The state House of Delegates's Education Committee passed a bill making major changes to the public school calendar when it comes to when students start and end school. The bill would now require the school year in all counties to take place between Sept. 1 and May 31.
The Township High School District 113's board of education approved a superintendent contract with Hinsdale Township High School District 86's Superintendent Bruce Law, who will take over in July. Law will replace co-interim superintendents Linda Yonke and Ben Martindale.
The Council of Great City Schools and LAUSD estblished a nationwide "bench of contracts" with Imagine Learning, Inc. and two other publishers who have met the Council's quality criteria for EL math materials. Other school districts can now also use these contracts to purchase vetted materials to support teachers of English learners.
The Texas House Democratic Caucus laid out a $14.5 billion plan for school finance reform and property tax relief, releasing a list of priorities that include increasing teacher pay and benefits, paying schools more for educating low-income students, and providing more counselors for school districts.
Given that low pay—and accompanying low social standing—is both a result of and driving force behind men's underrepresentation in the profession, it stands to reason that salary hikes could help stem the imbalance. A pay bump could in theory spur a cycle in which greater representation of men in the profession could slowly shift perception.
Among the issues the Education Committee plans to examine: the carrying out of the Every Student Succeeds Act and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act; recommendations from the Federal Commission on School Safety in response to the Parkland mass school shooting; and the department's role in the rebuilding of schools in Puerto Rico, in the Virgin Islands and in other areas.
Gov. Bill Lee is prioritizing STEM education in his legislative agenda with a $4 million investment in initiatives to boost opportunities for students across the state, including the creation of statewide K8 computer science standards. He would also create the STEM-focused Future Workforce Initiative.
Having taxpayer-funded Bible literacy classes in schools is unconstitutional. If public schools adopt religious education curricula, they must implement a program which is diverse in schools of thought beyond those that use the Bible for teaching.
As educators and school leaders, our goal is to help students reach their greatest potential and be prepared for the future. But if data is not driving all education decisions, a school’s efforts will often fall short. In order to make improvements at Arizona Virtual Academy, we revamped our processes to use K12 student data […]
