LGBTQ+

Reasons high school graduation rates are where they are

The majority of states had lower graduation rates in 2022 than they did before the pandemic. Here's why.

State of the American student: Here are 2 perspectives

There is some good news but more not-so-good news in a pair of wide-ranging reports on how students across the U.S. are faring academically and civically this fall.

Making the most of tutoring: 4 strategies for success

Some early proponents of tutoring as a post-pandemic silver bullet have recently tempered their expectations, in part because of implementation challenges at a large scale.

Cost of conflict: Schools now spend billions dealing with division

The "cost of conflict" is weighing heavily on K12 budgets just as districts are losing COVID relief funding, states are tightening spending, and enrollment is falling in some regions.

State of the American student: Here are 2 big perspectives

There is some good news but more not-so-good news in a pair of wide-ranging reports on how students across the U.S. are faring academically and civically this fall.

5 reasons your tutoring program may fail this school year

At schools that provided tutoring sessions multiple times a week with the same tutor over the course of several months, students saw their academic achievements skyrocket.

Learning loss: How big are the achievement gaps heading into 2024-25?

Test scores from approximately 7.7 million students in grades 3 through 8 show "academic recovery remains elusive" based on pre-pandemic trends, according to the latest analysis of the 2023-24 school year by the assessment firm, NWEA.

High-impact tutoring: 3 ways novices can improve their skills

Building positive relationships, choosing appropriate tasks and using strategic questioning are the top three high-leverage strategies tutor should deploy.

Reversing pandemic slides: How does your state compare?

Learn where your state ranks in areas like math and reading proficiency, as well as five recommendations to get students get back on track.

How to create safe spaces for transgender students

Establishing a safe and welcoming environment for transgender students is not just a moral imperative but also a legal obligation.

Anti-LGBTQ+ policies are now taking a bigger toll on young people

The record number of anti-LGTBQ policies enacted in the past year have become so disruptive that young people and their families are considering leave their homes, a new study warns. 

Your paraprofessionals can offer high-quality—and fun—tutoring

Denver Public Schools launched Acceleration Academies that pair students who are significantly below grade level with paraprofessionals who are receiving coaching and professional development.

Title IX: States line up to defy new K12 LGBTQ protections

Governors and education leaders of several states are ordering schools not to comply with Biden Administration Title IX update that outlaws harassment based on gender identity or sexual orientation

How to prepare your school for new Title IX’s Aug. 1 debut

Schools have less than four months to update policies and protections for LGBTQ and parenting students. Here's one expert's advice.

Book bans are hitting new heights this school year

Books about women, sexual violence and rape that have are being challenged based on obscenity while race, LGBTQ and transgender identities continue to be frequent targets.

We know tutoring works. Here’s how to make it work better

Most K12 leaders would agree that high-dosage tutoring is now a key part of instruction. Most would also note difficulties with finding adequate space and funding, hiring high-quality tutors and encouraging students to attend. 

Accelerating Literacy: Using Digital Tools to Elevate Student Choice and Voice

Date & Time: Tuesday, May 7th at 2 pm ET

In this 20-minute DA Ed Talk, the District Instructional Librarian for St. Vrain Valley Schools will share some actionable strategies for incorporating digital books and audiobooks into curriculum, elevating student choice, agency and voice, and quickly accelerating literacy across a school or district.  

‘Talking out of School’ podcast: Addressing a complexity of needs

Transforming K12 into a more fully student-centered system is the wicked problem facing public schools, says Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education.

4 ways to compare how school climate is recovering

New research shows how school leaders are faring with teacher shortages, political polarization, curriculum restrictions and their financial futures.

Hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ students quadrupled in these 28 states

That's according to a new analysis of FBI data showing a huge spike nationwide between 2015-19 and 2021-22 since divisive concepts first entered the forefront of education policy-making.

How are two years of teaching restrictions impacting classrooms?

“Students do not feel comfortable asking honest questions and teachers do not feel comfortable about giving honest answers," one teacher told researchers examining curriculum restrictions.

You can now say—but not teach—gay in Florida classrooms

LGBTQ issues—namely, sexual orientation and gender identity—can be discussed but not taught in Florida classrooms, according to a settlement over the state's "Don't Say Gay" law.

School boards are now spending more time on these 5 topics

Is your school board focused on the same topics that are of growing concern at their counterparts' meetings in other districts and states?

The pandemic’s impact still worries K12 parents. Here’s why

"The way school went with COVID got my twins so far behind," one parent said in a new report. Which interventions can help reverse its effects?

4 ways to close learning gaps before the ESSER deadline

School districts such as Alabama's Birmingham City Schools are taking innovative steps to ensure a sustained academic rebound, a new report finds. Here's how.

U.S. math scores take a hit in global assessment. But there’s good news

Some countries suffered the equivalent of one year of learning loss in math in 2022, a new global report suggests. How did our students fare?

Why laws that bar teaching about race, LGBTQ topics have little to block

White authors and characters remain far more present in K12 curriculum than authors and characters of any other race or ethnicity, according to the “The Search for More Complex Racial and Ethnic Representation" study by Ed Trust.

“We are failing older students.” Are high schoolers running out of time?

The 2023 “State of the American Student" contains reports from district and other experts on new approaches that "center instruction and support on what students need most."

This superintendent wonders when educators stopped being viewed as heroes

How the public went so quickly from calling educators the heroes of the pandemic to "villains" and "groomers" bothers Papillion La Vista Community Schools Superintendent Andrew Rikli.

How one state is taking on the ‘forced outing’ of transgender students

Chino Valley Unified School District requires schools to notify parents if a child asks to use a name or pronoun that's different from what's on their birth certificate or official records. The state's attorney general, Rob Bonta, is suing the southern California district, saying the mandates violate the privacy and civil rights of LGBTQ+ students.

4 ways your school’s LGBTQ+ policies can save a life

More than one in five LGBTQ+ high school students attempted suicide in 2021, according to recent data from the CDC. Additionally, 52% reported having recently experienced poor mental health. And what many administrators might not know is that something as simple as addressing their school's policies can make a world of difference for those students.

Gender policies take center stage as the 2023 school year begins

"We know that students can only learn effectively when they feel supported," wrote Michelle Reid, superintendent of Fairfax Schools in opposition to the state's newly enacted transgender policies.

How this Iowa district deployed AI to ban 19 books from its libraries

Mason City Community Schools removed the books from grade 7-12 libraries, with an administrator saying that the size of its collection was too large for staff to read every title.

Are English learners catching up with the big lift offered by ESSER?

How districts in five states are using relief funds to expand tutoring, family outreach and develop more multilingual teachers.

Here are the 3 big impacts political polarization is having in the classroom

Political polarization has made their job "intolerable," teachers say in a new survey. Here's how teachers says administrators, parents and colleagues can solve the problem.