"It forces collaboration between social studies, math, English and science teachers," explains Superintendent John Dignan of Wayne-Westland Community Schools, about embedding interventions into core instruction. "They're working together and our kids are getting the medicine they need—it's not just about remediation, it's about acceleration."
Often times we hear superintendents say, "If you're not in your seat, you're not learning." But what is being done to address the issue? Enter the Chronic Absenteeism Task Force.
Educators are parents, too. That's a fact that Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD Superintendent Jim Chadwell would like more Americans to recognize as he and other K12 leaders grapple with growing pushback against public schools.
Chris Saxon, IT director at the Cherokee County School District in Georgia, and his team created an IT "call center" for families dedicated for providing troubleshooting assistance for their child's devices and other issues. "For our folks in IT, it's easy to see how they're being helpful when they're in their classroom fixing their panel, printer or laptop," he says. "But they don't understand that when things are going wrong, a lot of folks are working behind the scenes to make it right."
Johnny Mims, a band director at Minor High School in Alabama, is accusing Birmingham police of using excessive force against him after he was shocked with a stun gun three times after officers say he refused to comply with orders while they attempted to clear the field.
The recent spate of regulations passed by school boards in conservative pockets of California requiring schools to notify parents if a student does something to indicate gender nonconformity is seeping into campus culture in ways some students describe as dangerous and repressive.
"The toll of the book banning movement is getting worse," Suzanne Nossel, Chief Executive Officer of PEN America said in a statement. "...opponents of free expression are pushing harder than ever to exert their power over students as a whole."
Schools not only have access to student data and administrative records, they also have a wealth of parent data like Social Security numbers and credit card information. This treasure trove of data has caught the attention of hackers.
Since Sept. 1, unexpected staff shortages have forced seven schools to cancel classes for the day and two others to combine classes, according to the Clark County School District, which includes Las Vegas. The district's motion seeking an emergency court order said one of those schools had 87% of its teachers call out sick on the same day.
