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NYC paid consultants $350,000 to help right-size preschool programs. The findings remain elusive.
Sign up for Chalkbeat New York’s free daily newsletter to keep up with NYC’s public schools.As Mayor Eric Adams took heat last year for rolling back a planned expansion of preschool for 3-year-olds, he repeatedly claimed the project had been mismanaged.The problem, Adams said, was the previous administration hadn’t properly accounted for supply and demand in different neighborhoods, leading to a glut of unfilled seats. So the city enlisted the consulting firm Accenture to figure out the right balance of seats at a neighborhood level across the early childhood system.The cost would top $760,000, according to the city’s budget director,...
MSCS board member Frank Johnson ends his campaign, citing health issues
Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with Memphis-Shelby County Schools and statewide education policy.Frank Johnson, the South Memphis activist who represents District 7 on the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board, ended his election campaign to stay on the board, midway through the early-voting period.Johnson, who announced his decision on social media, said that a stroke he experienced last September and the recent death of his sister led him to focus on his physical and mental health.“While my commitment to serve on behalf of the citizens of this great city is unchanged, after much consideration, I have decided...
Chicago’s Noble Schools CEO Constance Jones stepping down after six years
Sign up for Chalkbeat Chicago’s free daily newsletter to keep up with the latest education news.The head of Chicago’s largest high school charter network is stepping down after six years on the job.Noble Schools CEO Constance Jones announced in an email to staff and families that she will “pass the torch to a new leader” and work with the network’s board and an outside consultant to find a new CEO.In a statement, Jones said she is focused on the start of the school year and plans on staying and overlapping with the new CEO “for several months to support a...
Michigan officials deny claims state failed students with disabilities during COVID
Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free daily newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy.Michigan education officials this month asked the U.S. Department of Education to dismiss all claims that the state violated the federal rights of students with disabilities during COVID-era school shutdowns.The state’s legal filing comes after an investigation by the federal department’s Office of Civil Rights found many students with disabilities did not receive the services and instruction they were entitled to under federal anti-discrimination laws.The OCR found that children in Michigan’s public schools went prolonged periods without appropriate instruction or...
He dreamed of attending Stuyvesant. But getting accommodations for his disability proved too much.
In the summer after middle school, George begged his mom to drive him to Lower Manhattan from their home in Brooklyn, so that he could walk around Stuyvesant High School, a massive 10-story building along the Hudson River.He gazed up at it, trying to imagine what it would be like to go to one of New York City’s most prestigious institutions.“I had this idea in my head of what Stuyvesant would be like,” he said, recalling that summer three years ago. “I’ve always been kind of a sucker for those big things.” (George and his mother requested pseudonyms for privacy...
I skipped three grades. More gifted students need accelerated paths.
I went to high school at age 11.Within two years, I had run out of math and Spanish classes there, so I walked from my public school campus to nearby Lewis and Clark College to study differential equations, symbolic logic, and the plays of 1830s Spain.People often ask me if it was strange to be a newly minted teenager in classrooms full of college upperclassmen. The truth is, no one knew my age unless I told them. I was just the overenthusiastic, kind of young-looking kid in the front row.Without the chance to skip grades, I would have completely disengaged...
Experts promote daily habits and parental help to boost student literacy in the summer and beyond
Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.Summer reading can increase your child’s literacy skills.But literacy experts say things like the traditional focus on reading books from a lengthy list shouldn’t be students’ sole goal when school is out.Instead, they say, parents should also be reinforcing other language skills that bolster literacy.Doing so doesn’t need to be complicated. For example, by simply fostering a daily habit of reading, parents can boost their children’s literacy skills without fretting over whether they should be speeding through dozens...
To help address a teacher shortage, Colorado gives $10,000 stipends to educators earning degrees
Sign up for Chalkbeat Colorado’s free daily newsletter to get the latest reporting from us, plus curated news from other Colorado outlets, delivered to your inbox.Colorado is seeking new applicants for a program that aims to address Colorado’s teacher shortage by providing $10,000 stipends to educators teaching under alternative licenses while earning degrees.Called the Educator Recruitment and Retention Financial Assistance Program, the program began in the 2021-22 school year with 80 educators, who agreed to work in rural school districts for three years as a condition of receiving the $10,000 stipend.In 2022, state lawmakers expanded the program to include educators...
Bipartisan coalition issues call to cut chronic absenteeism in half as kids continue to miss school
Sign up for Chalkbeat’s free weekly newsletter to keep up with how education is changing across the U.S.From poor reading skills to chaotic classrooms, the stubbornly high rate at which kids are absent from school makes it harder to solve every other problem in education. That’s made improving attendance a rare point of bipartisan agreement.A new coalition announced a campaign on Wednesday calling on schools to cut their chronic absenteeism rates in half from the 2021-22 school year, when rates peaked across the country, by the 2026-27 school year.The goal is to reverse what happened during the pandemic, when the...
Detroit principal accused of creating hostile environment transferred to new school
The principal of Detroit’s Thirkell Elementary Middle-School has been reassigned for the upcoming school year following claims from parents and staff that she created a hostile work environment.Detroit Public Schools Community District Superintendent Nikolai Vitti confirmed that Stephanie Gaines will be the new principal at the Catherine C. Blackwell Institute when the school year starts Aug. 26. She replaces Natalia Russell, an educator with more than 20 years of experience, who is retiring from the east side school that serves grades 3-8.“We felt that it was time for a change for her and the staff at Thirkell,” Vitti told BridgeDetroit,...
Talking to students about the Trump assassination attempt won’t be easy. We should do it anyway.
In my ninth grade Global History class this past year, I connected the medieval Crusades with the current war in Gaza. I was nervous about teaching such a current and polarizing issue — one many students care deeply about — but I decided it was important to do it anyway.When I asked in the end-of-unit survey of my Crusades/Gaza unit whether we should have learned about such a sensitive topic, one student wrote, “It is important to know about matters around the world.” Another explained that after our class discussions, “it doesn’t feel weird talking to people about it anymore.”Last...
This college advisor expands possibilities for vulnerable students at the high school she attended
When Alicia Alvarez first stepped through the doors of her office at Western International High School five years ago, it was “a full circle moment.”The college transition advisor already knew the school intimately.This spring marked 10 years since Alvarez graduated from the same school where she works today. At Western, she is building a college-going culture. That means supporting young people each step of the way — from showing them which colleges are out there to helping them navigate the application and decision processes. Her work is vital in a city where fewer than 20% of residents hold college degrees,...
With vote to approve 10 charter schools, the sector’s growth in NYC is once again on pause
Sign up for Chalkbeat New York’s free daily newsletter to keep up with NYC’s public schools.Ten New York City charter schools got the green light to open their doors on Wednesday, a surprise as only nine were thought to be up for grabs.The latest wave of approvals means the sector has once again reached a state-imposed limit on the number of charter schools, prompting backers of the publicly funded yet privately managed schools to immediately call for the legislature to raise that cap.Most of the charters granted by the State University of New York Charter Schools Committee on Wednesday will...
NYC planning a school cellphone ban for February, principals say
New York City, the nation’s largest school system, is considering a plan to ban cellphones in its roughly 1,600 schools starting in February, according to several principals briefed on the possible policy.Schools would have to come up with their own policies, principals told Chalkbeat, whether they collect devices at the start of the day or have students carry their phones in Yondr pouches, cloth cases for phones that are locked with a magnet from morning to dismissal.Even though such systems can be pricey, school leaders don’t expect to receive extra money in their budgets, principals said, according to the plans...
Tennessee governor’s comparison of school choice to civil rights ‘deeply offensive,’ Democrats say
Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free daily newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.In one of the battleground states of the Civil Rights Movement, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is drawing heat for his description of school choice as “the civil rights issue of our time.”Lee, who chairs the Republican Governors Association, made the comparison Tuesday during a four-minute speech to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee as he attacked the Biden administration’s record on education, border security, inflation, and farm policies.“They attacked parental rights. Republican governors fought back for a parent’s right to choose their...
Union members assail Chicago Public Schools budget plan ahead of board vote
Sign up for Chalkbeat Chicago’s free daily newsletter to keep up with the latest education news.Tensions are flaring over the approval of Chicago Public Schools’ $9.9 billion budget, with a looming school board vote on it next week.The district held public hearings on the budget proposal at Jones College Prep High School on Tuesday amid unusual uncertainty over its prospects. Mayor Brandon Johnson has said he does not support the proposal, which includes some cuts to central office staff and other expenditures to close a $505 million deficit.Meanwhile, the Chicago Teachers Union, which helped elect Johnson last year, has lambasted...
Chicago’s Board of Education to move meeting location due to water damage, upcoming renovations
Sign up for Chalkbeat Chicago’s free daily newsletter to keep up with the latest education news.The Chicago Board of Education won’t meet in its boardroom for the rest of the year due to flood damage and renovations to make space for the new elected school board, officials said Wednesday.July’s full board meeting will be held at Jones College Prep in the South Loop. Monthly meetings in August, October, November and December will be held at a Chicago Public Schools administrative building known as the Colman office at 4655 S. Dearborn St., in the Grand Boulevard neighborhood on the South Side,...
What’s next for the proposed new Indiana high school diplomas that focus on workplace readiness
Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.Hoosiers still have time to weigh in on the state’s proposals for new high school diploma requirements as the Indiana State Board of Education will likely vote on changes slightly later than expected.The diploma proposals by the state board of education in March would take the emphasis off college-going as the pinnacle of education, and instead prioritize students’ workplace readiness. In June, the state board added three readiness seals – enrollment, employment, and enlistment – to the proposal.Currently,...
Summer EBT delays have left families waiting weeks or months for crucial food benefits
Sign up for Chalkbeat’s free weekly newsletter to keep up with how education is changing across the U.S.Millions of children in six states won’t get federally backed summer food benefits they’re eligible for until just before school starts. And in Delaware, Montana, and Nevada, half a million kids won’t get them until the new school year begins.Summer EBT, also known as SUN Bucks, provides low-income families with $120 per school-age child to buy groceries over the summer. It’s a rare example of a pandemic-era program that Congress made permanent, and most states are offering it for the first time this...
2024 ILEARN scores: Indiana students show slight improvement in reading, slight drop in math
Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.The 2024 ILEARN scores released Wednesday showed slight changes from last year’s scores.Statewide test scores for all Indiana students in grades 3 to 8 show less than a half of a percentage point change in students proficient or better in English language arts, math, and the subjects combined.Scores went up slightly for the subjects combined and for English, but down slightly for math.In 2024, 30.8% of students in third through eighth across the state were proficient or better...
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Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization committed to covering one of America’s most important stories: the effort to improve schools for all children, especially those who have historically lacked access to a quality education. Our reporters cover education nationally and at the local level, in Chicago, Colorado, Detroit, Indiana, Newark, New York, Philadelphia, and Tennessee, with more locations to come.
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