The devastating attacks at schools during the 2017-18 school year have caused understandable and unprecedented levels of anxiety among students, parents, school officials, and local, state and federal officials. An alarming number of schools have adopted an ever-increasing array of safety and security measures that have not been validated or found to be effective. To […]
The supermajority requirement of 60 percent sets an unreasonably high bar for passing school bonds. The Legislature should pull the threshold back to a simple majority. Too many school districts struggle to pass a school bond. Crumbling, overcrowded and unsafe buildings do represent an equity issue.
When it comes to engagement, there are few who know more than Gallup. Valerie Calderon, senior consultant at the organization known for its public opinion polls and research analysis, says the same principles of engagement that have been applied in the corporate world for years can be applied in school districts as well. Calderon is […]
Baltimore's school system has long described its vocational programs as a clear path to solid employment. But in reality, a new report says, these CTE programs don't live up to their promise. Six years out of school, students who completed a CTE program earned an annual median income of less than $13,000, according to the report. These young adults described a lack of guidance and a lack of meaningful real-world experience.
The educator protest movement started with cries for better pay, benefits and funding. But it has evolved into a protest against the argument that traditional public schools and the people who work in them are failing, and that they must be challenged by charter schools, private school vouchers and test-driven accountability.
Look at a graph of the racial and ethnic makeup of the nation's typical gifted and talented program over the past 25 years, and the lines are mostly flat. Whites and Asians remain overrepresented relative to their numbers in the population.
Five years ago, the lack of diversification in the gifted and talented program in Minnesota's Mankato Area Public Schools illustrated a nationwide problem. African-American, Native American, Latino and low-income students remained severely underrepresented relative to their numbers in the district's population. In response, administrators overhauled the way they identified high-potential learners, drawing on research into […]
The Sweetwater Union High School District is not being allowed to pay its bills on its own after the San Diego County Office of Education found that the district lacked "fiscal accountability." An independent auditor found that it was virtually impossible to determine an accurate account on how the district spends its money.
Schools and teachers benefit in a variety of ways when teachers work together. A small but growing body of evidence suggests a positive relationship between teacher collaboration and student achievement.
