Aggressive parent fundraising to support athletic teams, buy school equipment and pay for field trips further widens disparities between affluent and economically challenged schools and districts, according to recent research. The number of nonprofit parent-run organizations that raise funds for school programs rose from 3,475 in 1995 to 11,453 in 2010, according to "The Rise […]

Students living in states with an antibullying law that includes at least one U.S. Department of Education-recommended legislative component had lower reported bullying and cyberbullying rates compared to students living in states without such legal provisions, according to recent research. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2015, examined data from 25 states to evaluate […]

Efforts to address the achievement gap have taken an innovative path in Connecticut. In response to the call from legislatures disgusted with 25 years of NAEP data trends that showed little improvement in closing gaps, a task force was created to examine the disparities. Simple innovation This is where the innovative path came in. The […]

Districts facing rising English language learner populations and teacher shortages have turned to Puerto Rico for quality bilingual teachers who don't need a visa to work on the U.S. mainland. Dallas ISD hired 350 teachers from Puerto Rico for 2015-16, primarily to teach elementary-level bilingual classes. Oklahoma City Public Schools started the academic year with […]