10. New York City Schools Chief Blasts Dysfunctional $38 Billion Bureaucracy, Reveals Over 120,000 Families Have Fled the District
David C. Banks made his first major speech as schools chancellor Wednesday, stating that – despite the best efforts of educators – the New York City public school system remains deeply dysfunctional. Read Now
9. Updated New Mexico School Curriculum Asks Students to Determine Their ‘Group Identity’ Starting in Kindergarten
New Mexico’s K-12 students will see a greater focus on race and ethnicity, including Native American history, in their curriculum over the next two years under new standards aimed at making social studies teaching more culturally responsive. Read Now
8. Wisconsin Superintendent Charged With False Imprisonment After Being Accused of Strip Searching Six Female Students
The superintendent of the Suring School District has been charged with six counts of false imprisonment related to the strip search of students on Jan. 18, Oconto County District Attorney Edward Burke announced Monday. Read Now
7. Judge: Virginia District’s Elite High School Admissions Policy Constitutes an Illegal Act of ‘Racial Balancing’
A federal judge ruled Friday that a new admissions system for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a prestigious magnet program in Fairfax, discriminates against Asian American applicants and must end. Read Now
6. Alabama Schools Spending $434 Million in COVID Aid on Athletic Complexes, Weight Rooms, ‘Zen Rooms’
Alabama schools plan to invest more in facilities with the final round of federal COVID relief funding than in any other category of spending. Read Now
Commentary of the Week:
BUCK: Restorative Circles Are Unethical and Have No Place in Schools
In the past decade, the role of the teacher in schools has slowly shifted from pedagogue to therapist. Perhaps the most glaring example of this shift is the practice called “circle conversations.” Read Now
5. Police Cam Videos Reveal How School Cops and Educators Restrain Kids in Crisis
Sydney is having a mental breakdown in a special education classroom when the 9-year-old girl tries — but fails — to pelt a police officer with a cracker. Read Now
4. 72% of Voters Support School Choice
Republicans, Democrats, and Independents strongly support giving families educational options this year. Read Now
3. Parents of Kids With Speech Disorders Forced to Gamble During the Pandemic
Americans have been arguing about pandemic restrictions for two years, and the debate is particularly fraught among parents of small children, for good reasons. Read Now
2. No More Extra Credit? Schools Adopt ‘Equitable Grading’ in Response to Rise in Failing Students
To curb an alarming rise in failing students at the height of the pandemic, school districts around the U.S. showed leniency in accepting late work and assigning grades. Read Now
1. New Data Show the Student Exodus From Public Schools Is Continuing – And Teachers Are Leaving Too
While it was understandable that parents might seek different learning settings for their children amidst 2020 school closures, new data suggests the exodus from district schools isn’t letting up. Read Now