The U.S. Department of Education this week designated Alaska as "a high-risk grantee" because it said the state failed to fairly distribute COVID-19 relief to school districts.
A state-by-state examination of the latest figures, from the 2022-23 school year, shows spikes and dips for nationwide cohorts of students, many of whom spent their early high school years on remote learning.
Dozens of U.S. states, including California and New York, are also suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harming young people and contributing to a youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.
Officials say the slight decrease in the total graduation rate is partially due to the 0.4% increase in the unknown rate, which tracks students "who were either incorrectly reported or were not reported as enrolled elsewhere."
Created in 2003, the Recovery School District is a network of public schools the state has adopted after being classified as “academically unacceptable” for four years in a row.
With an emphasis on work-based learning, both of the new diplomas will require students to fulfill three components: foundational knowledge and competencies, employability skills and postsecondary-ready competencies.
"We know that one of the most important things we can do to help our students learn is to make sure they come to school consistently and make our families and communities strong partners in this effort," writes U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
A solar eclipse is a little more than a week away and even if your school isn't in the so-called "path of totality," you and your teachers should seize the opportunity to connect the celestial spectacle to what kids are learning in class.
