Charter Schools Turning to Weighted Lotteries to Attract Low-Income Students
Often criticized for a lack of racial and socioeconomic diversity, Nevada charter schools are starting to embrace weighted lotteries as a way to increase enrollment of under-resourced students. Coral Academy, which operates seven schools across Southern Nevada, announced this week they are accepting applications for the 2022-23 school year, and that low-income students will have a better shot at snagging one of their coveted seats,...
Kerr & Richie: Solving the K-12 Staffing Crisis
The majority of public schools are back to offering full-time in-person instruction. But in districts across the country, persistent and unprecedented staff shortages are creating new kinds of uncertainty as the pandemic drags on — especially in high-poverty districts. It’s not just classroom teachers: In many schools, lower-paid roles such as substitute teachers, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, nurses and cafeteria workers are the...
Renewal of Indian Education Policy ‘a Step in the Right Direction’ for Indigenous Education
Native American educators praised the Arizona State Board of Education and the Department of Education for renewing the state’s Indian Education Policy last month, a move they say moves toward improving education for...
Confronting Teacher Shortages: State Passes New Law to Aid Aspiring Educators
In an effort to reduce longstanding teacher shortages, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law in September creating new pathways to the classroom for would-be teachers who lack the proper credentials. Sign up here for The 74’s daily newsletter. Donate here to support The 74's independent journalism. Under the law, the state Department of Education will create a five-year pilot program in which officials will issue “limited...
Curriculum Matters for Everyone — Why Now Is the Time
This is the final in a series of four essays that reflect on a Knowledge Matters Campaign tour of school districts across Massachusetts. Part of a larger set of stories detailing the journey of educators across the country that have embraced a new vision of teaching and learning through implementation of high-quality instructional materials, this piece discusses the state’s reliance over the years on two balanced literacy programs...
Schools After COVID: What Education Leaders Can Learn From Parents' Innovations
COVID-19 has been deeply traumatic and disruptive for students and families. But the pandemic also created opportunities for families and community organizations to design their own solutions to educational challenges that existed long before it. Sign up here for The 74’s daily newsletter. Donate here to support The 74's independent journalism. As school systems move into the 2021–22 school year, they should learn from...
College Bust, or Boom? Even as Some Campuses Shutter, New Ones Are Opening Doors
Portland, Maine The ergonomic chairs, glass-walled conference rooms, ubiquitous technology and smell of new carpets and fresh paint scream well-funded startup. And that’s what the Roux Institute is: a brand-new university campus backed by $200 million of donated money. The institute, which opened last year in borrowed space with sweeping views of Casco Bay in Portland’s fast-developing East End, is offering master’s degrees,...
2021's Top 10 Quotes About Teachers, Unions & Education
Since 1997, I have been collecting memorable quotes on the topics of public education and teachers unions. Each year, I post the 10 quotes I find are the most revealing. The 2021 list is quite a collection, headed by a quote that was truly remarkable. Here they are, in countdown order: 10. “The union said teaching had to be optional for all teachers, even those who are young and healthy, or nobody would go back.” — Perry Stein...
‘Our Parents Have Done Enough’: Cardona Urges Schools to Stay Open
With the Omicron variant now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. and cases spiking, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Tuesday urged school leaders not to retreat from in-person learning. ”I don’t think we should be considering remote options,” Cardona said Tuesday in an interview with The 74. “Our students deserve more, not less, and our parents have done enough to help balance school closures the first year of the...
Following Federal Scrutiny, FL Education Officials Returned $878,000 to Certain Local School Boards
After several months of legal challenges, state sanctions, and a special session that outlawed strict mask mandates in public schools, the Florida Department of Education returned $877,851 in state funds to eight school districts that had been punished over a COVID-related mask controversy. “It has been put back, so we do have that money,” Russell Bruhn, communication staffer with the Brevard County school district, told the...
Now's the Time to Get Teaching Reading Right
Last week, New York City’s incoming schools chancellor made a stunning acknowledgment: The nation’s largest school district has been teaching reading the wrong way for 25 years. David Banks said clearly that balanced literacy — an approach used around the country — doesn’t work, particularly for low-income students. Instead, phonics-based instruction is what students need. Sign up here for The 74’s daily...