraparound services for students.

Texas education leaders and advocates explore how to redesign school models

Four North Texas schools were highlighted as examples of what some campuses are already doing to transform the student experience.

Maryland Board of Education may change how the state tracks students’ college readiness

An analysis of Maryland’s current “college readiness” metrics meant to determine whether high school students are properly prepared for college may be improperly assessing a large percentage of students, according to a new report analyzing the state’s interim College and Career Readiness standards.

Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles says he needs four to five years to turn the district around

Miles said he should be held accountable and be fired if the district doesn’t improve academically in the next two years.

Lakewood schools borrowed millions from New Jersey and still can’t pay its bills

That $93 million would be on top of the $165 million the district has borrowed since 2014. It has only managed to pay back $42 million. That would bring the district’s state debt to more than $198 million, an amount unlikely to be repaid anytime soon.