Grant Public Schools' board terminated its contract with a clinic that has served nearly 700 students this school year—and community members claim it all began with a mural featuring characters wearing rainbow colors and the colors of the transgender flag.
Broward County Public Schools hopes to put an end to a turbulent few years for its superintendents with its choice of Peter Licata, a regional superintendent in the School District of Palm Beach County.
Declining enrollment, failed levies and other financial pressures are forcing superintendents and their teams to make tough and unpopular spending decisions, including cutting school employees.
In other superintendent shifts, a big city school board scoffs at three finalists chosen by its search firm while a state superintendent is urging a district to change course on a new hire.
Efforts to understand school and student performance have been snarled by a surprisingly hard-to-answer question: Which schools have the highest concentration of the poorest students?
Sudden political shifts have led to the removal of another superintendent while some less common local controversies have forced other leaders to resign.
Swatting hoaxes this week led police to crash their cruiser through one school's front door while Vermont's governor likened the deeply disruptive pranks to terrorism.
"It reminds me of a magic show except that when you leave, you can do the same magic," says Professional Learning Specialist Craig McBain. "As a trainer and educator, it's fantastic to come back from the conference and share that magic."
Michigan's Department of Education is requiring 112 low-performing public schools in 54 districts around the state to enter into agreements with the state to improve students' academic performance.
