States must provide more information than what's required on federally mandated school report cards to give administrators and parents a clearer view of the education culture, according to a recent report from the nonprofit policy organization Data Quality Campaign. Since No Child Left Behind, states have had to create report cards detailing the academic performance […]
California students in fall 2018 will be the first in the U.S. to use textbooks that highlight the historical contributions made by people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. The new curricular materials come after the state's passage of the FAIR Education Act in 2011, which requires that history instruction cover LGBT people as […]
When Kristie Autrey became curriculum director for Mitchell County School District in North Carolina, and learned the state had partnered with Learning Ally, she jumped at the chance to implement it. Learning Ally is a nonprofit library of high-quality, human-read audiobooks and a suite of teacher and student resources that integrates into the school instruction […]
To expand support for its at-risk students, Berkeley Township School District three years ago held six meetings with teachers, parents, businesses, nonprofits, the Berkeley Police Department and the Division of Children Protection and Permanency. Administrators in the New Jersey district—working with guidance counselors, nurses and parents—identified at-risk students struggling socially, academically and at home. "We […]
Nevada recently launched an online reporting system for parents and students, joining a handful of other states and districts in efforts to combat bullying. Colorado was first to create an online bullying reporting tool in 2004, five years after the Columbine shooting. Since then, Oregon, Wyoming, Utah and Michigan have passed laws mandating the creation […]
Districts are increasingly tasked with providing options for at-risk and underserved student populations to address persistent achievement gaps. While nationwide gains in closing achievement gaps have been made, research shows that underserved student populations still achieve at lower rates than their peers in many areas. Black and Hispanic students graduate at lower rates than white […]
We are entrusted with creating opportunities for all students to achieve their highest potential. Anyone can relate to this basic need: to be understood for our abilities, not categorized by our challenges. Let's defy the stereotypes and see students for their potential, not their inability to read; let's empower each teacher to change lives; let's […]
How do districts define and identify their special needs students? And how does that compare with the way it is done in other districts and states? Moreover, do these students receive the help they need? A new report, the first in a series by the Frontline Research and Learning Institute, sets out to answer those […]
Facing state budget cuts, Hillsboro School District in Oregon was searching for a cost-efficient way to offer training to its paraeducator staff (paraprofessionals, educational assistants, instructional aides, etc.), who work with more than 20,000 students across 35 schools. "We have paraeducators in all of our buildings" says Elaine Fox, who is executive director of student […]
