Education in Focus

More states now offer school choice programs for families

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

(The Center Square) – School choice debates continue as more states opt into programs aimed at expanding educational options for families. National School Choice Week, scheduled for Jan. 25-31, is designed to raise awareness about school choice around the country through events with schools and organizations.

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GOP opposes California tuition aid for illegal immigrants

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000

(The Center Square) – Republicans are pushing back against California programs that provide taxpayer-funded tuition assistance to illegal immigrants, arguing the policies divert resources from the state's taxpayers. The California Dream Act Application allows illegal immigrants and students from mixed-status families to access state-funded financial aid for higher education. The program applies to students attending public universities. There are currently around 9,500 California State University illegal immigrant students and about 4,000 University of California illegal immigrant students.

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Arizona education officials approve revision to DEI policies

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 19:55:15 +0000

(The Center Square) – The Arizona State Board of Education on Monday approved removing diversity, equity and inclusion teaching standards to comply with a federal executive order and avoid the potential loss of $866 million in federal education funding. During the meeting, board members heard testimony from parents, educators and members of the public who raised concerns about removing the standards. Yet the board approved to start the process of reviewing statewide teaching standards related to DEI.

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Feds take steps to dismantle ED, states respond

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 17:38:25 +0000

(The Center Square) - Since the Trump administration’s moves to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, it has prompted a wide range of reactions from state education leaders nationwide. The department announced this past week that six offices within the Department of Education will be transferred to four partner agencies: Health and Human Services, Labor, Interior and State.

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UCSD renames scholarship after affirmative action settlement

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 17:00:00 +0000

(The Center Square) - University of California, San Diego has renamed one of its scholarship programs following a legal settlement with the Pacific Legal Foundation, which sought to ensure equal treatment and educational opportunity for all students regardless of race.

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Wisconsin school consolidation could be near 'pendulum swing'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 03:31:01 +0000

Chris Lindner knows the possibility of his Loyal School District consolidating with Greenwood in Clark County has plenty of people paying attention. School consolidations in Wisconsin, now a rarity, could increase if his is successful. The measures are aimed at helping school districts use consolidation to combat decreased enrollments and aging buildings across the state. Public school enrollment in Wisconsin is expected to decline by 200,000 students by 2050. The state has seen an estimated 10,000 fewer students each year.

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Survey: Colorado faces shortage of after-school programs

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 21:24:17 +0000

(The Center Square) – Colorado is experiencing a significant shortage of out-of-school programs, according to a new report. The survey found that, while parents of 463,000 children in Colorado want them in an after-school program, 75% of those children are not. While still significant, that is 2% lower than the national average. This should be a priority for lawmakers, according to Kelly Streck, director of the Colorado Afterschool Partnership.

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UC system mandates training affirming gender ideology

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 6 Nov 2025 21:55:09 +0000

(The Center Square) - The University of California system has rolled out a new harassment prevention mandate requiring all students to complete training that affirms transgender policies — or face class registration blocks. UC’s SHAPE program - Sexual Harassment, Anti-Discrimination, Prevention and Education - requires students to complete mandatory training on gender identity and nondiscrimination policies. The program is designed to uphold the commitment by UC for a safe and inclusive environment for transgender students and states that those who do not use the correct transgender pronouns may create a hostile environment and are accused of harassment.

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Poll: Most voters against federal govt controlling education

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 17:31:22 +0000

(The Center Square) - A vast majority of Americans do not believe the federal government should have control over education policy, according to a new poll. The Center Square Voters' Voice Poll found that only 11% of American voters think the federal government should set standards for curriculum, testing and school choice. Instead, 33% of American voters said local school districts should set curriculum, testing and school choice standards. About 23% of voters said parents should set educational standards.

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'Moral disaster': Wisconsin leaders want answers on teacher assault probe

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 15:38:31 +0000

(The Center Square) – The leaders of Wisconsin’s Senate Committee on Education are demanding answers from the state’s Department of Public Instruction following a report showing that 200 investigations into teachers for sexual assault and grooming were shielded from the public. Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie, said that she plans to draft three bills in response to the report to create a grooming law, standards for communication between students and faculty and to end a "loophole" where educators can surrender their teaching license rather than facing further investigation. Senate Committee on Education Chair John Jagler and Vice Chair Romaine Quinn asked a series of 12 questions of DPI Superintendent Jill Underly and demanded to get a response within 24 hours on if she will be willing to testify before the committee.

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UW professor says campus problems go much deeper than anti-Semitism

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 20:33:11 +0000

(The Center Square) – On the day remaining Israeli hostages were released by Hamas and reunited with their families and friends after more than two years, much of the free world celebrated the peace deal between the Jewish state and the terrorist organization. But on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle, a pro-Palestinian group continues to press for the reinstatement of more than 20 students who took part in a major vandalism incident in May, earning their subsequent suspension. The vandalism resulted in a federal review.

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Wisconsin legislator: Schools must fulfill financial reporting before referendum

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 8 Oct 2025 19:46:13 +0000

(The Center Square) – A bill that would require Wisconsin school districts to confirm they have filed their required financial paperwork to the state before going to referendum was the subject of a public hearing in the Assembly Committee on Education on Thursday. The bill was aimed at districts such as Milwaukee that fail to fulfill their financial reporting obligations and then ask district residents for more funds through a referendum, according to sponsor Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie, who referred to Assembly Bill 457 as “my MPS bill.” Milwaukee passed a $252 million referendum in April 2024 and it was later revealed that Milwaukee Public Schools had not filed the paperwork with the Department of Public Instruction. The district missed the deadlines by eight months and had $42 million withheld.

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Texas A&M President resigns over controversy in LGBTQ teachings

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 3 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

(The Center Square) - The President of Texas A&M University, Mark Welsh, resigned last week amid controversy over a viral video between a professor and a student debating gender ideology. Welsh stepped down officially on Friday, September 19, according to a press release where the Chancellor Glenn Hegar thanked Welsh for his service to the university and the nation.

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McMahon discusses education at Reagan Institute

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 2 Oct 2025 21:25:16 +0000

(The Center Square) - U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon emphasized literacy, artificial intelligence, civil discourse and education funding at the Reagan Institute Summit on Education. Indiana Education Secretary Katie Jenner asked McMahon questions at RISE in Washington, D.C., on education subjects, such as school choice, innovation, literacy and best practices for schools at the local and state level.

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Education department launches America 250 effort

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 16:00:00 +0000

(The Center Square) - The U.S. Department of Education, along with private organizations, launched this week the America 250 Civics Education Coalition, in an effort to revive civic education in American schools. First Liberty Institute joined the department, along with 40 other organizations such as Turning Point USA, in launching this coalition on Constitution Day, commemorating the document’s signing on Sept. 17, 1787. This coalition’s goal is “to ensure every young American understands the beauty of our nation and is equipped with the civic knowledge required to contribute meaningfully to its future,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said.

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Report says national student debt more than $1.6T

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 16:00:00 +0000

(The Center Square) – The college student loan balance in the United States is $1.66 trillion, according to a WalletHub report. To determine the best and worst states with student debt, the WalletHub's report compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia. WalletHub also graded on a 100-point scale focusing on metrics such as the state's cost of living, unemployment rates and paid internship opportunities for students.

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Damning report card: California schools get an ‘F’

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 22:03:04 +0000

(The Center Square) - The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression Free Speech Rankings crowned California's Claremont McKenna College with a grade of B- as the best college in the U.S. for free speech, while a string of other California schools received F grades amid anti-free speech environments across campuses. FIRE released its sixth annual College Free Speech Rankings, which pulled responses on free-speech topics from 68,510 students attending 257 American colleges. The survey highlighted a decline in support for free speech among all students. Students on both sides of the political aisle are showing a deep “unwillingness” to face controversial ideas, the press releases stated.

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Best, worst states for teachers ranked as student scores drop

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 21:11:58 +0000

(The Center Square) – Virginia is the No. 1 state for teachers' pay and public spending per student. At the same time, it's No. 51 for students' math scores, behind 49 states and Washington, D.C. More pay for teachers and more spending for schools don't necessarily equal better performances by students, according to a Center Square comparison of reports from various sources. A report released by WalletHub Monday revealed the best and worst states for teachers, as student testing performance continues to decline nationwide.

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White House announces new AI Education initiative

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 19:21:51 +0000

(The Center Square) - The White House announced the Presidential AI Challenge, a new initiative to unite innovation and education. Launched on Aug. 26, the initiative is a project that encourages K-12 youth, educators and mentors to solve real-world problems in their communities using artificial intelligence solutions. It provides an opportunity to showcase their solutions at a national level.

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Chicago student petitions to restore bathroom doors

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 18:58:03 +0000

(The Center Square) - A Chicago student launched a petition to restore bathroom doors after Oak Park and River Forest High School removed them. At the start of the school year, students noticed that the exterior doors to the bathrooms had been removed. In response, students were outraged, calling it a violation of privacy. High school junior Laila Rosenthal launched a “We Need Doors” petition to restore bathroom doors. The school’s decision to remove bathroom entry doors came as a crime prevention measure.

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Beverly Hills Schools Chief Reverses Israeli Flag Decision

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 5 Sep 2025 20:14:01 +0000

(The Center Square) - Following the Beverly Hills Unified School District board's vote to display Israeli flags on all its campuses, Superintendent Alex Cherniss overruled the decision, citing safety concerns. “In light of heightened safety concerns around the displaying of flags on our campuses, I have made the decision to take immediate action for the safety and security of our students,” Dr. Cherniss wrote in a statement. “Until further notice, no flags will be displayed on our campuses other than the flag of the United States of America and the flag of the state of California.”

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AB 495 Moves Forward Despite GOP Pushback in California

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 4 Sep 2025 16:13:47 +0000

(The Center Square) - The California Senate Appropriations Committee sent Assembly Bill 495 on its way to the Senate floor, despite strong opposition from Republicans. The committee Friday voted 5-2 to send AB 495, known as the “Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025," to the full Senate for consideration. If approved, the bill, authored by Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez, D-San Fernando, will move directly to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

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AZ Judge Rules Lawmakers Violated State Constitution

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 20:32:00 +0000

(The Center Square) — Arizona lawmakers violated the constitutional requirement to fund public schools, ruled Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Dewain Fox. In a 114-page decision, Fox stated on Aug. 11 that Arizona schools did not meet the minimum standards in providing adequate equipment for building repairs, even though the Arizona Constitution requires the Legislature to organize and fund a “general and uniform public school system.” The case, Glendale Elementary School District v. State of Arizona, was filed in 2017 by Glendale Elementary School District, Crane Elementary School District, Chino Valley Unified School District and Elfrida Elementary School District, alongside Arizona School Boards Association, Arizona Education Association and Arizona School Administrators.

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Backlash Continues to July’s ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ Event at WA Elementary School

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 20:51:16 +0000

(The Center Square) – According to event officials, a July 26 event held at Donald Eismann Elementary School, part of the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District in Washington state, that included a “Drag Queen Story Hour” and other controversial drag performances, has inspired death threats against organizers and participants. In the meantime, school board members have been getting an earful from community members concerned about the event. Some parents spoke out at Wednesday’s school board meeting.

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Virginia Schools Keep Gender Policy, Despite Title IX Violation

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 20:27:11 +0000

(The Center Square) — Virginia Public Schools in Loudoun County voted this week to keep their gender policy, allowing transgender students to use facilities, despite the U.S. Department of Education finding the policy violates Title IX. According to the federal law, sex-separated spaces are required on federally funded school campuses, but with Loudoun County rejecting this compliance, almost $46 million in federal funds may be cut. In July, the Education Department found five Northern Virginia schools in violation of Title IX over policies that allowed transgender students to access bathrooms and locker rooms.

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California Schools Protect Students From ICE Agents

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 22:15:00 +0000

(The Center Square) — California schools are providing resources for students if immigration officials visit their campus. As students get ready to go back to school, Southern California schools are taking proactive measures to protect students from federal immigration agents on campus. After federal agents detained a 15-year-old boy outside his Los Angeles high school last week, many families are fearful of immigration raids within schools. Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, said there should be restrictions on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement near schools so that students can focus on their education.

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California Bill Raises Major Concerns for Parent Advocacy Groups

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 19:12:19 +0000

(The Center Square) - A California bill that aims to provide a solution to immigrant families poses a legal loophole for kidnapping children, says the California Family Council. Assembly Bill 495, known as the “Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025,” authored by Assemblywoman Celeste Rodriguez, D-California, claims to give immigrant families that face deportation solutions in taking care of their children. Rodriguez argues that AB 495 protects children and ensures that they are not left vulnerable if a parent is unexpectedly detained by immigration officials.

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Parental Rights Groups Concerned Over DEI in Denver Teacher Contract

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 20:00:00 +0000

(The Center Square) – As Denver Public Schools move forward with finalizing a new teacher contract, parental rights groups are raising concerns about inclusion of diversity, equity, and inclusion provisions in the contract. Defending Education, Colorado Parent Advocacy Network, and Protect Kids Colorado joined to send a letter to Denver Public Schools and Denver Classroom Teachers Association expressing “deep concern about the inclusion of ideological programming and discriminatory mandates” in the Denver Public Schools Collective Bargaining Agreement. The DPS and DCTA plan to agree to a new contract by Aug. 31. In a joint statement to The Center Square, the DCTA and DPS said they are standing by the contract.

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Newsom Responds to Federal Freeze of UCLA Research Funds

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 6 Aug 2025 19:57:10 +0000

After the Trump administration suspended research funding from the University of California, Los Angeles over claims of antisemitism, Gov. Gavin Newsom called the freeze “cruel manipulation.” Last week the Trump administration sent a notice to UCLA that it was suspending all science and medical research funding. This abrupt funding freeze comes after claims from the U.S. Department of Justice that UCLA violated federal civil rights laws in dealing with antisemitism on campus, following pro-Palestine protests since Oct. 7, 2023 and the start of the Israel-Hamas War.

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Trump Signs Order to Bring Back Presidential Fitness Test

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 5 Aug 2025 20:35:26 +0000

(The Center Square) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test to American schools. The fitness test was introduced in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, but was phased out in 2012 during the Obama administration. The fitness test requires students ages 10 to 17 to run, do sit-ups, pull-ups or push-ups and a sit-and-reach test. After 2012, it was changed to the Youth Fitness Program. The Obama administration said it wanted to focus less on athletic performance and more on student health.

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Pod Schooling App Gives Parents Alternative School Choice

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 20:39:59 +0000

(The Center Square) — A new school-based app, Edefy, recently launched as part of another school choice alternative for parents. Edefy is an app that connects families to teachers of their choice at nearby host sites, a method known as Pod schooling. For the past two years, James Bisenius, the founder of Edefy, has been working on the development and software design. Though it has been tested for the last 15 years, the first public version recently launched this month.

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U.S. Government Gives Some Education Money Back to States

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 19:37:37 +0000

(The Center Square) — The Trump administration released $1.3 billion in education funding back to the states after bipartisan pushback. After the U.S. Department of Education announced it would withhold $6.8 billion in federal education funding, lawmakers and education officials across the country took steps in demanding the funds be released. Now $1.3 billion has been released with a caveat. The federal government said the funds must be allocated toward “allowable activities,” or the money will be revoked.

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States Sue Trump Administration Over Education Funding

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 20:59:03 +0000

(The Center Square) — California, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada are part of a coalition of 24 states and the District of Columbia, suing the Trump administration for withholding $6.8 billion in federal education funding. These states are calling this freeze unconstitutional, unlawful and an arbitrary decision. Each year on July 1, states receive their federal education funds Congress has allocated for the upcoming school year. An email from the U.S. Department of Education, sent to various departments of education across the country, stated the department would not be “issuing obligating funds” for six formula funding programs on July 1.

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Anonymous K-12 Tip Line Logs Over 30K Reports

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 15:57:37 +0000

(The Center Square) — Colorado's K-12 safety anonymous reporting system surpassed over 30,000 reports in the 2024-2025 school year. The Safe2Tell system received 30,461 reports in total, with seven out of the last 10 months in the 2024-2025 school year receiving more reports than in the previous school year. The system, which was first implemented in 2004, continues to operate even in summer months. It is a violence intervention and prevention program for students, staff, parents or community members to anonymously report threats to their own and others’ safety.

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Police Link Suicide Hotline Bill to Risk of Online Predators

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 19:29:56 +0000

(The Center Square) — The California Family Council joins law enforcement in revealing a new LGBTQ+ suicide hotline bill that could expose children to online predators. Assembly Bill 727 would require the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ suicide hotline, be printed on all public school student ID cards for grades 7 through college. The online website connected to the Trevor Project, known as TrevorSpace, is a platform that encourages LGBTQ+ youth ages 13 to 24 to connect and share personal stories.

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U.S. Supreme Court Rules for Parents on LGBTQ Storybooks

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 3 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0000

(The Center Square) — The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision Friday, sided with parents in opting-out their children from school curriculum with LGBTQ storybooks. In the case Mahmoud v. Taylor, the court recognized parents have a constitutional right to opt their children out of, for religious reasons, content such as storybooks that push LGBTQ ideology. “We have long recognized the rights of parents to direct 'the religious upbringing' of their children," Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the court's opinion. "And we have held that those rights are violated by government policies that substantially interfere with the religious development of children.” Justice Brett Kavanaugh concurred.

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Newsom’s Office Dismisses Title IX Violation as Not Serious

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 2 Jul 2025 20:05:35 +0000

(The Center Square) — Following the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation being found in violation of Title IX by the U.S Department of Education, the governor's office is unfazed. Meanwhile, the debate over transgender athletes in girls' sports has extended beyond California and the Trump administration to include organizations representing the transgender community and female athletes. Last week, the U.S Department of Education released a statement that found the CDE and CIF in violation of Title IX for allowing biological males in girls’ sports and intimate spaces.

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Ohio’s EdChoice Scholarship Program Struck Down

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 19:44:07 +0000

(The Center Square) – Parents receiving taxpayer money for school choice won’t lose it immediately, as the state plans to appeal a ruling that declared Ohio’s EdChoice program unconstitutional. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Jaiza Page ruled late Tuesday in favor of 200 of the state’s public school districts that sued over the voucher program, which was expanded to any Ohio family that wanted to use it. The state’s current budget included $1 billion for the program.

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Tennessee Lawmakers Question Virtual School Funding

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 20:00:00 +0000

(The Center Square) – Tennessee lawmakers are questioning why two counties with virtual schools are reaping thousands in state funding at the expense of the state's other 93. Union and Johnson counties have the most significant percentage of the state's 59 virtual schools, according to information presented at Thursday's meeting of the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. The virtual students were counted as attending school in Union and Johnson counties, even though they could live elsewhere.

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Michigan Graduate Student From China Charged With Conspiracy, Smuggling

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 20:17:37 +0000

The FBI has arrested Yunqing Jian, a graduate student from China at the University of Michigan, on charges of conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud. Jian and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, are accused of smuggling a “dangerous biological pathogen” called fusarium graminearum into the United States to study. They also have arrested Chengxuan Han, a graduate student from China, on charges of smuggling goods into the United States and making false statements. Authorities called this an “alarming pattern.”

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Full story:

Smuggling charges filed against 3rd from China connected to Michigan

Michigan graduate student from China charged with conspiracy, smuggling

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House Democrats, Republicans Spar Over High College Tuition Costs

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 5 Jun 2025 18:49:46 +0000

(The Center Square) – U.S. House Democrats and Republicans shared opposing viewpoints Wednesday on ways to address the rising costs of college tuition in the U.S. In a House subcommittee hearing, Republican and Democrat members questioned a panel of witnesses on antitrust policies of Ivy League institutions. U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., called attention to a lawsuit filed by a group of former students in 2022 accusing the nation’s top universities of favoring wealthy student applicants over others. Fitzgerald said the schools use personal financial data to determine how much a family can afford to pay and charge them that amount.

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Texas House Passes Parental Bill of Rights

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 29 May 2025 17:01:58 +0000

(The Center Square) – The Texas House on Sunday passed a Parental Bill of Rights that includes a ban on social transitioning of children. In the House, the bill was carried by state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, The Center Square reported. It passed the House by a vote of 88-47 with three voting present, not voting, according to the unofficial tally. The bill affirms that parents are the primary decision-makers in their child’s education, bans Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) ideology in K-12 public schools, restricts teachings of sexual orientation and gender identity, simplifies public school transfers, and reforms the parental-ISD complaint process, among other measures.

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Report: Early Data Links State Policy and School Choice Options

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 22 May 2025 19:36:09 +0000

(The Center Square) – States with universal school choice policies see more growth in educational options for families, according to a new report. EdChoice, a nonprofit organization that researches school choice policies, said roughly 30,000 private schools serve 4.4 million students across the country. Seventy-six subsidization programs exist in 35 states, with 18 offering support to all students without distinction. Of those, just four have the funds to serve every child.

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CA Judge Requires Parental Notification for Elementary School Gender Lesson

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 15 May 2025 19:07:59 +0000

(The Center Square) - A California federal judge issued a preliminary injunction requiring parental notification and opt-outs for gender identity topics in an elementary school’s buddy program pairing older elementary students with younger mentees, citing concerns from the program’s controversial lesson in which fifth graders were enlisted to teach kindergarteners about gender identity. At issue is a specific buddy session, in which teachers selected and read the gender identity book “My Shadow Is Pink,” which the ruling says is “about a boy who liked to wear dresses and play with toys associated with girls.” The session took place at an elementary school in the Encinitas Union School District.

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Pro-Palestinian Protesters Occupy University of Washington Building, 30 Arrested

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 8 May 2025 19:59:08 +0000

(The Center Square) – About 30 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested late Monday night after occupying a University of Washington building and lighting dumpster fires. In a social media post, the “Super UW” group – Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return – stated that it occupied the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building to demand the university cut ties with Boeing, a major employer of UW engineering graduates. The protesters’ anger concerns a $10 million donation made by Boeing toward the construction of the $90 million learning facility in 2022.

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Senate Committee to Vote on Bills Combating Antisemitism on Campuses

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 1 May 2025 20:08:46 +0000

(The Center Square) – Legislation targeting harassment of Jewish students at higher education institutions will likely reach the U.S. House floor by May, intensifying the broader crackdown on antisemitism by the Trump administration. The Republican-led Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will vote on the Protecting Students on Campus Act and the Antisemitism Awareness Act on April 30. As reported by The Center Square, the Protecting Students on Campus Act would require universities to communicate to students how to file civil rights complaints and mandate universities to report the number of civil rights complaints they receive, as well as actions taken to address those complaints.

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Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over ‘Illegal Demands'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 19:59:24 +0000

(The Center Square) – After seeing billions of dollars in research funding frozen and facing multiple federal demands for internal reform, Harvard University is suing the Trump administration under the claim that it has violated the school’s First Amendment rights. On April 14, the U.S. Department of Education announced it was freezing $2.2 billion in taxpayer-funded federal grants to the school, as The Center Square reported. The decision followed Harvard’s refusal to comply with the Trump administration’s demands that it more effectively curb unlawful student activity and reform any programs “with egregious records of antisemitism or other bias.”

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Trump Administration Freezes More Than $2.2 Billion in Funding to Harvard

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 19:20:21 +0000

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Education late Monday said it is freezing more than $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard University after its president said earlier in the day it would not comply with President Donald Trump's demands over antisemitism on campus and diversity, equity and inclusion policies. "Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation's most prestigious universities and colleges – that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws," the department's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said in a statement, citing the "harassment of Jewish students" that "has plagued campuses in recent years..."

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Nationwide Proposal to Remove Cellphones From Classrooms Introduced

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 19:08:15 +0000

(The Center Square) – As cellphone bans in schools are gaining steam in dozens of states, one lawmaker is taking it to the federal level by proposing legislation leading to cellphone-free schools. Freshman Virginia Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman has introduced the UNPLUGGED Act, which the lawmaker describes as the “first step in restoring quality education” by removing cellphones from classrooms. The movement to ban the technology from classrooms has gained bipartisan popularity by several state lawmakers. State leaders on opposite sides of the political, ideological spectrums appear to have found common ground, saying phones in the classroom are distractions and contribute to mental health issues.

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Georgia General Assembly Sends the Riley Gaines Act to Kemp’s Desk

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 3 Apr 2025 20:33:24 +0000

(The Center Square) – Bills that would ban men from women's sports and establish new programs for school safety are now on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's desk as lawmakers wind down the 2025 session. House and Senate leaders merged Senate Bill 1 into the Riley Gaines Act proposed by the House. The legislation would allow the state to withhold funding from schools that fail to follow the provisions outlined in the bill after an investigation. Teams could also be prevented from competing if violations of the law are confirmed. The revised bill removes a provision that would have added definitions for male and female throughout the Georgia code. It defines "male" and "female" in relation to school sports.

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School Cellphone Bill on Its Way to Georgia Gov. Kemp

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 19:59:03 +0000

The Georgia Senate passed a bill 54-2 on Tuesday that would require K-8 schools to have a policy on cellphone use. House Bill 340 bans electronic devices from "bell to bell," with some exceptions for students with learning disabilities or medical issues. School systems can decide how they want to store the devices, according to the bill. High schools are not addressed in the legislation, but it doesn't keep school districts from enacting cellphone policies for grades 9-12, Hilton said during a committee meeting.

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Bill to Raise Wisconsin Report Card Standards Approved by Senate

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 20:18:55 +0000

(The Center Square) – A bill that would change the academic standards used on Wisconsin’s state report cards back to prior levels passed the Senate and now will head to Gov. Tony Evers. The Senate voted 18-14 to approve the bill, which would reset the K-12 school report card standards of 2019-20, makes grades 3-8 standards the same as those set by the National Assessment of Education Progress and would make the high school testing standards the same as those from 2021-22. State Sen. John Jagler, R-Watertown, is a sponsor of the bill and noted the standards were changed behind closed doors and Evers has even called the decision a mistake.

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U.S. Department of Education to Cut Half of Employees

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 14:45:08 +0000

(The Center Square) – U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said Tuesday that as part of the Department of Education's "final mission," it would cut its workforce by half. Affected employees will be placed on administrative leave beginning March 21. McMahon said the department would "continue to deliver on all statutory programs that fall under the agency's purview, including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grantmaking." When Trump took office in January, the Department of Education had about 4,133 workers. After Tuesday's reduction in force, the department's workforce will total about 2,183 workers.

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Senate Confirms School Choice Advocate Linda McMahon as Education Secretary

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 6 Mar 2025 15:48:11 +0000

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education, even as the department’s future existence remains uncertain. Lawmakers voted 51-45 to approve Linda McMahon, who led the Small Business Administration in Trump’s first term and is a long-time advocate of school choice. McMahon's background in education includes her appointment to Connecticut’s State Board of Education in January 2009, where she served 15 months. She also served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Sacred Heart University.

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DOGE Cuts Nearly $1B From Education Department Research Wing

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 22:05:43 +0000

Nearly $1 billion in contracts for the Institute of Education Sciences has been cut by the Department of Government Efficiency. Proponents say it is another step toward efficiency and eliminating waste; critics say the slash could cripple the nation’s objective assessors of academic achievement. Linda McMahon's confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Education proceeded Thursday, with conversation strong on how to change it and eventually lead to its closing. In a series of posts on social media, the Department of Education defended the cuts to the federal agency's research arm, saying it hasn’t helped students and that it spent federal funds on unnecessary contracts.

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Ethnic Studies Fight Leads to Backlash Against CA School Board Member

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:18:45 +0000

The Palo Alto Unified School District Board voted this week not to censure a board member who previously voted against a measure to approve a controversial “liberated” ethnic studies curriculum for the district. Tuesday’s roughly five-hour PAUSD meeting saw the board vote on a resolution stripping Trustee Rowena Chiu of her committee assignments after her vote at a previous meeting and reposting a social media post that caused controversy. The controversy invokes the larger debates over the appropriateness of ethnic studies curricula that have embedded ideological positions and how school board members have been treated for speaking out on divisive issues.

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Federally-Funded Teen-Led Sex Ed Program in Berkeley Could Be Axed by Trump Orders

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 21:25:44 +0000

A peer-to-peer sex education program at a public high school in California funded by taxpayers nationwide may be on the chopping block after President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting federal funds from going toward what he called gender ideology “indoctrination” for K-12 students. The federally funded AmeriCorps program at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California, told students in the Sexual Health Information from Teens (SHIFT) program that sex does not equal gender and featured a gender unicorn to illustrate the difference between sex, gender and attraction. Trump signed an executive order in January to "end the federal funding of gender ideology."

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Texas AG Demands Info From School Districts Over Transgender Athlete Policies

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The Texas Attorney General’s office is demanding documentation from two school districts over concerns that they are allowing male students to play on female sports teams in violation of state law H.B. 25. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s letters to Dallas and Irving Independent School Districts requested training materials, communications over student eligibility for sports teams, and other information related to staff members who were filmed saying they would allow a biologically male student to play on the girls’ team. “The idea of school district officials turning their backs on female students and sacrificing the integrity of women’s athletics to advance the radical transgender agenda is disgusting, but that seems to be exactly what occurred here,” Paxton said in a news release Thursday.

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Department of Ed to Ease Oversight on Federal Funds for Charter Schools

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:53:07 +0000

The Department of Education will support charter schools by withdrawing a federal award program initially issued by the Biden administration and directing over $30 million to the nontraditional public schools, the department said. The Department of Education said it had withdrawn two “notices inviting application” for the State Entity Charter School Grant Program and the Charter Management Organization Grant Program over what it called “burdensome” regulations. The Department also announced it was directing $33 million toward charter schools through the Charter School Program (CSP) competition. The department said the actions better align the agency’s work with President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for the expansion of school choice.

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Pennsylvania ACLU Pushes Schools to Block Immigration Enforcement

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 16:08:11 +0000

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania is asking school leaders in the state to resist federal immigration enforcement agency actions on school grounds after the Trump administration rescinded guidance preventing enforcement efforts near schools. While While President Donald Trump's directives would allow ICE agents to enter school property, there have been no reported cases of them doing so to date. The ACLU of Pennsylvania requested school superintendents, CEOS and directors in a letter this week to block Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents from entering schools, accessing information or having contact with students or staff.

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Trump Order Targets Funding of ‘Radical Indoctrination’ in K-12 Schools

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 6 Feb 2025 22:04:32 +0000

President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week outlawing what the White House termed “radical indoctrination” in K-12 schools. Wednesday's order calls on agency secretaries to submit an “Ending Indoctrination Strategy” to eliminate “federal funding or support for illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including [sic] based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology.” “Parents trust America’s schools to provide their children with a rigorous education and to instill a patriotic admiration for our incredible Nation and the values for which we stand,” the order reads.

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SCOTUS Will Determine Legality of Religious Charter Schools

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 5 Feb 2025 16:04:52 +0000

A forthcoming Supreme Court case will determine the legality of the religious charter schools that operate with public taxpayer dollars. The United States Supreme Court decided to hear the case last week, seven months after the Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School’s application to operate as a religious charter school in the state. Michael J. Petrilli, president of the Thomas Fordham Institute, wrote in a commentary article this week that the case will likely address whether or not religious charter schools must be allowed in states that also allow secular charter schools.

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Watchdog: NYC Teachers Acting Inappropriately With Students Requires Changes

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 4 Feb 2025 21:49:46 +0000

The New York City Department of Education has received multiple recommendations from its watchdog organization to stop allowing teachers to contact students directly after it was found that two teachers had behaved inappropriately with students. In reports published on its website Monday, the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District said the city’s education agency should amend its policy to create barriers between students and teachers to minimize grooming and inappropriate behavior. The New York City Department of Education did not respond to Chalkboard News’ requests for comment clarifying whether it was changing its position on teacher and student communications.

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Trump Department of Education Scrubs DEI From Website, Staff Positions

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 21:59:44 +0000

The Trump administration’s Department of Education announced Thursday that it was working on eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from its website and workforce. The agency said staff leading DEI initiatives have been placed on administrative leave, and over 200 web pages with DEI resources that “promote or endorse harmful ideological programs” have been deleted. It also killed over $2.5 million of DEI contracts, it says. The department said the actions aligned with President Donald Trump’s “ongoing commitment to end illegal discrimination and wasteful spending across the federal government.”

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Report: Fewer Cultural Conflicts Occurred in Schools Last School Year

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 18:28:32 +0000

While tense school board meetings over cultural and other issues have dominated education news headlines, instances of culture war battles in schools have declined by 42% according to a new report from the CATO Institute. For more than a decade, the think tank has been collecting data on culture war trends in public schooling according to Neal McCluskey, director of CATO’s Center for Educational Freedom. “I am an advocate for school choice and one of the objections to school choice is if we could all choose schools we would be balkanized — everyone would go off to their own kind of school,” McCluskey told Chalkboard. “But there is also the implication that we would be at war with each other.”

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Report: Here Are the Best Worst and Worst States for Educational Freedom

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 22:11:54 +0000

A new report from a nonprofit organization that ranks states by educational freedom found large differences between them based on their efforts to improve the school choices families have for their children. The American Legislative Exchange Council's Index of State Education Freedom, released Thursday, ranks states based on the school choice options and funding programs they offer students and their families. Andrew Handel, director of ALEC’s education and workforce development task force and the report’s lead author, told Chalkboard News which states ranked at the top of the index and the bottom based on their education choice programs.

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Trump Order Affirms ‘Biological Reality of Sex,’ Attacks Biden’s Title IX Rewrite

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 22:25:31 +0000

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to limit the government’s recognition to two sexes based on male and female biology, a reversal of the Biden administration’s attempts to expand the definition of sex discrimination to include gender identity. The order Trump signed on Monday after his inauguration said the executive branch of the government would reaffirm “the biological reality of sex” and rescind the Biden administration’s regulatory expansion of Title IX. “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female,” the order reads. “These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”

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‘Parents Should Be Concerned:’ What to Know About the Powerschool Breach

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 21:27:43 +0000

PowerSchool, a large education technology company that provides services to public school districts, says it has been hacked and that the FBI is investigating the student data breach. Hanover County Public Schools in Ashland, Virginia, told parents on Jan. 9 that the hack included student names and addresses, parent contact information, teacher names and schedules. Parental advocates said the breach raises questions about the information districts collect about students.

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Oklahoma Sues Biden Administration Over Student Costs Related to Immigration

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 22:32:48 +0000

The Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction says the Biden administration failed to secure the southwest border, leading to rising education costs in the state. Superintendent Ryan Walters filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday. Walters and the Oklahoma Department of Education say the federal government should cover the additional costs incurred due to the influx of immigrant students. The lawsuit comes just days before President-elect Donald Trump's second inauguration. Walters told Fox 25 KOKH that Oklahoma spent $474 million, and it is owed the funds back.

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Court Sides With Parents in California Case Over State’s Transgender Notification Policy

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000

A California lawsuit alleging a school district’s parental notification policy for student gender identity violates teachers’ First Amendment rights will continue after a judge denied motions to dismiss the case on Tuesday. U.S. District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez said Mirabelli v. Olson would continue after California Attorney General Rob Bonta, members of the California Department of Education and the Escondido Union School District sought to have the lawsuit thrown out because the parental notification policy is “just a suggestion.” “Here, the State Defendants say the Plaintiffs lack standing because there is no harm to parents or teachers because the policy is just a suggestion,” according to court documents.

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Meet Mary: Online Groups Are Showing What Explicit Content Is on School Shelves

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:46:35 +0000

Mary in the Library may not have the same recognition as Moms for Liberty, but parents in the Facebook group and other state-focused online communities have the same goal in mind: Getting sexually explicit books out of school libraries and away from kids. Chalkboard News spoke with Brooke Stephens, a Utah parent and grassroots activist who is behind some of the loosely connected social media pages with members who share information about what is inside books, where they have been located and strategies for challenging them. For Stephens and other parents in the groups, removing books with sexually explicit content is their chief concern because they don’t want their children interacting with material that posits different values than what they are taught at home.

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Federal Court Strikes Down Biden Admin’s Title IX Rewrite

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 22:39:56 +0000

A federal court in Kentucky ruled Thursday that the Biden administration’s rulemaking expanding Title IX to include gender identity is “unlawful.” The judgment from the United States District Court from the Eastern District of Kentucky sided with Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, West Virginia and private organizations and individuals. Critics of the rule lauded the court’s decisions. Chief Judge Danny C. Reeves wrote in Thursday's order that the administration’s final rule overstepped its congressionally given boundaries.

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What States Passed School Choice Measures in 2024, and What’s in Store for 2025?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 8 Jan 2025 19:31:52 +0000

While many states expanded and adopted school choice programs in 2024, some advocates are excited about new education options for families in 2025 – made possible because of this year’s election results. According to EdChoice, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding school choice options, five states created new school choice programs, and six states expanded their programs in 2024. And 2025 holds promise for new programs in states like Texas, where school-choice advocates won seats in the legislature. Ed Tarnowski, policy and advocacy director at EdChoice, told Chalkboard in an interview that in 2024, five states created new school choice programs and six expanded existing ones.

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Report: Department of Justice Awarded Millions for ‘Anti-racism’ Programs and ‘Knitting Circles'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 7 Jan 2025 17:35:10 +0000

A parental advocacy organization says the Department of Justice spent over $100 million on restorative justice, social-emotional learning programs and diversity, equity and inclusion programs since 2021. Parents Defending Education released a report Thursday that says the federal law enforcement agency gave the money through 102 grants to nearly 1,000 school districts in 36 states and an estimated 3.2 million students. The parental organization said many of the grants funded projects that “had an explicit goal of improving school climate for ‘disproportionately impacted’ groups, singling out LGBTQ+ and [Black, Indigenous, people of color].”

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FBI Won’t Provide Number of Swatting Call Incidents for 2024

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 6 Jan 2025 21:59:46 +0000

The FBI says it will not release the total number of swatting calls for the 2024 year despite the persistence of calls that shut down schools and alarmed communities. The federal law enforcement agency previously provided Chalkboard News with a count of the total number of swatting incidents, which are reported by local law enforcement to a virtual command center. "Swatting" is a type of hoax threat where a bad actor says there is an active threat in order to initiate a response from law enforcement officers. Typical swatting hoaxes at a school often involve telling police there is an active shooter or bomb threat.

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Book Bans or Content Moderation? Here’s What Opponents Say Happened in 2024

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 2 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000

As the battle over allowing certain classroom curricula continues into 2025, two opposing groups shared milestones and failures from the past year regarding explicit books in the classroom. The debate over what kinds of books should be allowed in school libraries has roiled school board meetings for years, with those critical of sexually explicit material saying it has no place in taxpayer-funded schools. Their opponents, however, say such moderation is synonymous with censorship and book bans.

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Despite More Shootings in 2024, Schools Are Still ‘Among the Safest Places for Youth'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 14:36:53 +0000

Despite the high-profile headlines around school shootings in 2024 and more incidents from 2023, schools are one of the safest places for young people, according to safety experts. Jaclyn Schildkraut, executive director for the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, said that while the group doesn’t have a generally accepted data source to track the number of mass shootings at K-12 schools, it found only one in 2023 — the Nashville Covenant School shooting. Schildkraut told Chalkboard News that 2024 had three such mass school shootings: one at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa, another at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia and, most recently, the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin.

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Per-Pupil Spending Doesn’t Mean Higher Academic Achievement, Federal Data Show

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:15:00 +0000

With all the money from the federal government’s COVID-19 relief, states received a huge influx of funds in 2022 for schools. But how much did an increase in taxpayer dollars toward school districts affect student performance? According to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the United States Census Bureau, despite the largest increase in per-pupil funding in two decades, student academic achievement in the top-spending states sometimes trailed that of their lower-spending counterparts. According to the Census Bureau, schools received the largest increase in per-pupil funding year over year in 2022.

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Education 2024 Year in Review: Title IX, Student Performance, & More

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:02:52 +0000

Chalkboard News' 2024 Year in Review including the changes to Title IX and its legal challenges, continued struggles to improve student performance, and the increasing use of online credit recovery programs.

Keep up with all education related news in 2025 at Chalkboard News: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/

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Here’s What Federal Data Says About Learning Loss and School Staffing

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:33:15 +0000

According to research conducted by the nation’s education data agency, the number of teaching positions did not increase or decrease compared to the 2022-23 school year. Meanwhile, half of school leaders reported feeling like their school was understaffed. It also said 40% of students in the nation’s public schools were behind grade level in one or more subjects at the beginning of the school year.

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Michigan Legislature Considers ‘Purple Star’ Bill to Support Military Families

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:43:46 +0000

Michigan lawmakers are working to become the 38th state to host a Purple Star program in schools, which would help accommodate students who often change schools due to parental military service. Last week, the Michigan House of Representatives passed House Bill 4027, which would create the framework for Michigan to certify schools to ensure resources and information exist to help military children who relocate often. Rep. Dale Zorn, R-Onstead, introduced the legislation, which now moves to the Senate. It codifies requirements for the Department of Education, despite the program already existing based on a prior state budget that allocated over $1 million, according to the Department of Defense.

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Controversial Org Teaches Black High School Students to Be ‘Educator-Activists'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:04:32 +0000

An organization focused on creating pipelines for students of color to become teachers says it receives payment from public schools, while other reporting indicates it receives funds from private sources. The Center for Black Educator Development has recently been criticized and praised for its work, which, according to its website, is geared toward “current and future Black educator-activists.” The Center for Black Educator Development (CBED) says on its website that taxpayer dollars fund several of its programs: “100% of direct and indirect costs for Teaching Pathways programs and Professional Learning services are covered through partnerships with public-school districts and charter networks.”

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Post-Covid U.S. Students Score Decade Lows on International Math, Science Test

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 21:21:54 +0000

According to international test results, student academic performance in the United States has dropped dramatically since 2019, the last assessment and the year before government and school leaders sent children to learn at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study assessment released this week, U.S. students scored lower than ever on math and science assessments in every subject except for eighth-grade science, which was the same as that initial assessment nearly 30 years ago. The international test, called TIMSS, is administered by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and given to students in 44 countries every four years. The assessment showed academic declines in science and math for students in the United States, which some countries did not experience.

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SCOTUS Won’t Hear Wisconsin School’s Transgender Notification Policy Case

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 16:33:38 +0000

The Supreme Court said it would not hear a case brought by parents in Wisconsin against their school district over its lack of a parental notification policy for students who change their gender. Justice Brett Kavanaugh said he would have heard the case brought against an association of parents against the Eau Claire Area School District. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from the court's denial. Parental notification policies have sparked heated debates in hundreds of school board meetings and litigation in courts nationwide.

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Is CRT Taught in K-12 Schools? Congressional Hearing Highlights Divide

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 9 Dec 2024 22:32:49 +0000

During a congressional hearing on civics education Wednesday morning, Democrats stated that K-12 students do not receive instruction on critical race theory. Republicans disagreed and asked witnesses pointed questions to show the framework is in schools. The hearing highlighted the partisan divide on the kinds of instruction students should receive regarding the nation's founding and whether schools should approach teaching with equity or equality. The tension between the parties was evident from the very beginning of the hearing, titled "Back to Basics: America's Founding, Civics, and Self-Government in K-12 Curricula," when committee chair Rep. Aaron Bean, a Republican from Florida, lambasted critical race theory and said American students are behind other countries.

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School Districts Join Large-Scale Legal Fight Against Social Media Companies

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 4 Dec 2024 18:12:21 +0000

A spate of New York School districts have become the latest to join more than 500 school districts across the United States suing the biggest social media companies for what they allege are adverse effects on students’ mental health. According to court filings, the Potsdam School District in New York joined the series of suits last week. More than 30 states are also suing the social media company. “American children are suffering an unprecedented mental health crisis, fueled by Defendants’ addictive and dangerous social media products,” the master complaint for school districts reads. “In the past decade, Americans’ engagement with social media grew exponentially, nowhere more drastically than among our country’s youth.”

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Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Alleging Antisemitism in LA Ethnic Studies Course

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 3 Dec 2024 16:34:39 +0000

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by a group of Jewish parents and teachers claiming that an ethnic studies course taught in Los Angeles Unified School District classrooms was antisemitic because of its position on the state of Israel. Judge Fernando M. Olguin dismissed the case Saturday. He said the organization Concerned Jewish Parents and Teachers of Los Angeles did not have sufficient standing against the Unified Teachers of Los Angeles, the school district, a teacher who was sued and the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Consortium, which created the curriculum.

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Nuisance or Lifeline? Texas Attorney General Sues Homeless Shelter Near School

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 2 Dec 2024 22:16:09 +0000

A lawsuit by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton lawsuit against the Austin-based Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center may spell trouble for its regulars and relief for those living and going to school nearby this holiday season. Paxton asked the court Tuesday to prevent Sunrise, the self-proclaimed “highest-volume provider of homeless services in Travis County,” from operating within 1,000 feet of a school or playground. The homeless assistance outreach, which is a ministry out of a church, is currently within 200 feet of Joslin Elementary School, according to the court document. Paxton alleges that its operation has created a public nuisance for students and surrounding residents and violates Texas law.

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Trump Says Education Secretary Pick Linda McMahon Will ‘Spearhead’ Changes to Agency

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 20:25:47 +0000

President-elect Donald Trump announced that former wrestling CEO and administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon will be his secretary of Education. On Truth Social Tuesday evening, Trump posted a statement announcing McMahon would lead the agency and alluded to his campaign promise to dissolve the Department of Education. "We will send education back to the states, and Linda will spearhead that effort," Trump said in the statement. Trump has used the phrase to describe the effects of eliminating the Department of Education in the nation's capital and putting states back in charge of education systems.

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Alabama, Other States Say Court Must Block Department of Education’s Title IX Rule

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 22:17:48 +0000

States and private organizations argued this month that the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals should overturn a district court decision allowing the Biden administration to implement its expanded Title IX rules ahead of oral arguments next month. The Department of Education previously argued that the appellate court should side with a district court’s ruling to allow the rule to go into effect while litigation continues. The argument is the latest legal salvo by states against the federal government over the changes to include gender identity under the law prohibiting sex discrimination at the nation’s educational institutions.

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Here’s What Trump Says He Will Deliver on Education

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:00:20 +0000

The transition team for President-elect Donald Trump has said it will “deliver” on the former president's promises regarding sweeping changes to the nation’s educational system and federal agencies. On the campaign trail, Trump said he would disassemble the Department of Education and give states control of local schools as well as promoting school choice and removing improving outcomes for students. “The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail,” said Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump-Vance transition team.

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Report: Book Removals Reached Highest Level in 2023-24 School Year

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 16:34:17 +0000

According to a prominent free speech advocacy group, the United States experienced more than 10,000 book bans, the highest in the last three years, as the nation waits for possible changes to federal enforcement from another Trump administration. According to a new report from PEN America, the organization has found a steady increase in what it labels book bans occurring in the U.S. each year. Organizations like Moms for Liberty oppose pornographic and explicit content in school libraries and say students can still access the titles at other libraries and bookstores.

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Dept. Of Ed Says Oklahoma District Attended by Nex Benedict Violated Title IX Rules

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 22:23:04 +0000

The Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights announced Wednesday that it had come to a resolution with the Oklahoma school district where nonbinary student Nex Benedict attended before their death in February. Owasso Public School District has entered into a resolution agreement with the enforcement branch of the federal education agency that requires it to take specific actions related to the implementation of Title IX, such as meeting with Benedict’s mother and explaining how to file a Title IX complaint. The letter found the school district “generally failed to fulfill its Title IX obligations during the 2021–2022, 2022–2023, and 2023– 2024 school years” by investigating sexual harassment outside the Title IX process and procedures.

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What’s on the Radar for Education During a Second Trump Administration?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 19:36:01 +0000

With the victory of Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump for president of the United States, his campaign positions on education will become focal points for parents, educators and school leaders in the coming months and years. On the campaign trail, Trump said he would abolish the U.S. Department of Education and promote school choice policies. However, scholars and actions from the previous Trump administration suggest a more complicated picture for those outcomes may be likely.

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How a Legal Fight Over a T-Shirt Typifies Cultural Conflicts in Schools

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 18:04:37 +0000

Liam Morrison, whose Massachusetts middle school told him to remove a shirt that said “there are only two genders,” has asked the Supreme Court to take up his case, alleging the school is violating his First Amendment rights by preventing him from wearing it. The case typifies the divide between outspoken conservative families and school leaders who say they must protect and promote acceptance for all students, as Middleborough Public Schools Superintendent Carolyn Lyons said last year. The tension was also made evident in a recent report called “The Costs of Conflict,” which intended to quantify the costs of culturally divisive conflicts over topics like transgender policies and content moderation.

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Remote Learning Academies Raise Alarm in North Carolina

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:55:58 +0000

A member of the North Carolina State Board of Education is alarmed by a new academic performance report on the state’s remote learning academies. According to the report, two schools received an F, while 12 were rated with a D and 19 with Cs. Only one earned an A and one a B. By comparison, traditional schools had much higher percentages of schools rate A, B or C.

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This Program Makes AI Writing Undetectable. What Does That Mean for Cheating?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 7 Nov 2024 19:27:28 +0000

With the rising popularity of generative artificial intelligence, which allows users to enter prompts or questions and receive text or answers, students can cheat in ways they couldn’t just a few years ago, and now they can do it even better with programs like StealthGPT. As Chalkboard has reported, cheating services have also risen in popularity. These services offer the technology to students in a gray market where cheating services are explicitly offered to students while technically prohibited in an app’s terms of service or policies.

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Houston Certification Fraud Charges Could Affect Teachers in Other States

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 6 Nov 2024 16:46:53 +0000

After charges were announced against administrators and test proctors allegedly involved in a fraudulent teacher certification scheme, state agencies said they would follow law enforcement's lead to ensure teachers are properly licensed. The Texas Education Agency and the Arizona Department of Education have said that they will cooperate with law enforcement and state boards of education to take action if necessary after the Harris County District Attorney’s office said up to 400 teachers were fraudulently certified. As Chalkboard previously reported, the lucrative scheme allegedly involved several administrators and a basketball coach from Houston Independent School District. The administrators allegedly took teacher certification tests for teachers while bribed test proctors looked the other way.

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Report: These States Ranked Highest for Letting Students Transfer Schools

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 4 Nov 2024 22:44:32 +0000

A new report from Reason Foundation ranks every state’s open enrollment laws, which allow students to transfer from their assigned public school to other public schools with open seats. Reason Foundation, a libertarian public policy group, found that Arizona, Idaho, Oklahoma, Utah and West Virginia had the best laws for students hoping to transfer to a different school. The report also examined other key areas, including inter-district transfers and which states charged students tuition. Jude Schwalbach, the study's chief author and senior policy analyst at Reason Foundation, told Chalkboard that open enrollment is part of school choice.

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Report: Silencing ‘Agents of Disruption’ Who Challenge Schools Can Save $2 Billion a Year

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 18:47:17 +0000

A report released this week says that by silencing "agents of disruption" from speaking out on "culturally divisive" conflicts in schools, districts could have saved $2 billion in the 2023-24 school year. A survey of superintendents says challenges to how districts teach race and racism, LGBTQ+ policies and school library books cost taxpayers $3.2 billion last school year. In the last several years, parents have become increasingly outspoken and critical on topics like critical race theory, gender identity, parental rights and books they say are not suitable for minors, and organizations like Moms for Liberty have grown as a result.

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Philadelphia Mother Says School Should Have Stopped Son’s Shooting Death

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:39:49 +0000

The mother of a student who was killed outside a Philadelphia football game in 2022 has filed a lawsuit against the school, alleging it should have done more to prevent the shooting, raising questions about the legal responsibility schools have to protect students. Meredith Elizalde says the School District of Philadelphia is liable for the shooting death of her son, Nicolas Elizalde, because it should have done more to protect him, given the crime rate near the school. The district has said in court filings that it is not responsible for crimes committed outside the school.

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South Dakota: 54% of High School Students Aren’t College, Career Ready Despite 91% Completion Rate

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 21:20:16 +0000

A recent report card from the state of South Dakota shows that although most students are completing high school, about half are not proficient in key subjects or ready for college – a juxtaposition the state education agency calls “complicated.” The South Dakota Department of Education released its State Report Card for the 2023-24 school year last week. Despite the 91% high school completion rate, the state's metrics deemed only 54% of students ready for life after graduating high school.

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Court: Transgender Instruction Without Warning Violates Parents’ Rights

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000

A federal court has ruled that a Pennsylvania first-grade teacher violated the rights of parents by teaching them about transgender identity during instruction related to Transgender Awareness Day. The court ruled late last month that teacher Megan Williams violated the law by reading extracurricular books and telling students at Jefferson Elementary School that "when children are born, parents make a guess whether they're a boy or a girl. Sometimes parents are wrong." Leaders of Jefferson and the Mt. Lebanon School District were named in their official capacity in the lawsuit brought by parents with "religious and moral beliefs" that conflict with those posited by the transgender movement, reads the opinion by Judge Joy Flowers Conti.

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Full story: Court: Transgender instruction without warning violates parents' rights

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Poll: Americans Broadly Support Federal School Choice Program

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000

A new national poll shows many Americans support school choice measures that would allow families to use taxpayer funds to attend a private school. The Center Square Voters' Voice Poll conducted by Noble Predictive Insights found that over two-thirds of the more than 2,200 likely voters polled support giving families choices using public funds. The poll found that 69% of likely voters said they support a federal tax credit program that would allow students to attend a school of their choice, including a private school.

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Full story: Poll: Americans broadly support federal school choice program

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What Do Voters Say Will Fix the Country’s Schools? ‘Focus on Core Subject Areas'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 16:52:08 +0000

A renewed focus on math, science, reading and social studies is the best way to improve education in the U.S., a plurality of voters say, according to a new poll. According to The Center Square's Voter's Voice Poll conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, 39% of likely voters said focusing on these core subjects would "do the most to improve public education in America." Paying teachers more came in second.

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Full story: What do voters say will fix the country's schools? 'Focus on core subject areas'

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Poll: Voters Divided on Biden's Title IX Changes Ahead of Election

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 15:55:45 +0000

In a new national poll released this week, voters signaled they are divided over the Biden administration’s Title IX changes to expand gender identity protections ahead of the general election. The Center Square Voters' Voice Poll conducted by Noble Predictive Insights found that voters are almost evenly split on the controversial rule change from the Department of Education. The Center Square, like Chalkboard News, is owned and operated by the Franklin News Foundation. The latest poll of over 2,500 likely voters found 45% said they disapproved of the Biden administration’s equity-focused push to prohibit discrimination because of gender identity, with 40% saying they approve of the changes.

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A Year After Oct. 7 Attack, Jewish Teachers Say LA Union Promotes Antisemitism

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 14:17:26 +0000

Exactly one year after the terrorist attack on Israel, a group of Jewish California teachers is suing state officials and the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District over regulations they say force them to associate with a union that promotes anti-Israel rhetoric. The federal lawsuit against Alberto M. Carvalho, LAUSD superintendent and the California Public Employee Relation Board argues the teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District should not be forced to be a part of the teachers union, called the Unified Teachers of Los Angeles, because it "publicly advocates acts violating their deeply held religious beliefs." Kimberly Krieger, Carli Goblin, Anna Kingston, and another Jewish teacher who is unnamed in the complaint say the UTLA "supports calls for the destruction of Plaintiffs' religious homeland, and promotes animosity and violence towards people of Jewish decent."

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Critics Call Jump in Wisconsin Standardized Test Scores 'Ludicrous'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 16:01:48 +0000

The latest test results show more students in Wisconsin's public schools are scoring better at reading and writing, but critics say it's an illusion. The state's Department of Public Instruction on Tuesday released the results from the Forward Exam, for middle and elementary school students, and the ACT for high schoolers. The scores show 51% of Wisconsin children are proficient in reading and 53% are proficient in math. That's up from last year's scores that showed 39% were proficient in reading and 41% were proficient in math.

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Full story: Critics call jump in Wisconsin standardized test scores ‘ludicrous’

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Vice Presidential Debate Highlights Divide Between Parties on School Safety

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000

During last week's debate between candidates for vice president, the two sparred over school shootings, illustrating the ideological divide between the main political parties. While Republican VP candidate Sen. J.D. Vance from Ohio and Democratic candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz maintained a generally civil tone during the portion of the debate, their answers highlight the wide divide on approaches to school safety. When pressed during the debate hosted by CBS News, Walz (D) and Vance (R) took opposite approaches on how to curb shooting deaths that generally reflected their respective party's stances.

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Michigan Mom Appeals Ruling That School Board Reporting Her to Feds Was 'Minor Harassment'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 11:00:00 +0000

A Michigan mom is appealing a court's ruling that she suffered "minor harassment" at the hands of school leaders for speaking out at board meetings against the COVID-19 policies enacted by her child's school district. Sandra Herndon, the mother of a special needs student formerly enrolled in the Chippewa Valley School District in Clinton Township, Michigan, alleges that school leaders violated her rights by contacting her employer and the Department of Justice for her outspoken oppostition to remote learning. The initial lawsuit alleged that an email referring Hernden to the federal law enforcement agency came immediately after Attorney General Merrick Garland sent an Oct. 4, 2021, memo calling on the FBI to investigate "harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff."

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CA School Taught 5th Graders Gender Identity, Had Them Teach It to Kindergartners

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 9 Oct 2024 11:00:00 +0000

A California school district allegedly had a teacher teach a lesson and read a gender identity book to fifth graders, then have those fifth graders watch a video version of the book with their kindergarten mentees and teach them the lesson they just learned.

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Full story: CA school taught 5th graders gender identity, had them teach it to kindergartners

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Schools Closed During COVID-19, New Research Shows They’re Not Coming Back

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 2 Oct 2024 16:01:35 +0000

New research shows that school enrollment has declined in over 5,000 public schools in the U.S., suggesting families are rejecting traditional schools because of the pandemic. The Fordham Institute's new study, conducted by researcher Sofoklis Goulas from the Brookings Institution, released Wednesday, found that families were over twice as likely to leave low-performing public schools. The enrollment declines aren’t random, which leads Goulas to suspect that students aren’t just missing but instead are seeking alternatives.

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Nevada School District Accused of ‘Covering Up’ Violent Attacks by Students

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 1 Oct 2024 18:00:47 +0000

A former paraprofessional is suing the Washoe County School District over claims that the system shuffles dangerous students between schools without adequately alerting staff about their behavior and terminated him in retaliation. The special education professional, James Benthin, said in the lawsuit that the school district “failed to discipline and remove dangerous students and failed to prevent the violent assault and battery” he allegedly experienced at the hands of a student in October last year. The lawsuit alleges Washoe County School District (WCSD) did nothing to remove dangerous students, which created a dangerous environment for teachers and students. The district said it cannot comment on pending litigation.

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Full story: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/safety/article_f7d6502a-7cf8-11ef-b9f1-eb8991b297fe.html

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Lawsuit: Illinois School’s Equity Agenda Is ‘Divisive Racial’ Ideology

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 21:27:31 +0000

A lawsuit filed last week against the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 in Evanston, Illinois, alleges the school separated students and teachers by race and incited “racial hostility” through “divisive, race-obsessed teachings,” which it which the lawsuit says requires teachers to impose on students. The complaint filed by the Southeastern Legal Foundation on behalf of part-time drama teacher Stacy Deemar alleges that District 65 injected critical race theory into what students were taught. It also says the Department of Education issued a letter finding the district violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

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A China-Based App Giving Students Answers Raises Questions About Spying

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 10:00:00 +0000

As some students return to class this year with statewide or district-implemented cellphone bans, those who still have access to smartphones may be able to use an app powered by artificial-intelligence to complete their homework. The app, called Guath AI or Gauthmath, allows students to take pictures of their homework or tests, which it analyzes and solves. Critics have also pointed out that because it is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, user data may be accessible by that nation’s government.

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FBI Has Seen ‘Huge Increase’ in Sextortion Cases Targeting Minors

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 17:30:19 +0000

Earlier this month, a Texas special education teacher pleaded guilty to soliciting explicit photos from minors. The high school teacher posed as a 19-year-old boy to solicit the photos from a 14-year-old girl. The exploitation of children by teacher Juan Carlos Munoz highlights how adults posing as young people exploit minors, which federal law enforcement agencies say has been on the rise and must be discussed before it is committed. A Homeland Security Investigations special agent, Craig Larrabee, said in a press release that Munoz “abused his position of public trust as a special education teacher to prey on those he was entrusted to protect.”

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Only 36% of Students in Detroit Completed Online Credit Recovery Courses After Pandemic

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 21:09:10 +0000

Nearly two of three Detroit high school students did not complete selected online credit recovery courses the year after COVID-19. In the two following years, the district has seen higher completion rates for courses intended to help students graduate on time. Sample course completion data obtained by Chalkboard News through a public records request show that only 36% of Detroit Public School Community District students who took an online credit recovery course in the 2021-22 school year successfully completed it. The data show that students who had already failed a course were likely to fail the credit recovery course during that school year.

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School Districts Are Adopting ‘No Zero’ Grading Policies. Here’s Why Critics Are Worried

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 18:23:20 +0000

As teachers begin another school year and approach their first grade book deadlines, some school districts are adopting more “equity grading” reforms. Just last month, the Kansas City Public School district in Missouri gave the green light to a “no zero policy” in which students receiving a failing grade would have a 40% minimum grade through 59% instead of the 0-59% range it had before. According to Adam Tyner, national research director at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, this approach to grading rehashes some old approaches. Tyner was the coauthor of a research brief highlighting how these new “equity grading” standards were impacting students, both positively and negatively.

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Why Do Threats Spike After a School Shooting? Here’s What to Know

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 18:04:15 +0000

After the shooting at Apalachee High School in metro Atlanta last week, schools nationwide have closed due to threats, and dozens of students have been arrested. But what causes the uptick in school shooting threats after a mass shooting? According to Jaclyn Schildkraut, the executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, it’s not clear whether shooting threats actually increase or whether people are just more vigilant. But she said there are ways to reduce the likelihood of future attacks and threats.

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What Happens if Schools Don’t Spend Federal Funds Before Sept. 30 Deadline?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 21:17:47 +0000

School districts nationwide are facing a Sept. 30 deadline to spend the last round of nearly $200 billion in federal COVID-19 funds on helping students recover from learning losses due to school closures and other needs. The deadline, sometimes called a fiscal cliff, marks the last day districts can spend federal money on certain expenditures, but there are some extensions and deadlines to know about. According to the Edunomics Lab, which tracks federal spending nationwide, the money that is not spent by districts will return to the Department of the Treasury.

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NYC Students to Receive Lessons on Reparations, Abolishing the Police

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 17:53:00 +0000

Public school students in New York City will receive lessons critical of capitalism and asserting that Black Americans should receive reparations, that student loans are equivalent to “debt peonage,” the tenets of the Black Lives Matter movement and arguments for abolishing the police. The 520-page Black Studies Curriculum, which is being implemented by New York City Public Schools this fall, provides lesson plan outlines for teachers on controversial topics like the case for reparations, voter ID laws and the difference between defunding, reforming and abolishing the police. While many of the topics discussed would likely not be considered controversial, there are some classroom discussions that seem to be driven by stating controversial viewpoints as fact.

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Authorities Charge Georgia Shooting Suspect’s Father With Involuntary Manslaughter

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 16:37:27 +0000

State authorities have announced that the father of the suspect accused of killing four and wounding nine more at a metro Atlanta high school has been arrested for his part in providing weapons for the suspect to use. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Thursday evening that it had arrested Colin Gray, the shooter’s father, in connection with Wednesday’s attack on Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia. The move has a recent legal precedent: Prosecutors have previously convicted the parents of a school shooter who attacked a high school in Oxford, Michigan.

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WA Board of Ed Looks to Expand Controversial Ethnic Studies Graduation Requirement

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 20:28:55 +0000

The Washington State Board of Education is moving closer to officially updating and expanding a 2021 resolution that established an ethnic studies graduation requirement. Board members discussed “incorporating Ethnic Studies into the legislative platform, and/or addressing Ethnic Studies through the FutureReady graduation requirements initiative,” according to the agenda for Thursday’s virtual board of education meeting. According to the board’s website, FutureReady – implemented this summer – is an initiative to update graduation requirements to better prepare students for the future. However, the increasing focus on ethnic studies in all subjects is not without controversy.

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Full story: WA Board of Ed looks to expand controversial ethnic studies graduation requirement

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Parent Calls Out Seattle High School for ‘Blatant Violation of Students’ Right to Privacy'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 5 Sep 2024 16:45:14 +0000

Seattle Public Schools has amended certain student information policies after a parent complained to administrators that an identity worksheet handed out by an outspoken teacher may have violated federal and state laws, Chalkboard has learned. The district confirmed to Chalkboard News this week that it no longer asks students to provide protected information for a “social identity wheel” that could be linked to them without parental notification and an opt-out opportunity after a parent invoked federal laws limiting what schools can ask students. Chalkboard News obtained copies of a parent email sent to administrators through a public records request. The parent alleged that a world history ethnic studies class at Chief Sealth International High School required students to submit information violating federal law.

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Major Publishers, Authors Sue Over Florida’s Book Removal Law

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 4 Sep 2024 16:59:03 +0000

A group of publishers, authors and individuals filed a lawsuit against Florida’s Board of Education and several school districts over book removals, which they say violates the First Amendment rights of publishers, authors and students. Thursday’s lawsuit specifically targets portions of the 2023 law which mandated the Department of Education create a parental objection form to allow parents and residents to complain about books in libraries or classrooms “without consideration of their value as a whole in violation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.” The lawsuit stated that many classic books have been removed from school libraries, including Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina,” Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughter-House Five,” Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and others.

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Report: School Gives 1 Year Expulsion to 10-Year-Old Under Tennessee’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ Law

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 3 Sep 2024 20:08:08 +0000

A Tennessee law meant to curb school violence has reportedly been used again to penalize younger students, allegedly leading a 10-year-old to be expelled for an entire year after making a finger gun gesture. The state’s zero-tolerance law for school violence, which was passed after a shooter killed six people at The Covenant School in Nashville, has been invoked in several alleged instances where school administrators disciplined students with expulsion or arrest for making threats. According to a report from ProPublica last week, one unnamed Tennessee school district first suspended a student for making a finger gun gesture with his hands and then notified parents that he would not be allowed to attend the district for a year.

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Arizona Leaders to Renew Push for School Cell Phone Ban

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 15:48:01 +0000

Some Arizona leaders are hoping cell phones will be banned throughout the school day as part of state law in next legislative session. “This is a real emergency, the problem of cell phones in the classroom,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said at a news conference on Thursday, arguing that the issue of students being distracted in classes continues to worsen. House Bill 2793, sponsored by Rep. Beverly Pingerelli, R-Peoria, was vetoed by Gov. Katie Hobbs in April. The bill passed the legislature along party lines, with Republicans backing the bill and Democrats voting against it.

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Full story:

Montana governor wants cell-phone ban in schools

Arizona leaders to renew push for school cell phone ban

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Virginia Judge: Transgender Girl Can Play Middle School Tennis

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 16:17:58 +0000

A federal judge in Virginia has ordered that a transgender middle school student can try out and play on the girls tennis team after the school board told the unnamed student she would not be able to be on the team. Last week's ruling comes as several courts are expected in the coming months to hear arguments on the Biden administration’s expansion of Title IX, the federal statute prohibiting sex discrimination in educational institutions. The Hanover County School Board in Hanover, Virginia, had previously denied the student a place on the tennis team, citing its policy on transgender students. The federal judge overturned the policy while litigation is ongoing, arguing that the school board should have created an exception for the student based on federal law.

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Why Utah Is Removing These 13 Books From School Libraries Statewide

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 20:47:37 +0000

Utah has permanently removed over a dozen books from public schools per a new state law governing “sensitive instructional materials.” The targeted books include titles by Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume, Sarah J. Maas and Rupi Kaur. Critics have been outspoken against the new state law, which took effect July 1, which “requires the prioritization of protecting children from illicit pornography over other considerations in evaluating instructional material.” The state’s running list as of Aug. 2 shows 13 books that “have been determined to contain objective sensitive materials in a final determination.”

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Here’s Why the Supreme Court Said Title IX Should Remain Blocked

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 19:11:26 +0000

The United States Supreme Court ruled Friday that states involved in two lawsuits could not enforce the Biden administration’s updated Title IX rule in states continuing the multi legal battle over sex discrimination and gender identity. The high court ruled 5-4 to deny requests from the Department of Justice to stay injunctions issued by appellate courts which blocked the Department of Education’s new rule from going into effect on the Aug. 1 deadline as litigation continues around the expanded definition of sex discrimination. The arguments between the opinion and the dissent centered on whether the unchallenged aspects of the rule should be able to stand while the courts decide whether the challenged portions are legal. The majority opinion found that the challenged portions were “intertwined” with the rest of the rule.

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Here’s How Oklahoma Republicans Will Investigate Walters, State Dept of Ed

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000

After recent escalations, Republican lawmakers in Oklahoma will use a state financial agency to investigate Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters and the state’s Department of Education. State Rep. Kevin Wallace said he would ask the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) to look into Walters and the Department of Education after lawmakers signed a petition calling for a committee in the House to look at six recent issues earlier this week. Walters told a local TV station that those calling for an investigation are “liberal Republicans” who are “flat-out wrong” and are a “lackey of the teachers union.”

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Over 3 Million Students Are Homeschooled, Here Are Some of the Reasons Parents Cite

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000

As millions of students across the country prepare to go back to traditional public school, some estimates are that over three million K-12 students will soon begin their semesters at home for various reasons. Brian D. Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) — a non-profit group that collects data regarding homeschooling — shared with Chalkboard News that his “best estimate” is that there are “slightly more” kids learning at home in 2022-2023 than 2021-2022. He caveated that while his estimates for 2022-23 were not yet finalized, the initial estimates for the total number of homeschooled K-12 students “might have barely moved up to 3.2 million.”

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California Could See Class-Action Lawsuit Over Policies Hiding Gender Changes

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000

A district court in California ruled that teachers and parents in the state may try to create a statewide class action lawsuit against school districts with policies requiring them to conceal a student’s gender or name change from parents. The proposed class action lawsuit allowed to continue by Judge Roger T. Benitez stems out of litigation brought by two substitute teachers against Escondido Union School District, alleging the school and state-level leaders violated teachers’ rights by requiring them to withhold information from parents.

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Can Parents Review Student-Created Sex Ed Lessons at California High School?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000

A California school district says parents have the right to review the sex education their students receive, but it is silent about whether that policy applies to one high school’s student-created materials that reportedly discuss polyamory and gender identity. At Berkeley High School, students do teach other students about sex, according to a description of the school’s Sexual Health Information from Teens (SHIFT) program. They are overseen by unlicensed “educators” who are paid by the federal agency AmeriCorps.

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Rhode Island Mom Sues Public School Over Records Related to Critical Race Theory

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:28:08 +0000

A Rhode Island mother is suing her child’s former school district after the school initially denied her public records requests about her child’s curriculum and other school policies, and the local teachers union sued her to try to get her to stop. Nicole Solas, who had a kindergartener enrolled in the South Kingstown School District in 2021, wanted to know more about what was being taught at her child’s school and policies, but as she began asking questions, she was met with resistance. Soon, Solas began filing hundreds of public records requests requesting curriculum and emails from school leaders in an attempt to obtain answers.

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Detroit Students Finished Online Credit Recovery Courses 20 Times Faster Than Recommended

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 7 Aug 2024 16:05:24 +0000

Students at a Detroit combined virtual school took their online credit recovery courses 20 times faster than the courseware provider suggests in the 2023-24 school year. According to a public records request filed with Detroit Public Community School District, students took their 11th and 12th-grade English language arts classes in about four hours, while the courseware provider Edgenuity recommends students spend 80 hours on such courses. All 23 students who took the 11th-grade ELA online credit recovery class at Detroit Lions Academy completed the course in four hours, 14 minutes and 20 seconds of active time, with an average grade of 86%.

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Maryland District Bought EV Buses That Had Mechanical Issues That Made Them ‘Inoperable'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 6 Aug 2024 18:34:26 +0000

A Maryland school district says it will have to walk back its bold goals for an all-electric bus fleet after a highly critical watchdog report revealed wasteful spending and a lack of oversight with a clean-energy transportation vendor. Montgomery County Public Schools said it will likely fall short of its goals to have an emissions-free bus fleet after delays and setbacks highlighted in a recent report from the Montgomery County Inspector General. The district has asked the state board of education for millions to cover the cost of standard diesel buses and said it would need an exemption for the vehicles because of a state law prohibiting the acquisition of non-electric vehicles.

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Should School Board Elections Be Partisan? Here’s What’s at Stake

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 5 Aug 2024 20:56:19 +0000

As the presidential election heats up heading into the fall, experts say local school board races are becoming more politicized and partisan, eliciting various responses from states and districts. In Indiana, for example, a district ruled that a school board candidate who wanted to appear on the ballot with a Trump-themed nickname is disqualified. In Florida, however, voters are faced with an amendment that, if passed, would allow school board candidates to appear on the ballot with their party affiliation. Julie Marsh, a professor of education at the University of Southern California, said that in recent years, school board elections have seen higher spending and are “more politicized…more partisan, more nationally oriented, more contested.”

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Biden Admin Title IX Rule Blocked in Four More States, Bringing Total to 26

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 2 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000

A federal appeals court has ruled that the Biden administration can’t implement its Title IX rules in an additional four states, bringing the total number of statewide injunctions to 26. With a recent block awarded in Oklahoma on Wednesday and then an emergency appeal granted by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, over half of the United States will be exempt from the Thursday deadline. The new Biden administration rules add gender identity to prohibitions on sexual discrimination in Title IX, including requiring schools to allow students to use a bathroom and locker room that aligns with their gender identity.

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Report: 8th-Grade Students Need Whole School Year to Reach Pre-pandemic Performance

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

An education organization that administers a nationwide assessment has found that students are still not performing as well as they were immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic and that students' achievement gap worsened in the 2023-24 school year as compared to before COVID. NWEA, which issues the Measures of Academic Progress, said in a report this week that some middle school students are still an entire school year behind where they were before the pandemic in almost every grade as schools are slated to run out of federal relief this fall. The organization estimated that eighth-grade students would require nine months of additional schooling to reach pre-pandemic achievement levels in reading and 9.3 months of extra schooling to reach the same in math.

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Advocacy Orgs: Texas School Policies Violate Hair Discrimination Law

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 13:05:50 +0000

This week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas sent a letter to over 50 school districts in that state, claiming their dress codes are in violation of a state law aimed at protecting students from hair discrimination. In a press release, the ACLU of Texas announced it sent letters to 51 districts, demanding they update their policies to comply with the law. Earlier this year, however, a judge ruled that a school district’s grooming policy did not violate the CROWN Act. The CROWN Act prohibits discrimination based on hairstyle and hair texture.

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Oklahoma School Districts Aren’t Complying With Bible Instruction Mandate

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 21:09:42 +0000

Several Oklahoma school leaders have reportedly signaled their opposition to the state’s top education official over a mandate to include the Bible in classroom instruction sent out last month. While several school leaders have said they are opposed to the mandate or will not implement it and instead rely on previous state standards, school districts have been hesitant to offer official positions. Several outlets in the state have reported backlash to Walters’ mandate from late last month requiring schools to teach students about the Bible in grades 5-12. The requirement, as Chalkboard previously reported, was also met with criticism from lawmakers.

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Poll: Voters, Parents Are Opposed to AI in Schools

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

New poll results show that the majority of likely voters say artificial intelligence shouldn’t be in schools because it makes it too easy to cheat. The Voter’s Voice Poll conducted by Noble Predictive Insights for The Center Square (which, like Chalkboard News, is owned and operated by the Franklin News Foundation) found that over two-thirds of likely voters say they think AI should stay out of schools. The recent poll of nearly 2,300 likely voters found that 68% agreed with the statement that “AI should be kept out of schools” because “it makes cheating too easy.” Only 22% were in favor of keeping AI in schools with the rest saying they were not sure.

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North Carolina District Adopts Title IX Policy Despite Court Order

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

A North Carolina school board passed a policy this week aligning itself with the Biden administration's expansion of Title IX which has faced numerous lawsuits and legal setbacks, including an injunction prohibiting its implementation in hundreds of K-12 schools, colleges and universities. The Wake County School Board voted Tuesday to adopt a policy echoing the Department of Education’s expanded definition of sex discrimination to include gender identity during a board meeting where various arguments for and against the policy were vocalized. Before the board’s decision, a federal judge out of Kansas ordered that the Education Department cannot implement its rule ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline in hundreds of specific schools nationwide, including progressive states like California and New York, according to court filings.

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Report: Schools With Police Saw More Student Arrests

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 20:58:58 +0000

The Government Accountability Office, which acts as a watchdog for federal agencies, said in a recent report that male students of color with disabilities were more likely to be arrested than the average student. The GAO also reported that police in schools nearly doubled the number of arrests and that arrests were more frequent when police were involved in discipline. Critics of police in schools say it creates a school-to-prison pipeline, while advocates for school resource officers cite the need to protect students and staff.

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Report: Federal Schools Made Taxpayers Fund DEI Instruction

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:07:46 +0000

A government accountability nonprofit says the federal government’s school system has injected controversial topics and statements into classrooms and professional development at taxpayers’ expense. OpenTheBooks released a report on the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) this week and pointed to what it calls “extreme radical pedagogical practices under the umbrella of ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).’” The DoDEA did not respond to comment in time for publication. The report found that the government-run school district, which operates on behalf of military families stationed in the United States and abroad, has spent about $300 million a year on contracts since 2017 and that millions have gone to vendors offering DEI-related content.

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As Teachers Exit Unions, Opposing Organization Wants to Offer Alternative Resources

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Thousands of teachers have left their unions in recent years, and alternative organizations are offering services as alternatives to those provided by the largest teachers unions: the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The Freedom Foundation announced this week that it will be launching the Teacher Freedom Network in January 2025 for teachers who want to leave the teachers union. The organization will offer options that unions typically offer like liability insurance coverage options, professional development and grievance support.

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Fourteen States Back Arkansas in Lawsuit Over LEARNS Act

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 21:27:29 +0000

Arkansas is getting help from other states in its defense of an injunction that halted a portion of the LEARNS Act. U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky issued a ruling in May that keeps Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva and the Department of Education from enforcing a portion of the law that requires a review of items "that may purposely or otherwise, promote teaching that would indoctrinate students with ideologies, such as Critical Race Theory, otherwise known as 'CRT', that conflict with the principle of equal protection under the law or encourage students to discriminate against someone based on the individual's color, creed, race, ethnicity, sex, age, marital status, familial status, disability, religion, national origin, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law." The injunction does not affect an executive order issued by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in January 2023 that bans the teaching of critical race theory in Arkansas schools, but Judge Rudofsky said the executive order and the section in question are similar.

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California Joins 26 States in Requiring Students Take Personal Finance Class

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Over half of U.S. states now require high school students to receive a financial literacy course before they graduate after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Tuesday passed by the California Legislature. With the passage of California’s law requiring schools to offer a course in personal finance by the 2027-28 school year and requiring the class of 2031 to receive at least one class, a total of 26 states now require students to take a course on how to manage money, according to a nonprofit spearheading efforts to pass such laws. While students are learning about the cost of living, how to balance their budget and file taxes, a Senate appropriations committee analysis of the legislation says implementing its requirements may cost the state an additional $200 million a year.

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Chicago Public Schools Solicited $10,000 Donation From HIV Drug Maker for LGBTQ+ Event

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 9 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Chicago Public Schools asked an HIV drug manufacturer to sponsor a district-wide event for LGBTQ+ students as young as 10 years old earlier this year in exchange for sponsorship benefits like logo placement and a shout out during the opening session. Global specialty pharmaceutical company Viiv Healthcare said it would give $10,000 to the district’s Galaxy Summit event earlier this year to qualify as a platinum sponsor after the district asked if it would want to help fund the event early this year, according to public records obtained by Chalkboard News. CPS declined to comment on its solicitation of donations from the HIV drug company and pointed Chalkboard to its previous statement that said CPS “aims to create a safe, inclusive and respectful school environment for every student.” The school district has not yet publicly commented on its agreement with Viiv Healthcare.

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Judge Orders Biden Admin to Halt Title IX Rule in More States, Schools

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 8 Jul 2024 16:57:14 +0000

A federal judge has ordered the Biden administration to delay implementation of its sweeping changes to Title IX in another four states and at schools attended by students who belong to specific organizations or have parents who do. A Kansas district court on Tuesday blocked the Department of Education from implementing its updated rules expanding longstanding protections around sex discrimination to include gender identity in four more states and specific schools. It’s the latest in a series of rulings showing lawsuits challenging the rule ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline are likely to succeed. Courts have now halted the rule's implementation in over a dozen states.

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Families Sue Governor of Tennessee and School District Over ‘Mass Violence’ Policy

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 3 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Two separate Tennessee families filed a joint federal lawsuit on behalf of their children against Bill Lee, the governor of Tennessee, and the Williamson County Board of Education. The lawsuit claims that on separate occasions, a child from each family (students in the William County School District) was wrongfully arrested, incarcerated and suspended as a result of the district’s interpretation of the new Tennessee statute requiring a “zero tolerance” policy for “threats of mass violence.” The lawsuit claims that “none of the speech attributed to the minor plaintiffs rose to the level of a threat of mass violence or amounted to actions that a reasonable person would conclude could lead to the serious bodily injury, as defined in § 39-11-106, or the death of two (2) or more persons,” which was the definition set forth in the statute.

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California Legislature Bans Schools Notifying Parents of Gender Change Requests

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 2 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

After the California Department of Education issued guidance that schools should not disclose students’ gender-related record change requests to parents, some California school districts adopted rules requiring parents to be notified if their children request to officially change their pronouns, go by a different name, or use facilities or school programs for children of the opposite gender. California Attorney General Rob Bonta responded by supporting lawsuits against these school districts, and the current bill in question, AB 1955. AB 1955, introduced by Assembly member Chris Ward, D-San Diego, would ban parental notification policies, and expand resources for LGBTQ+ students and families.

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New York City Department of Education Workers Lied About Getting Mandated COVID Vaccine

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 1 Jul 2024 21:16:50 +0000

After a report from the NYC Special Commissioner of Investigation (SCI) exposed how some New York City Department of Education employees lied about receiving the COVID vaccine during a mandate for educators, the district said the matter is “under review.” The investigation “substantiated” that 16 current and former employees of New York City's Department of Education knowingly submitted falsified and misleading documents claiming they were in compliance with the district’s vaccine mandate. The investigation found that the employees claimed they all were vaccinated by a pediatric nurse practitioner, Julie DeVuono, who later pleaded guilty to forging and selling Centers for Disease Control Vaccination Record Cards, according to the SCI.

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Kentucky Continuous Improvement Summit: Keynote Speaker's History Raises Questions

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0000

A former Buffalo Public Schools principal accused of manipulating grades in the New York district has been chosen to be the keynote speaker at a continuous improvement summit held by the Kentucky Department of Education. Teachers say while Marck Abraham was principal at McKinley High School, he reportedly pressured them to change student grades, calling into question the method he outlines in his book about how he raised the graduation rate for Black male students. An event page for the 2024 Kentucky Continuous Improvement Summit sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Education and accreditation company Cognia says it will provide professional development to school leaders.

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What Does Research Say About Edmentum Online Course Effectiveness?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Researchers who analyzed an Algebra I online credit recovery course from Edmentum say it failed to challenge students, was vulnerable to cheating via Google searches and reused the same test questions. In a new paper that is under peer review, researchers at Vanderbilt University and Georgia State University have quantified how virtual credit recovery classes, which are often provided to students who have previously failed a course, are easily manipulated, reuse questions and fail to engage students at a higher level. After Chalkboard reported on the analysis of Edmentum’s online credit recovery course, the company responded that assessment results show its courseware is effective at boosting student knowledge and that it prioritizes academic integrity.

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‘Glued to Their Cell Phones:’ LA Public Schools to Implement Ban Over Concerns

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 20:19:22 +0000

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board voted on a resolution Tuesday to revise its 2011 school cell phone policy to ban phones for students during school hours with few caveats. After a board vote, it chose to approve the resolution, 5-2, with board members George McKenna and Scott Schmerelson voting against the decision to begin banning phones during the entire school day. The board’s resolution says that “within 120 days, the Los Angeles Unified School District shall develop and present to the public at a board meeting updated cell phone and social media policies to prohibit student use of cell phones and social media platforms district-wide during the entire school day.”

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Biden Admin’s Title IX Rules Were Halted in Another Six States

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0000

A federal judge has struck down the Biden administration’s rule expanding the definition of Title IX to include gender identity in six states, the latest in a salvo of legal challenges against the changes intended to protect LGBTQ+ students in recent days. Monday’s injunction from the United States District Court in the Eastern District of Kentucky prevents the Department of Education from implementing its proposed rulemaking ahead of its Aug. 1 effective date in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia and West Virginia. The court said in its ruling Monday that the state of Tennessee is likely to prevail in its lawsuit and that the new rule is not in line with the intent of the 1972 funding statute to protect educational opportunities for women in education settings and violates the Constitution.

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HIV Drug Company, CDC Funded Chicago Public Schools’ LGBTQ+ Event

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Chicago Public Schools used over $47,000 in federal funds for an event “to learn about and celebrate the galaxies of gender, sexuality and love” which taught 10-to-18 year old students how to be activists and reminded them they do not need to ask their parents before changing their name or pronouns at school. A portion of the district’s 2024 Galaxy Summit was sponsored by a HIV pharmaceutical company called Viiv Healthcare, which CPS said paid $9,000 for a catered lunch for students. The company, however, says it sponsored more than just the lunch of the March 2 event and provided resources to students.

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Despite TikTok Policy, Users Still Offer Cheating Services to Students

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 21:40:04 +0000

Video platform TikTok has said that videos and accounts that promote online courseware cheating violate its policy governing frauds and scams, but reporting the videos doesn’t seem to have an effect and at least one removed account has returned. Last month, Chalkboard flagged two accounts that appear to violate TikTok’s policy on frauds and scams, which the company previously said governs accounts promoting cheating services to students using online classes. They are still operating and offering to help students complete their work.

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One Person Filed 5,590 Sex Discrimination Complaints to Ed Dept in 2023

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 06:00:00 +0000

The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights said in a report that over two-thirds of all Title IX complaints came from one individual as it seeks to increase its staff for the next fiscal year. The branch of the education agency that enforces federal funding statutes tied to civil rights legislation said 5,590 out of 8,151 complaints related to alleged sex discrimination came from one person, continuing a consistent trend where an individual has filed thousands of cases every year. According to the annual report to the president and secretary of education, the OCR said that it had seen the largest number of complaints ever during the 2023 fiscal year (FY).

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State Superintendent Tells WA School Districts to Ignore Parents Bill of Rights Law

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 20:55:22 +0000

A new parents bill of rights took effect Thursday in Washington, but State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal is telling school districts to ignore it. The measure approved by lawmakers back in March was introduced by a voter initiative. Supporters said it was a way to ensure parents don’t feel left out of their child’s education and, among other things, have access to medical or counseling records if children are questioning gender identity or sexual orientation.

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Full story:

https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/parental-rights/article_726cd9cb-08bf-5625-9b5d-b315874ac6c1.html

https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/cultural-issues/article_783b3e39-8a12-550b-b86a-e5db5268e9e0.html

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These State Groups Are Redefining What It Means to Be a School Board Member

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 4 Jun 2024 13:43:23 +0000

As school board candidates run and win on more conservative-leaning platforms promising public school reforms, alternatives to traditional school board member associations have launched in states like Virginia and Pennsylvania in an attempt to redefine the role. Alternatives for conservative-leaning school board members have proven to be contentious, but proponents say they are following the law and holding school systems more accountable to promote student success. The York County School Board in Yorktown, Virginia, recently debated whether to use an alternative to the Virginia School Board Association.

Full story:

https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/accountability/article_69e9306a-1d36-11ef-aeb5-2fe9098683c5.html

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Judge Strikes Down New Hampshire’s Ban on Critical Race Theory in Classrooms

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 3 Jun 2024 21:00:17 +0000

A federal judge ruled earlier this week that New Hampshire laws limiting classroom discussions around critical race theory and divisive topics are unconstitutionally vague and violate the Fourteenth Amendment. New Hampshire was one of the dozens of states to pass laws limiting classroom instruction related to the legal framework that seeks to explain how racism permeates societal institutions, which critics of critical race theory call “divisive.” The law was challenged by the New Hampshire chapter of the ACLU as well as teachers unions in the state, who were concerned with what they could teach students given the scope of the law. The judge agreed that the laws were too vague.

Full story:

https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/cultural-issues/article_057a8fd0-1f92-11ef-9f3d-fbefc8ec3c6d.html

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‘Antiracist’ Speaker Calls Schools ‘Dangerous’ and Wants to Drive out Those Who Ban Books

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 29 May 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Notable author and outspoken scholar Ibram X. Kendi told educators and others in a taxpayer funded equity webinar Thursday that influencing school systems offers a “bigger bang for your activism” and said "antiracist" education should start before age 3. A Wisconsin state agency paid Kendi $15,000 using federal special education funding for a wide-ranging one hour and 15 minute “generative conversation” on antiracism. During the conversation, Kendi said kids should be getting an antiracist education and the current education system damages children. Another presenter, Laura Minero, told educators and equity workers that “we want our children to be queer” and stressed the importance of gender-affirming care, which has been prohibited by dozens of states.

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'Antiracist' speaker calls schools 'dangerous' and wants to drive out those who ban books

Taxpayer-funded equity event tied invention of 'gender binary to anti-Blackness'

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Will Montana Have Charter Schools This Fall? It Depends on Who You Ask

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 28 May 2024 20:42:02 +0000

While the Montana Legislature passed measures that would enable the state to begin approving charter schools last year, a lawsuit could dramatically delay when the publicly-funded alternatives to traditional public schools would be able to open. The “Treasure State” passed HB 562 in 2023, establishing the Community School Choice Commission, tasked with approving prospective charter schools, also known as “Community Choice Schools.” But its implementation has been challenged in the courts.

Full story:

https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/school-choice/article_e0ac3306-19e8-11ef-81a6-93e7bcf86600.html

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‘Get Them Out of the School’: Tennessee Educators Used Online Courses to Remove Problem Students

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 21 May 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Two teachers were fired from a Tennessee high school in a board meeting last week over allegations that they changed and interfered with almost 1,500 student grades at the behest of a former principal of the year. Teachers allegedly modified student’s courses so they would not have to learn. A document presented to the board by an Anderson County School official says former Clinton High School principal Dan Jenkins instructed teachers Rachel Jones and Clay Turpin to manipulate online course data in order to improve the district’s graduation rate. A criminal investigation is ongoing.

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https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/accountability/article_472bc786-16c9-11ef-865f-9b1e2cde2d06.html

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Ballooning Costs: Chicago Public Schools Spends $600,593 on Inflatable Displays

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 20 May 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Chicago Public Schools has spent an increasing amount of taxpayer funds on balloon displays in the last five years. The school district has put more than half a million dollars toward elaborate displays for events and celebrations in that time. The district has in recent years rapidly inflated its budget for balloon displays to mark occasions like back-to-school, graduation or Black History Month, according to CPS supplier payment data reviewed by Chalkboard. District-provided data show CPS payments for the decorations have swelled: The district spent less than $15,000 for balloon-focused vendors in fiscal year 2019, but for 2023, payments grew to over $278,000. The district has also spent over $142,400 during the current fiscal year on balloon services.

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https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/accountability/article_46ef8cc8-1203-11ef-946d-2b94bdf89eb3.html

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Lawmakers Grill K-12 School Leaders on Antisemitic Incidents

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 15 May 2024 16:10:51 +0000

A Republican-led congressional committee asked school leaders whose districts have seen antisemitic incidents about what they’re doing to prevent further incidents in their schools since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. Leaders of schools in New York City and Berkeley, California and Montgomery County, Maryland told the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education their districts had taken action against antisemitism and other hate through policies, training for staff and curriculum for students. David Banks, chancellor of the New York City Public School District, said that the school district has fired teachers and suspended students over antisemitic incidents. He said it was crucial that students feel safe, citing his past experience as a school resource officer.

Full story: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/safety/article_4238b03c-0d63-11ef-8c1d-b739091c05d0.html

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Oregon ‘Fat Positivity’ Sex Ed Workshop: Teachers Should ‘Center Fat Bodies'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 14 May 2024 21:08:20 +0000

A taxpayer-funded workshop for Oregon sex education teachers instructed teachers to embrace fat positivity, explained the “racist origins of fatphobia” and what it means to have “thin privilege.” It also told educators to normalize fat bodies when teaching physiology and anatomy to students. The Oregon Department of Human Services’s February workshop, presented to teachers under the umbrella of the agency’s My Future My Choice sex ed curriculum, said fat positivity “explicitly affirms fat bodies.” The event was facilitated by Tory Sparks, a Michigan-based sex educator and social justice consultant, who previously authored a curriculum called the “Queer Sex Ed You Never Got In School,” according to the presentation.

Full story:

https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/cultural-issues/article_f2a770a6-0ef9-11ef-ae0e-7b8a9f422b2f.html

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Taxpayer-Funded Equity Center Resources ‘Directly Undermine’ American Ideals

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 8 May 2024 18:11:36 +0000

Taxpayer-funded equity-focused events directed school employees to push public school boards to focus on race and gender, encouraged staff to focus on “disrupting whiteness” and promoted ideologies that critics say lay “the groundwork for a communist worldview.” Chalkboard reviewed recordings of federally sponsored virtual roundtables and events where presenters promoted controversial ideas like critical race theory, intersectionality and critical consciousness for school administrators, teachers and staff. A September virtual roundtable discussion focused on “disrupting racism at the intersections in schools” and used the definition of intersectionality created by the founder of critical race theory Kimberlé Crenshaw.

Full story: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/accountability/article_5edc1172-07d0-11ef-a87d-f3905d2aa2f2.html

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Chicago Public Schools Invokes Equity in Virtual Learning, but Research Says It Isn’t Fair

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 7 May 2024 21:17:50 +0000

Chicago Public Schools adopted a policy last year to honor academic credits received during virtual classes, citing equity as one of the reasons underpinning the policy as well as the benefits of the online instruction model. But as Chalkboard reported last year, researchers have questioned the efficacy of virtual learning and raised concerns that virtual credit recovery classes actually hurt those who need help the most. A spokesperson from Chicago Public Schools said the district would not provide a comment to Chalkboard News about virtual credit recovery classes in response to questions about the district's policy adopted in May last year, which added a section about equity in the implementation of virtual learning.

Full story: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/accountability/article_cf9b83f4-0bed-11ef-99da-63cc15a9265c.html

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Judge Allows Class Action Lawsuit Against Chicago Schools Over Hindu Rituals

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 13:38:56 +0000

A federal judge is allowing a class action lawsuit against the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education over its use of the “Quiet Time” transcendental meditation program, which allegedly required student participation and incorporated Hindu rituals. Chicago Public Schools stated it ended the Quiet Time program in 2020 and that it denies any liability related to the program, which former students allege violated their constitutional rights because of the religious aspects of the program.

Full story: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/cultural-issues/article_5b64bd92-027f-11ef-a81f-6f4d8211a742.html

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Report: Exclusionary School Maps Perpetuate Educational Redlining

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 20:47:35 +0000

A new report tied to the 70th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision Brown v. Board of Education says schools nationwide legally discriminate against some students based on their address. Available to All, the nonprofit watchdog group that advocates for equal access to public schools, released the report Monday asserting that top public schools can legally prevent disadvantaged students, often those from minority communities, from enrolling based on their address. "Today Linda Brown would most likely be turned away from the best public school in her city because of her address,” said Derrell Bradford, an Available to All board member, in a press release this week. “Our system is built on exclusionary maps that determine who can or cannot enroll in a public school.”

Full story: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/school-choice/article_d92ba468-025a-11ef-b0b6-5b442dccface.html

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Biden Admin Finalizes Title IX Rule Changes to Redefine Sex Discrimination

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 09:53:00 +0000

Former secretary of education Betsy DeVos said Friday that the Biden administration's finalized Title IX rule change has "gutted" five decades of protections for women and girls and replaced it with "radical gender theory." The Biden administration’s Department of Education has finalized its long-anticipated Title IX rule that expands the definition of sex discrimination to include gender identity and pregnancy. Critics of the federal rule finalized Friday say that it rewrites the scope of the statute intended to prohibit sex discrimination at federally funded schools and institutions of higher learning. Proponents say the changes are necessary to protect all students. A separate rule on transgender athletes has not yet been finalized.

Full story: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/cultural-issues/article_11e7a8b0-fe5f-11ee-8398-ab8f9ebfb794.html

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What Is Intersectionality and How Is It Related to Critical Race Theory?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 21:12:41 +0000

School districts with diversity, equity and inclusion departments and organizations or individuals that offer professional development may use the term “intersectionality” on their websites, but what does it mean and what relationship does it have to critical race theory?Understanding the principles behind intersectionality and what it means can help add context to important and often divisive conversations at the local, state and national levels around equity and critical race theory. Conversations around power, privilege and racism continue to divide legislatures and school board meetings. Kimberlé Crenshaw, who coined the terms intersectionality and critical race theory, recently gave the keynote lecture at the American Educational Research Association’s annual meeting last week.

Full story: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/cultural-issues/article_e21fe7e4-fe92-11ee-b49b-6f3fa440ef94.html

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Federally-Funded School Trainers: Parental Rights Takes Back Seat on Sex Ed

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 10:30:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Education has directed millions of federal funds toward equity assistance centers that provide teachers and administrators with resources positing views on controversial topics like comprehensive sex education and versions of critical race theory. The Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance (MAP) Center, one of the four regional technical assistance centers sponsored by the Education Department, provides resources based on critical race theory to schools and educators and directs them to override parental rights on sex education. The MAP Center is housed in the Great Lakes Equity Center at the Indiana University School of Education-IUPUI.

Full story: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/accountability/article_dab8e6e6-f79d-11ee-8f02-6f348cdea4ae.html

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Biden Admin Asks for $22 Million to Bolster Ed Dept’s Enforcement Arm

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 21:05:27 +0000

The Biden administration’s Department of Education is asking for $82.4 billion budget for the 2025 fiscal year, $3.1 billion more than the previous fiscal year to help students recover from school closure-related learning loss and bolster operations at the agency’s enforcement arm. In a House appropriations committee hearing this week, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona defended the Education Department’s proposed $22 million increase for the Office of Civil Rights, saying its workload has tripled in the last decade and a half, in part because of rising rates of antisemitism and anti-Arab discrimination.

Full story: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/funding-spending/article_7e12479a-f903-11ee-93c3-0f2a1ffef7fd.html

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How Seattle Public School’s Use of ‘Social Identity Wheels’ Could Violate Federal Law

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 9 Apr 2024 10:35:00 +0000

The Seattle Public School District says activities requiring students to provide information protected by federal and state law do not violate the statutes as long as teachers do not store the information without parental consent. Seattle Public Schools has defended its use of “social identity wheel” handouts in which students are asked to reflect on their "privilege" based on income, race, mental health, sexual identity and religion. Federal and state laws prohibit schools from asking students for that information without approval from parents.

Full story: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/parental-rights/article_ab748a8a-f2ab-11ee-ac39-5bbe7eff3b83.html

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Can a Religious Charter School Exist? Oklahoma High Court Weighs Arguments

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 8 Apr 2024 20:35:20 +0000

The Oklahoma Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday that it will use to determine the legality of what would be the nation’s first religious charter school, which received approval last year from the state's Virtual Charter School Board. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a lawsuit in October, claiming that the board’s approval of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School violates the state’s constitution prohibiting sectarian control of public schools. The state board’s lawyers maintain the law used to approve private schools may not exclude religious schools.

Full story: https://www.chalkboardnews.com/issues/school-choice/article_89147c48-f0df-11ee-a563-6ff06b30b632.html

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Are Republicans Gaining Ground on Education? Poll Indicates Voters Want Balance

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 3 Apr 2024 10:17:00 +0000

A poll of likely voters found that the vast majority of people think schools should focus on traditional subjects like math, reading and science, and a majority also say critical race theory should not be taught. Nearly two-thirds of voters think parents should be informed if a student wants to change their name or pronoun at school. And most voters want schools to fairly present controversial issues in school.

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Nex Benedict’s Family Gave Handwritten ‘Self-Harm’ Notes to Police: Report

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 2 Apr 2024 20:38:58 +0000

The full report from the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed the nonbinary teenager, whose death sparked international headlines and responses, died from suicide despite initial reports and claims linking the death to a fight at school. According to a copy of the full report released Wednesday and obtained by Chalkboard News, the chief medical examiner's office confirmed Nex Benedict died by suicide from “diphenhydramine and fluoxetine combined toxicity” and not lethal trauma from a fight. Benedict's family had provided law enforcement with handwritten notes about self-harm which the medical examiner used to determine the death was a suicide on Feb. 9, the report said.

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Kentucky Hoax Bomb Threats Part of ‘Nationwide Swatting Situation'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:47:00 +0000

A school district in Louisville, Kentucky, received bomb threats at four different schools this week, all of which were false alarms. The incidents highlight the rising rates of swatting, a hoax call that shuts down schools and scares students and their families. The hoax threats impacted Atherton High School, Ballard High School, Westport Middle School and Wilder Elementary School within the Jefferson County Public Schools, according to JCPS spokesperson Carolyn Callahan.

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Evaluation Data Shows Virtually Zero Educators in Michigan Are Ineffective

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 20:08:50 +0000

Because of changes made last year by the Michigan legislature, school districts in the Wolverine State will negotiate over more terms with teachers unions in the coming year as contracts set under the previous rules expire. One of those changes includes how teachers are evaluated, but the current evaluation system in Michigan may be riddled with inaccuracy. According to the state’s educator effectiveness data, virtually zero teachers were rated ineffective in the 2022-23 school year.

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Critics: Michigan Homeschool Registration Push Based on ‘False Narrative'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 09:56:00 +0000

Michigan lawmakers and education officials have said they want to pass legislation to track homeschooled and religious school students. Critics, however, say the measures wouldn’t actually help. In January, State Superintendent Michael Rice included the proposal in a memo of legislative priorities for the upcoming session, citing concerns over children not receiving any education. Homeschool advocates say a registry will not help protect students, and better enforcement of existing rules is needed.

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Does This District’s $800,000 Equitable Discipline Policy Help Students?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 20:15:12 +0000

A North Carolina school district reported a higher crime rate than the previous year after implementing an updated disciplinary policy for which it paid a nonprofit over $800,000 to help it create. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools reported fewer short and long-term suspensions for the school year and no expulsions, part of a broader shift toward equitable discipline. Critics say the changes have made conditions worse for students because disruptive students are not removed from class.

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Aurora School District: No Program Allowed That Doesn’t Prioritize DEI

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 09:09:00 +0000

Aurora Public Schools published a document that stated the district will not implement any program that doesn’t prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion. The board presented the document at its March 5 work session. The document states: “The Superintendent may not allow implementation or adoption of any program that does not prioritize Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”

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Indiana Truancy Bill That Would Hold Parents Accountable Advances

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 20:21:17 +0000

The Indiana General Assembly has voted to adopt legislation intended to counteract absenteeism at school by holding parents in the state responsible for their children’s attendance. The House and Senate voted to adopt SB 282 after back and forth between the chambers in prior days. The bill, if signed by the governor, would put parents at risk of prosecution if children are not in compliance with the state’s compulsory attendance provisions.

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Study: Most States Are Spending More per K-12 Student - Where Does It Go?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 5 Mar 2024 10:31:00 +0000

A new national study looking at two decades' worth of data found that the United States is spending more on education funding without paying teachers more, school staff has increased faster than student enrollment and taxpayer dollars are increasingly going toward employee benefits. The report from the Reason Foundation also found that there isn’t a direct correlation between funding increases and education outcomes. The report also used nationwide data to highlight how education outcomes in all 50 states have changed between 2002 and 2020.

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Report: Equitable Grading Reforms Harm the Students They Try to Help

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 4 Mar 2024 21:31:45 +0000

A new policy brief states that “equitable” grading policies that rely on lowering academic standards ultimately hurt the students they purportedly help. The research released Wednesday morning by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute challenged some of the claims often made about equitable grading practices and said they require greater scrutiny. The brief also said it's time to adopt some reforms that promote equitable grading without sacrificing rigor.

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Survey: Students and Teachers Weigh in on Gender, Race in School

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 14:11:13 +0000

A new survey has asked teachers and students about their experience amid significant cultural divides around gender, race and sexual orientation. According to a survey analyses from the Pew Research Center, 53% of teachers said debates about cultural issues like race and gender identity do not impact their ability to do their jobs. In comparison, 41% said the discussions on those issues negatively affect their job performance. The survey comes as topics like gender identity, racism, sex education curricula, the appropriateness of materials in school libraries and parental notification policies continue to roil school board meetings nationwide.

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Chicago Public Schools Is Kicking Police Out of Schools. Here’s Why

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 21:36:28 +0000

The Chicago Public Schools Board of Education voted Thursday to approve a resolution to remove trained police officers from its schools by the beginning of next school year. The district-wide removal of police officers stems from a 2020 resolution requiring the district to “provide to the Board a comprehensive plan for schools currently using SROs (School Resource Officers) to phase out their use.” The board voted to implement the policy unanimously, along with a number of other policies and resolutions. The board will sunset the school resource officer program by August this year but says it will still work the city’s police department for other needs.

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Why Students Are Protesting the Cell Phone Policy at This Houston High School

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 11:18:00 +0000

Students at James Madison High School in south Houston, Texas, staged a walkout last week to protest a new zero-tolerance policy banning student cell phone use on that campus. Some carried picket signs and gathered across the street from the high school, as seen in videos posted to X, formerly Twitter. Houston Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles voiced support for the policy at a press conference last week, promising suspensions for students who walk out and pointing to the benefits of enforcing policies that keep cell phones away from students during the school day.

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These States Have Lost the Most Students Since the Pandemic

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 20:48:36 +0000

The National Center for Education Statistics released enrollment data for public schools, showing which states have increased student counts since the COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures and which states have yet to see students return to those classrooms. The new data digest released this month by NCES shows that most states saw decreases in public school student enrollment between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2022, with only a handful of states gaining students overall. Public schools have not regained students who stopped attending during the pandemic.

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Conviction of Oxford Shooter’s Mother Is a Legal First for Accountability

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 11:36:00 +0000

Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of a school shooter who killed his classmates in November 2021 at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter by a jury. The decision on Tuesday marks a development for prosecutors looking to hold parents accountable for the crimes committed by their children as this is the first instance of a parent being charged with involuntary manslaughter in relation to a fatal school shooting. Crumbley faces up to decades in federal prison, depending on her sentencing hearing. Jennifer Crumbley is expected back in court in April for her sentencing hearing, according to FOX 2.

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Boston Public Schools Staff Must Hide Student Gender Changes From Parents

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 23:36:20 +0000

A Boston Public Schools policy for the 2023-24 school year instructs staff not to inform parents if a student identifies as transgender or gender nonconforming unless legally required. School districts nationwide have put policies in place to protect the rights of transgender students, but parental rights advocates say guardians have a right to know if their child is changing their gender. According to a superintendent's circular, staff at Boston Public Schools, which serves 54,000 students and three-quarters of all students in the city, are not supposed to discuss with parents that a student is transgender or gender nonconforming.

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Report: Students Are Learning More Than Before COVID, but Still Lagging

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 6 Feb 2024 10:46:00 +0000

A new report from researchers at Harvard University shows that students have started to recover from learning losses sustained during school closures related to COVID-19. Still, student achievement has not exceeded pre-pandemic performance, save in a few states. The report found that student achievement gaps that began during the pandemic between rich and poor districts have widened and called for federal funding to go toward additional face time between students and teachers, including expanding the school year or offering summer school.

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Seattle Students Can Expect Lessons on Privilege, Gender and Activism

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 5 Feb 2024 21:14:40 +0000

Students of all ages at Seattle Public Schools can expect extra-curricular lessons on oppression and privilege, racism and transgenderism in the classroom this week as the district participates in the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action. The district disseminated a PowerPoint with resources for educators created by the Seattle Public Schools Black Education Department in collaboration with teachers and academics. The resource highlights activities for teaching students the 13 principles and four demands of Black Lives Matter at School.

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Districts Are Using Fewer School Resource Officers, but the Number Could Rise

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 11:14:00 +0000

According to recent federal school climate and survey data, the number of schools reporting using school resource officers is declining. After racial justice protests a few years ago and calls to defund the police, school districts like Chicago are considering the role school resource officers play in keeping students safe and out of the justice system. National Center for Education Statistics data from the 2019-2020 school year shows 54% of schools surveyed reported using some type of “sworn law enforcement officer,” including school resource officers. Data from 2021-2022 shows only 48% of schools reported having a “sworn law enforcement officer.”

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Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters Appoints ‘Libs of Tiktok’ Creator to Library Committee

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 21:49:32 +0000

Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters announced Tuesday that he had appointed the creator of a social media account known for its outspoken criticism of sexualized materials in school libraries to an advisory board that will govern them. Walters announced Chaya Raichik, who created and operates an account on X, formerly Twitter, called “Libs of TikTok,” would be on the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Library Media Advisory Committee. The Library Media Advisory Committee offers guidance and recommendations to the Oklahoma State Board of Education pursuant to Oklahoma Administrative Codes and is "aimed at removing pornographic or sexualized content from public schools in the State of Oklahoma," according to a spokesperson from the Department of Education.

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NYC Teacher Fired From Charter School After Chalkboard Inquiry

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 10:13:00 +0000

A teacher who started work at a New York City charter school after she was terminated from her position at a public school has been fired after Chalkboard inquired about her previous employment. The former teacher’s ability to start working at a charter school after a report was sent to the New York City Public Schools District from its Special Commissioner of Investigation points to what appears to be an information gap between charter and public schools in the city. Atmosphere Academy, a public charter school in the Bronx, confirmed to Chalkboard that Raylissa Rivera “no longer works” for the school after Chalkboard asked about an investigation conducted last year into inappropriate texts she sent a student.

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Report: Here’s Why 40% of Fourth Graders Can’t Read at a Basic Level

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 22:12:03 +0000

A report from a teacher effectiveness organization on how well the nation implements best practices to help students learn how to read found that 19 states do not currently implement critical policies to promote literacy. The National Council on Teacher Quality report shows that precisely half of states do not have “specific guidelines to teacher prep programs about what they should teach aspiring teachers in reading.” The issue comes as the debate over the science of reading has seen a resurgence in state legislatures as lawmakers hope to improve literacy rates.

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‘Surprising’: Teachers Weigh In on Carrying Weapons at School

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 10:59:00 +0000

As gun violence remains a significant threat across the country, states, districts and schools debate ways to increase safety. But policies allowing teachers to carry weapons in school remains controversial. A school in Ohio made news last week after signs posted outside the school announced that teachers were armed, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Survey data from last year shows staff approved of the measure in that district, pointing to wider educator approval that has surprised experts.

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This NYC Teacher Was Fired for Improper Texts; Then She Taught at a Charter School

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 22:05:09 +0000

A special education teacher from the Bronx was found to have acted inappropriately by New York City Public School’s watchdog agency and was subsequently terminated last summer. Then, a few months later, she took a position at a nearby charter school that says the investigation into her wasn't flagged. The Bronx’s Atmosphere Academy says the teacher was fingerprinted and underwent a background check, raising questions about whether gaps that put student safety at risk exist between the nation’s largest school district and charter schools in New York City.

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Chicago Public Schools Says It Is ‘Reviewing’ Use of School Resource Officers

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 9 Jan 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Chicago Public Schools says it is “reviewing” its approach to school safety as the board of education has reportedly considered removing school resource officers from buildings in the city. CPS is expected to “provide updates in the coming months,” according to a statement from a district spokesperson. But reports say the board has already decided to remove police officers from schools and could vote on the action as soon as this month.

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What’s Behind the Fight Over A-F School Grading?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 8 Jan 2024 21:39:13 +0000

Gradebooks may be less alphabetical in Georgia after the state recently released school accountability numbers for the first time since the pandemic. This suggests the state may be transitioning away from A-F grades. Instead, schools have their content mastery test scores instead of letter grades. Georgia is the latest state to consider eliminating traditional letter grades for public schools in favor of different accountability metrics.

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Critics: Proposed Title IX Changes Would Threaten Viability of Women’s Sports

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 2 Jan 2024 21:11:39 +0000

The Biden administration has proposed sweeping changes to expand the nation’s law prohibiting sex discrimination in the nation’s schools to include gender identity and sexual orientation. Final action on the rule is not expected until at least March next year, but legal challenges would likely arise upon its implementation. The Department of Education says that the rules protect students and try to strike a balance between concerns over fairness and safety with the benefits of allowing transgender students to play. Critics, however, say the rule burdens girls and illegally rewrites the law.

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Where Do Social Media Platforms Land on Cheating Black Market?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 22:32:23 +0000

Earlier this year, Chalkboard News highlighted how students can cheat on online classes and assignments using social media platforms and other new tools. But do social media platforms prohibit academic dishonesty? TikTok has clarified that videos promoting academic dishonesty violate its community guidelines and will be removed. Meta, which owns Instagram, did not respond to Chalkboard’s request for comment on its policies despite the proliferation of accounts offering to complete student’s work for a fee.

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‘Disgusting’: ADL Chief Condemns School’s Deal to Buy Silence on Antisemitism

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 11:34:00 +0000

The parent of a student who faced persistent antisemitism at a Westport, Connecticut school says administrators tried to silence him and his family through the terms of a settlement. Andrew Goldberg, the parent of a middle-school student at Westport Public Schools, said in an opinion piece in Newsweek last week that administrators offered to pay for a year’s worth of tuition at a private school if he and his family would never talk about what led up to the settlement. The school’s attempt to sweep the incidents under the rug received pointed criticism from Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League.

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Chicago School Board Says Choice System Perpetuates Racism

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:26:11 +0000

The Chicago Public School Board of Education isn’t planning on shutting down charter schools in the city yet, but is poised to direct money away from those schools between 2025 and 2029 in a broader effort to move away from ranking schools against each other. The board adopted the resolution in a unanimous vote on Thursday during its regular meeting, signaling the districts “transition away from privatization.” Board members said school choice pits schools and students against each other and said the district would reimagine the system to promote equity. Advocates and students of charter schools in the city spoke to the board, highlighting the impact charter schools have had for those in the city seeking a high-quality or specialized education.

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Dept. of Ed’s Controversial Transgender Athlete Rule Expected in March

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 10:15:00 +0000

Finalization of the Department of Education’s Title IX ruling that would strike down statewide prohibitions on transgender athletes participating in a sport that matched their identity is expected to occur next year. An updated page on the Office of Management and Budget says final action on the federal government's rule on how transgender students can play on sports teams that match their gender identity is expected in March, months after it was initially anticipated in October. As Chalkboard reported last week, the Department said the finalization was delayed because of the large number of comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking and that it is working “overtime” to get through the comments.

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International Test Underscores U.S. Academic Declines

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 21:59:57 +0000

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores show U.S. students scored significantly worse on math than in 2018 and declines in all subjects. It also found that increased spending had less to do with student outcomes than how the funds are used. PISA also noted that lower math test scores were associated with lower parental involvement.

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Are New York City’s Classes Too Full? Teachers Union, School District Clash

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 5 Dec 2023 10:01:00 +0000

A debate over whether New York City’s classrooms are overcrowded is mounting between the city’s teachers union and the public school system. The United Federation of Teachers says hundreds of thousands of students are subjected to overcrowded classes, while the New York City Public Schools says it is in compliance with the law. A recent survey from the city’s teachers union asserted that over 300,000 students who attend Title I schools in the city are in overcrowded classrooms that are out of compliance with a state law that limits class sizes.

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Dept. of Ed Working ‘Overtime’ on Controversial Transgender Athlete Rules

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 4 Dec 2023 21:59:55 +0000

For schools and institutions of higher learning waiting for the Department of Education’s final action on a rule governing eligibility for transgender students on sports teams to be finalized, more patience is required. Initially expected in October, the Department of Education’s forthcoming rule on transgender athletes on sports teams has been delayed as the agency sifts through thousands of comments from the public, according to a spokesperson. The department’s changes would overrule statewide laws prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in sports that align with their gender identity and replace them with criteria for schools and institutions to use on an individual basis.

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What’s Inside the $175 Million Agreement Between Portland Schools, Teachers?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 11:06:00 +0000

Students have returned to school in Portland as the teachers union and district have yet to vote on an agreement to end the weeks long strike, which kept students out of class for most of November. The Portland Association of Teachers and Portland Public Schools announced a tentative agreement Sunday, ending a strike that began on Nov. 1. The union called the strike a win in an update to members. The district said in an update that the contract will cost taxpayers an additional $175 million over the next three years.

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Poll: Voters Think Schools Should Inform Parents About Gender Changes

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 23:02:48 +0000

Voters support school policies that require educators to tell parents about changes to their student’s pronouns, a nationwide poll has found. The findings come as parental notification policies have stirred controversy as student advocates and parents square off in school board meetings. The Center Square Voter’s Voice Poll conducted with Noble Predictive Insights found that two-thirds of voters back measures requiring parental notification of changes in a student’s preferred gender as school gender policies have been scrutinized by the courts in recent years.

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Data: White Students More Likely to Say They Are Bullied Over Sex, Disability

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 11:52:00 +0000

New federal data shows white students are more likely than their peers to report being harassed or bullied because of their sex or disability. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released data this week from a survey of district-level data on student discipline, harassment and educational access conducted in the 2020-21 school year. The data shows white students were much more likely to report bullying or harassment on account of their sex or disability than other groups.

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What Does a B Grade Mean? Report Says Parents Should Seek More Academic Measures

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 21:50:16 +0000

A recent report based on polling parents of K-12 students found that while most think their child is on the right track academically based on their grades, test scores show the majority of students are not actually performing at grade level. The report released this week from Gallup and Learning Heroes found that while almost 80% of parents said their students received at least B grades, under 50% meet standardized test scores that show proficiency. The discrepancy points to the need for measures outside the traditional report card, the report found.

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Study Questions the Long-Terms Costs of Shutting Down Schools During Pandemic

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 11:28:00 +0000

The Pacific Research Institute released a study in September reviewing the impacts of the various approaches states took when dealing with the pandemic. The study concluded: "The states that implemented policies categorized as more stringent tended to have fewer COVID-19 infections and fewer COVID-19 mortalities per 100,000 people. These states have also experienced increases in other causes of mortality that may fully offset the reduction in COVID-19 mortalities, larger economic consequences, and larger education losses for children."

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Poll: Americans Say Schools Should Focus on Math, Reading and Writing

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 20:28:42 +0000

A large majority of voters say that public schools should focus on the basics – math, reading, writing, science and social studies – to improve the quality of public education in the country. That's according to the latest The Center Square’s Voters' Voice poll conducted in late October in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights. The poll results come as the nation has seen academic achievement declines since school closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as cultural debates about gender ideology and curriculum content roil parents and communities in school board meetings across the country.

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Critics: Michigan School Policy Would Bar Parental Opt-Out on Gender Instruction

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 7 Nov 2023 12:29:00 +0000

A parental rights organization is criticizing a Southeast Michigan school district after its board voted to change its sex education policy so that parents would not be able to opt students out of learning about gender or sexuality outside of health classes. Parents Defending Education raised concerns over the Dexter Community Schools Board of Education’s sex education policy from its October meeting. The action comes as Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland has removed a parental opt-out option for LGBTQ+ reading materials in elementary classes in a push for inclusivity that has garnered national attention.

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‘I Don’t Kneel’: Student Sues Chicago Schools Over Candlelit Rituals During Class

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 6 Nov 2023 21:56:49 +0000

Mariyah Green was a junior when she transferred during the 2018-19 school year from a charter school to Bogan High School, where she played volleyball and basketball. Green had no idea when she transferred to Chicago Public Schools that she would end up suing the school, alleging violations against her First Amendment rights. She told Chalkboard that students were made to participate in the district’s Quiet Time program, where instructors encouraged students to participate in transcendental meditation, including initiation rites conducted in a darkened classroom. She was recently awarded $75,000 for damages and legal fees in a judgement.

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Critics Say Online Credit Recovery Courses Hurt Students Because Some Enable Cheating

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 1 Nov 2023 11:18:00 +0000

Students have opportunities to cheat on online learning courses provided by Edmentum and other virtual course providers, according to a former public school teacher, researchers and in-depth reporting by Chalkboard that resulted in TikTok removing videos and accounts. But despite the concerns over vulnerabilities that online learning platforms allow cheating and research showing that students who take online credit recovery courses experience long-term negative effects, several states and accreditation organizations approve of Edmentum’s online academy. When initially asked about claims from former Atlanta public school teacher Jeremy Noonan who told Chalkboard that students could cheat on Edmentum’s coursework, the company provided a statement that its programs are accredited and approved by state agencies.

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Oakland Teachers Union Calls Israel ‘Apartheid’ and ‘Genocidal'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 21:17:57 +0000

Leaders of the Oakland Education Association in Oakland, California, called on school leaders to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and called for a ceasefire as tensions between the terrorist organization Hamas and Israel continue to increase. The union’s leadership shared curriculum resources it encouraged educators to employ in their classrooms, which accuse Israel of carrying out genocide and ethnic cleansing, something a Jewish parent said is concerning for her family as antisemitism is on the rise. Megan Bacigalupi, a Jewish parent of students who attend schools in the Oakland Unified School District, said the union leaders’ statement is concerning given the increase in antisemitic incidents nationwide and in the area, including graffiti and the removal of hostage posters for Israelis taken to Gaza.

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Why Chicago Public Schools Wants $14.4 Billion for Old, Emptying Buildings

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 11:27:00 +0000

Even after losing its position as the third largest school district in the country, Chicago Public Schools continues to seek budget expansions for building investments, despite more empty schools. The district’s 2023 Education Facilities Master Plan identifies a rapid need for investments, especially for the school systems’ aging buildings. But between the 2013-14 school year and the 2022-23 school year, CPS enrollment has dropped by nearly 20%, or 78,439 students. Despite enrollment declines, the district is asking for more over $14 billion to update its buildings.

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‘Moderation’ or ‘Ideological Control’? Congress Hears Perspective on Book Removals

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 21:27:11 +0000

A congressional panel in the House of Representatives heard testimony from witnesses about the different perspectives on graphic books in school libraries. Such debates over the appropriateness of explicit books that students can access have occurred nationwide in school board meetings. The Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education held a hearing Thursday on “combating graphic, explicit content in school libraries.” Republican lawmakers favored the removal of inappropr

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Michigan Officials Cite Teacher Shortage as Impetus for Change Despite Data

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 11:50:00 +0000

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation that changed requirements for retired public-school teachers to work while receiving pension benefits, citing the teacher shortage in the state. Data show the number of teachers has increased in recent years relative to students. While the number of teachers has increased and the number of students has decreased overall in the state, lawmakers passed legislation that would make it easier for retired teachers to receive their pensions and return to work for school districts.

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ACT: Test Scores Decline for Sixth Year; Students Miss College Benchmarks

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 23:08:51 +0000

Standardized test score results show academic achievement declines for the sixth year in a row, highlighting the impact of COVID-19-related school closures on student learning. The nonprofit behind the ACT said this week that scores fell again in all testing subjects in the 2022-23 school year. This comes as graduation rates in school districts have increased despite test scores showing academic declines, as Chalkboard News previously reported. Students nationwide tested during the 2022-23 school year had an average composite score on the ACT of 19.5, which was down from 19.8 the previous year and 20.7 in the 2018-19 school year.

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Michigan High School Awards Diplomas to Over Half of Graduates in Error

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 10:38:00 +0000

Kalamazoo Public Schools said late last month that over half of last year’s senior class from one of its high schools graduated despite not meeting the criteria to do so. The school will allow the students to keep their diplomas. Phoenix Alternative High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan, allowed at least half of the class of 2023 to graduate without meeting state or district requirements, according to a statement from KPS.

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TikTok Removes Some Cheating Videos, Accounts After Chalkboard Inquiry

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 9 Oct 2023 21:38:16 +0000

Cheating is nothing new. But the methods of how it’s done are constantly changing. There is currently a market hidden in plain sight for the subset of students looking to graduate high school without completing their online coursework.

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Student Hurls Chairs at Teacher Reportedly Knocked Unconscious

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 3 Oct 2023 11:29:00 +0000

Flint Community Public Schools said Friday that a fight between students led to a teacher being harmed. A viral video reportedly of the event shows a student throwing a chair and hitting the teacher on the head. Reports also say that the teacher was unconscious and hospitalized.

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Former Teacher Says Online Credit-Recovery Courses Invite Cheating

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 2 Oct 2023 22:06:06 +0000

When government officials and school leaders closed classrooms because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many students switched to virtual learning. Some schools, however, have continued to utilize virtual options for students, including courseware that critics say allows students to cheat. A former Atlanta-area public school teacher wrote last month in an op-ed that course assessments from ed-tech company Edmentum could be gamed using search engines, allowing students to receive credit by cheating at home.

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What Is Hybrid Homeschooling and Can School Choice Programs Pay For It?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 11:01:00 +0000

As Chalkboard has previously reported, parents and voters have been outspoken in their desire for school choice and education options since the pandemic. Hybrid homeschooling is one of the models parents are turning to, which offers some of the structure of formal programming with at-home instruction. But the intersection between new education models and funding programs to support families could be more complicated, according to a Monday report from ExcelinEd. The report highlights how state school choice programs can support families who hybrid homeschool to give them greater flexibility.

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California School Policies to Hide Gender From Parents ‘Likely Unconstitutional'

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 21:00:13 +0000

A federal court ruling waved a caution flag on school district policies requiring teachers to hide student gender identity from parents after granting a temporary reprieve to two teachers who sued their school district over the rules. The decision by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California last week to grant a preliminary injunction for the teachers comes as the state sues school districts for parental notification policies and highlights the murky legal grounds underpinning the state’s guidance school districts cite in creating gender identity policies.

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Heading Into Election Season, Access to Controversial Books Gets Spotlight

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 11:38:00 +0000

One issue Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias put in the national spotlight during testimony to a U.S. Senate committee this week was that of access to controversial books. The Democratic statewide official promoted the Illinois measure he spearheaded to withhold taxpayer-funded grants to public and school libraries that he said “ban books.” Meanwhile others argue that this is not an issue of censorship but of discretion.

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States Battle Over Whether Parents Should Be Informed on Their Children’s Gender Choices

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 19:33:08 +0000

A battle over parental rights is brewing across the country and at the forefront is the gender choice of children while enrolled in public schools. In California and New Jersey, the government has gone to court to shield parents from knowing what gender their children have chosen while at school. In other states, such as Michigan and Pennsylvania, the policies on parental notification are left up to the individual school districts to determine.

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Report: Chicago Teachers’ Union President Sends Child to Private School

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 11:52:00 +0000

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis-Gates, who has been outspoken against the state's school choice program, is sending her child to a private school, according to reports. Davis-Gates took office in 2022 to lead the third largest teachers union in the country. Since taking office, Davis-Gates has publicly spoken out against the Invest in Kids Act, which allows people to pay for scholarships for students to attend private schools rather than attend public schools in Chicago or throughout the state.

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Education Secretary: ‘Keep Schools Open’ Amid COVID Reemergence

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 21:52:20 +0000

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said schools should not keep students home amid reports that the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise this fall, propped up by new variants of the virus that causes the disease. Responding to a question during a back-to-school bus tour, Cardona said schools should stay open and focus on communication and practicing health protocols that were present at the height of the pandemic.

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Swatting Calls Are Terrorizing School Communities, Here’s What to Know

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 6 Sep 2023 11:43:00 +0000

With the return of students to class, hoax calls that shut down school buildings are also back. The calls, which tell authorities that there are active shooters at schools, scare students, staff and parents and can be dangerous for both law enforcement and those at the scene. There were several hoax threats and swatting calls this week across the country, from Illinois to Georgia.

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Labor Day Means School Is Starting Soon in These States

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 5 Sep 2023 21:43:03 +0000

For many students, school started weeks ago, and classes are in full swing. For others, however, the school year has yet to begin. Michigan, for example, has a law that requires schools to start after Labor Day unless they are granted a waiver by the state’s Department of Education.

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Do These School Hiring Practices Weed Out Opposing Views?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 1 Sep 2023 11:23:00 +0000

A new report from a conservative watchdog organization claims school district diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and hiring policies determine the political leanings of the teachers who end up in the classroom. The National Opportunity Project report, released Friday, said school districts that implement the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion in the hiring process weed out candidates that don’t “subscribe to certain views.” Districts mentioned in the report declined requests to comment.

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Poll: Voters Express Dissatisfaction With Quality of Public School Education

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 15:23:42 +0000

At the Republican primary debate last week, presidential hopefuls disparaged the state of education in the nation, with some candidates advocating for the abolition of the U.S. Department of Education and the promotion of school choice options. It’s an issue that seems sure to reappear as voters signal strong concerns with the quality of traditional public education. The Center Square Voters' Voice Poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, found that more Americans are dissatisfied than satisfied with the quality of education at their local public school.

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Why These Missouri Schools Want to Drop Yearly Standardized Tests

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 13:30:00 +0000

A group of 20 schools in Missouri has received a waiver from the state to halt end-of-school standardized testing for students in lieu of interim assessments that direct how teachers and administrators will provide instruction. The schools are part of the Success-Ready Students Network and see the state Board of Education’s decision Tuesday to waive annual assessment requirements as a way to better provide competency-based learning to students. The state board voted unanimously to approve the “innovation waivers,” which will absolve the school districts of state requirements to test students for three years as the schools pursue competency-based learning.

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School Choice in Texas Is Far From Consensus

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 13:28:00 +0000

The Texas House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity and Enrichment released a statewide report on education last week along with public comments from residents who expressed competing outlooks on education opportunity, accountability methods and student outcomes. The public comments show how Texans are vocally divided on whether to implement school choice programs in the state. The divide echoes division around school choice measures in the Legislature last session.

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Nevada Committee Spikes Governor’s Plan to Bolster School Choice

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 11:40:00 +0000

Nevada lawmakers voted Wednesday not to divert federal COVID-19 relief funds toward expanding the Opportunity Scholarship program in the state after about six hours of discussion and testimony. Members of the Interim Finance Committee, comprised of the Senate Committee on Finance and the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means from the last legislative session, voted down party lines to reject Gov. Joe Lombardo’s funding proposal. The Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship Program, also known as the Opportunity Scholarship, was created in 2015 by the state’s legislature to provide need-based scholarships for students whose families live under 300% of the federal poverty line, according to the state’s website.

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Ed Dept, Homeland Security Announce School Cyberattack Counteroffensive

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 11:37:00 +0000

The Biden administration announced a more unified approach Tuesday to help school districts ward off cyberattacks that threaten the exposure of private student data, disruption of daily operations and the loss of millions in taxpayer money. The Department of Education and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a document for school district leaders highlighting best practices to keep data safe, including preparing for attacks targeting schools as seen recently in Minneapolis and Los Angeles.

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Lawsuit Against Michigan for Bar on Publicly Funding Private Schools Continues

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 18:15:22 +0000

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit heard oral arguments Wednesday in a case against Michigan’s Blaine amendment, which restricts most public funds from going toward private schools. Five families sued the state in September 2021, arguing that the state’s Blaine amendment violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution because they were not allowed to use Michigan’s Education Savings Plan for private school tuition.

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‘COVID Credentials’: High School Graduation Rates Soar While Test Scores Fall

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 9 Aug 2023 19:38:45 +0000

Test scores have continually demonstrated that students across the nation lost academic ground during the pandemic, so why are some districts touting higher graduation rates than before the pandemic? Do graduation rates mean students know everything they should? School districts across the nation have posted high graduation rates, despite test scores that show student achievement declines since the COVID-19 pandemic. Research suggests that the high graduation rate across the country comes from lower standards, not increased learning.

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Retail Industry: Back to School Costs Expected to Be All-Time High

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 2 Aug 2023 21:22:56 +0000

A new report from the National Retail Federation found that back-to-school shopping is expected to cost consumers an all-time high. The industry association found families purchasing for K-12 students are expected to spend an average of about $890, about $25 more than last year.

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Is Michelangelo’s ‘David’ Pornographic? Here’s What Tallahassee Parents Said

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 1 Aug 2023 19:47:30 +0000

Emails obtained by Chalkboard revealed how board members at a Tallahassee charter school handled complaints from parents arguing Michelangelo’s “David” and other famous works were not appropriate for students. Tallahassee Classical School made international headlines in March when principal Hope Carrasquilla told the Tallahassee Democrat that she was forced out of her position after parental objections to a sixth-grade art lesson on the Renaissance. The school says that characterization is false. The new details of what parents said about the artwork come as school districts nationwide struggle to agree on what is age-appropriate material for children, especially regarding library books.

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California School Board Backs Down on Curriculum Fight With Gov. Newsom

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 12:54:54 +0000

After a recent showdown with Gov. Gavin Newsom, a California school board has approved a middle school social studies curriculum that it previously rejected over opposition to materials that mention the gay historical figure Harvey Milk. The Temecula Valley Unified School District school board voted in a special meeting Friday to approve the curriculum after Newsom said the state would provide textbooks that align with state standards and fine the school for failing to provide materials that do so.

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Survey: Some Americans Say Schools Can Do Better on Discipline

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 22:17:44 +0000

Americans are unhappy with how schools handle student behavior issues and how school discipline policies are enforced, which can have an effect on school safety, according to a July 19 poll. Parental rights organization Parents Defending Education commissioned the poll conducted by CRC Research. The poll found that 40% of those surveyed think schools are doing a poor job enforcing student behavior policies and said school disruptions have increased in the past year.

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Report: Some Students Need Entire School Year to Recover Lost Learning

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 14:48:29 +0000

New research from an education assessment organization found that test scores from students in the 2022-2023 school year show student achievement fell short of what it was before schools nationwide closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research from Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) found that achievement gains for most students in grades 3-8 again fell short of average achievement gains from before the pandemic. The researchers concluded that the average student will need at least four extra months of school to catch up on reading and math.

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U.S. Dept. of Education ‘Very Eager’ to Yank Federal Funds From Schools That Ban Books

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 19:01:09 +0000

A top official at the U.S. Education Department Office of Civil Rights said this afternoon that her office would consider taking away federal funds from school districts that remove books from school libraries. Assistant Secretary Catherine Lhamon said that her office is "very eager" to enforce its control over federal funds to keep districts from creating a hostile environment for students caused by book removals.

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Do Four-Day School Weeks Have Hidden Downsides?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 20:38:39 +0000

As more school districts across the country consider the possibility of four-day school weeks, critics point to studies that indicate there are more risks than benefits. While advocates argue condensing instruction hours into four longer school days can save taxpayers money while appealing for teachers and students, studies show negative correlations between both student performance and teacher recruitment and retention, according to Shannon Holston, chief of policy and programs at the National Council on Teacher Quality.

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Critics: Illinois Graduation Rates Don’t Tell Full Story

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 22:28:46 +0000

Illinois saw its highest graduation rate in more than a decade last year, according to the Illinois Report Card. Yet critics are wondering if the state's schools are graduating students who aren't ready. Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski argues that the Illinois School System has become so broken even its greatest accomplishments now raise questions about its overall competency. “These school districts are not being honest with students or parents,” Dabrowski told The Center Square. “They’re looking to hide all their failures by graduating kids that are not prepared to move on.”

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What Are Restorative Discipline Practices? Should Schools Use Them?

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Fri, 7 Jul 2023 12:29:49 +0000

A practice once used in the criminal justice system is now preferred by the nation's top law enforcement and education agencies who say schools should use it to prevent discrimination. Restorative justice or restorative practices have in the past decade or so become more regular terms in school buildings across the country as an alternative to hard-line disciplinary policies that before dominated districts. But is the new approach to discipline actually working?

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School Choice Research Paints Two Pictures as States Consider Expansion

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 6 Jul 2023 15:44:19 +0000

Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro signaled that he supports school choice measures as the state Legislature began discussions Thursday around the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success Program. Lawmakers in the Pennsylvania state house are the latest to discuss expanding school choice measures that allow public funds to follow students to private schools.

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The Launch of Chalkboard News

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 12:33:41 +0000

Learn about the launch of Chalkboard News which provides a non-partisan, non-political approach to news coverage of the critical issues facing public education in America. Our journalists focus on curriculum; school funding; educational choice; the roles of parents, teachers, and administrators; the voice taxpayers have in their local schools; and the betterment of K-12 public education.

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Secretary of Education: Bright Spots Dot Us Academic Performance Despite Declines

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 18:36:33 +0000

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona described several bright spots amid an otherwise bleak announcement this week that there has been no past-pandemic recovery for reading and mathematics based on test scores of 13-year-olds tested last year.

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Illinois Law Now Requires Schools to Report Bullying to Parents Within 24 Hours

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 09:25:54 +0000

Illinois school officials are now required to notify parents and guardians of any cases of bullying within a 24-hour period. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the measure into law despite opposition from numerous school groups who said the time period is not feasible, including the Illinois Principals Association and Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools.

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Year-Round School? Districts Around Country Experiment With More Balanced Calendar

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 17:24:14 +0000

With schools out for the summer, students and staff may not know how many days are left before going back to class. But some schools are looking at a shorter summer break as a way to reduce learning losses and balance out the school year. Advocates say that year-round school, or what is sometimes called a balanced calendar, allows students to retain learning better, catch up if they are struggling and offers the school community well-timed breaks to better recuperate.

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Teachers at San Diego Charter School Vote to Oust Union

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 16:49:57 +0000

The majority of teachers at a San Diego public charter school have voted to remove the union from their workplace years after initial attempts to do so were delayed until this year. The California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) announced the results of the vote to decertify the San Diego Education Association (SDEA) this week after nearly a month-long vote period, as Chalkboard previously reported.

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Georgia Teacher Training Commission Targets Words Like ‘Equity,’ ‘Diversity’

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 21:47:26 +0000

A state board governing Georgia’s teacher training programs will vote this afternoon on whether to remove words like “equity,” “social justice” and “diversity” from educator training guides and replace them with values that promote “fairness” to remove controversial language.

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Report: North Carolina Should Tweak A-F School Grading System, Follow Other States

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 8 Jun 2023 19:35:34 +0000

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction presented a report last week to the state’s House K-12 Education Committee. The report was created by an advisory group of education leaders who argue for amending the state’s A-F grading system for schools.

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21 Attorney Generals: Don’t Let Schools Make Gender Identity Decisions Without Parents

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 7 Jun 2023 15:20:18 +0000

A coalition of 21 state attorneys general are taking a stand in favor of Florida parents who sued their school district for allegedly violating their rights regarding their children’s gender confusion and the use of different pronouns while at school.

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Ed Dept’s AI Report Focuses on Equity Concerns, Privacy Risks

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Thu, 1 Jun 2023 10:22:03 +0000

The U.S. Department of Education released guidance for school administrators that offers insights into how districts should implement and weigh the risks of artificial intelligence for teachers and students – but not when it comes to how students are using it.

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School Choice Bills Have Swept the Nation

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 31 May 2023 16:15:13 +0000

As the school year ends and legislative sessions adjourn, Chalkboard updated its review of which legislatures nationwide are implementing school choice measures that provide education options for students and their families and which states have removed them.

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Some States Are Rethinking Third-Grade Reading Requirements as Students Struggle Through Learning Loss

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 24 May 2023 12:13:30 +0000

Should states hold back third-graders who can’t read well enough? That’s the question Ohio legislators are considering along with legislation that would remove that state’s third-grade reading law. The Buckeye state isn’t alone: Several state houses have recently passed laws concerning holding students back if they can’t read at grade level.

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Education Department's Proposed Rule for Transgender Athletes Sparks Criticism & Praise

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 23 May 2023 16:20:37 +0000

The U. S. Department of Education announced a Title IX rule change Thursday that would prohibit blanket bans on transgender students who participate in sports in favor of a number of factors intended to balance fair competition and allowing students to play on a team matching their gender identity. The proposed rules have been met with condemnation from politicians on both sides of the aisle and conservative groups while teachers unions and progressive groups hailed the proposed changes as a win for transgender athletes.

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After Paying $608,000 for Equitable Policies, This School District Is Staring Down High Crime Rate & Persistent Discipline Disparities

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Wed, 17 May 2023 09:39:04 +0000

A North Carolina school district that spent more than half a million dollars on policy changes in pursuit of equity has seen an uptick in crime in recent years while short-term suspension disparities have continued, according to publicly available data. The Winston Salem/Forsyth County School District reportedly began questioning its disciplinary policies in 2020. The school board has since voted to pay a nonprofit more than $600,000 to revamp its code of conduct to pursue more equitable disciplinary practices.

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Poll: Students Are Using ChatGPT for School Without Parents Knowing

educationinfocuspod@gmail.com (The Center Square) — Tue, 16 May 2023 14:35:46 +0000

According to a new poll by Common Sense Media, students use artificial intelligence without their parents’ knowledge. It also found that parents are worried about what AI programs like ChatGPT mean for their children and aren’t as adept at using the software as their children. The survey asked parents of K-12 students and students between the ages of 12 and 18 about their experiences with ChatGPT and comes as more services offer artificial intelligence which can generate text for specific prompts. Large school districts have banned students from using AI, but other districts have struggled to catch up with policies.

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