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.
This may come as news to some superintendents and district leaders: Book bans and pride flags are not the main topics of discussion at every school board meeting in the country. Still, school boards are grappling with some complicated topics.
Advocates are warning that schools' efforts to detect dangerous online activity increasingly threaten both academic freedom and the privacy of students—particularly those from the LGBTQ+ community, Title I schools and other marginalized groups.
More than half of the graduating class of 2023 is opting out of the traditional four-year college education, according to a survey released Tuesday. While these numbers are no cause for alarm, leaders should be concerned that nearly one-third of the graduates were not aware of the career and technical education programs that would have given them alternative paths.
Superintendents for Hamilton Southeastern Schools and St. Louis Park Public Schools resigned suddenly as an Arizona school board voted its leader out after getting sued by the state.
Superintendent John B. Gordon III leads Suffolk Public Schools in telling a positive story about students and staff in the face of political antagonism and racism, deploying social media—Facebook and Instagram, in particular—to keep the community informed and engaged in Suffolk Public Schools' achievements and activities.
Lewis Brooks, leader Shelby County Schools, makes it a priority to regularly highlight his students' and staff members' "interests and exceptional accomplishments."
Can social media—a source of much consternation in K12 these days—play a crucial role in whether the states your districts call home remain among the best (or worst) for educators? Superintendents and their teams should consider leveraging Instagram, X and other platforms to connect teaching recruits with more experienced educators who can share reasons to come work in the district, advises Ramon Goings, an associate professor in the Language Literacy & Culture Doctoral Program at the University of Maryland.
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."
