DA Staff

Battle rages in W.Va. over control of public school policy

Voters in West Virginia will get the final say on a ballot question that would amend the state constitution to give the Republican-dominated legislature control over virtually every aspect of public schooling.

A Brooklyn school’s students fought to add AP African American Studies to their curriculum

Brooklyn Preparatory High School is one of 60 schools nationwide participating in a pilot program launched for the class this fall — at a time when teaching about race is under assault across the U.S.

Cellphones in school: What to know

As smartphones have become ubiquitous among teens, schools have increasingly had to wrestle with the problem of managing their use in class.

Feds to conduct further testing for radioactive contamination in Missouri school

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will conduct new testing at a Missouri grade school to learn more about the level of radioactive contamination in the school and on its playground, U.S. Rep. Cori Bush said Thursday.

Teenagers and misinformation: some starting points for teaching media literacy

Five ideas to help students understand the problem, learn basic skills, share their experiences and have a say in how media literacy is taught.

Education chief says music can rebuild connections to school

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona says in too many school systems, students don't have access to music education or instruments.

What’s in the so-called Don’t Say Gay bill that could impact the whole country

House Republicans have introduced legislation that some critics are describing as a national "Don't Say Gay" bill – inspired by the controversial Florida law that bans instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade classes.

Online school put US kids behind. Some adults have regrets

In a sign of how inflammatory the debate has become, there’s sharp disagreement among educators, school leaders and parents even about how to label the problems created by online school.

Turning back the clock: Will fights over curriculum usher in new era of segregated schools?

Education policy experts warn that efforts to keep certain books out of the classroom or ban the teaching of sensitive topics such as race and gender risk turning back the clock.

At least 269 K-12 educators arrested on child sex crimes since January

An analysis looked at local news stories week by week featuring arrests of K-12 principals, assistant principals, teachers, substitute teachers and teacher’s aides on child sex-related crimes in school districts across the country.

Disasters like Hurricane Ian can affect academic performance for years to come

One of the most important lessons is that just as it will likely take years to rebuild the infrastructure and homes hit by Hurricane Ian, it could take a similar amount of time to help some children regain a sense of normalcy.

The outside groups inside school board politics

With the next election imminent, a number of newly formed interest groups are getting involved in local school board politics.

States opting out of a federal program that tracks teen behavior as youth mental health worsens

As the COVID-19 pandemic worsened a mental health crisis among America’s young people, a small group of states quietly withdrew from the nation’s largest public effort to track concerning behaviors in high school students.

A high school student’s mural angers parents over what they say are hidden messages

School district officials and a high school student in Michigan have drawn the ire of parents who allege that a painted mural contains LGBTQ propaganda, a depiction of Satan and a message of witchcraft.

After O.C. school district bans critical race theory, it faces Cal State Fullerton backlash

Months after an Orange County school district banned teaching critical race theory, Cal State Fullerton has told school officials it is pausing placement of its student teachers in the system’s K-12 classrooms.