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Proposed NYC charter hopes to become second LGBTQ+ affirming middle school in nation
Sign up for Chalkbeat New York’s free daily newsletter to keep up with NYC’s public schools.A proposed New York City charter school hopes to become the second LGBTQ+ affirming middle school in the nation, as a vote on nine potential new charter schools could come as soon as next week.Joji Florence and Jill Glassbrook, founders of the proposed Miss Major Middle School, are seeking to establish a school that supports students as they navigate questions of identity.“As you’re understanding your identity, and as you’re going to explore it, we want to be the place that gives you a lot of...
State promises to replace 13 Newark schools as district mulls bond for other projects
Sign up for Chalkbeat Newark’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system.The state has agreed to fund several new facilities to take the place of some of Newark’s oldest school buildings — but the deal still leaves out 20 schools that need to be replaced, district officials say.Through the state’s Schools Development Authority, New Jersey will pay to replace 13 school buildings built before 1920, said Superintendent Roger León during June’s board meeting.But leaders of Newark Public Schools have identified 33 schools that need replacing and dozens more that need renovations. The state identified Newark’s need...
IPS will give free safe-sleep items to pregnant and parenting students starting next school year
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.When Alma Figueroa visited the homes of Indianapolis Public Schools students who were pregnant or parenting earlier this year, she noticed hazards that put babies at risk of suffocation or strangulation — from bed-sharing to stuffed animals in the crib.But Figueroa has a response ready for the upcoming school year.As the case manager for the IPS Stronger Tomorrows program for pregnant and parenting students, she plans to give them the items to guard against babies sleeping at angles...
Tennessee governor bets big on school vouchers with primary endorsements. Will it work?
Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free daily newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.At the Halfway Market in Franklin, Tennessee, where locals come for a good hamburger and friendly conversation, Republican Brian Beathard works the crowd as a candidate for a high-profile legislative seat ahead of a pivotal session on the future of the state’s education system.By most standards, Beathard should be a shoo-in to replace departing state Rep. Sam Whitson, a four-term Republican lawmaker who’s retiring this year.Beathard (pronounced BETH-ard) has served on the Williamson County Commission since 2010 and, as its current chairman,...
Classroom ‘churn’ has negative effect on third grade reading scores, new Colorado study finds
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.Classroom “churn” — when students leave a classroom midyear or new students join — can have a negative effect on third grade reading scores, according to a new study that examined Colorado census and state standardized test data.The study, by researchers at the Colorado Futures Center at Colorado State University, found that higher classroom churn was correlated with lower third grade reading scores, based on data from 2019. It’s a trend that the center’s executive...
Detroit school board approves new teacher contract that includes pay raises, bonuses
The Detroit school board approved a new two-year contract for teachers Tuesday that includes pay increases for new and veteran educators as well as bonuses for special-education and mental health employees.The new agreement means that from 2017 to the second year of the contract, which lasts until 2026, teacher salaries will have increased every year, with most veteran teachers seeing a 43% rise in base salaries, according to the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, veteran teachers could make as much as $94,000 a year if they have a doctorate, up from $87,000 in the...
Chicago Public Schools proposes $9.9 billion budget for next school year
Sign up for Chalkbeat Chicago’s free daily newsletter to keep up with the latest education news.Chicago Public Schools is proposing a $9.9 billion budget for next school year that closes a roughly half-billion-dollar deficit mainly by cutting central office expenses — but does not yet include raises for teachers and principals whose unions are negotiating new contracts with the district.The proposed budget includes a $149 million increase in funding for schools, driven by a $62 million increase for services for students with disabilities, as well as increases for charter schools and bilingual services, according to a district news release.A spike...
It takes a village: A Brooklyn high school and NYC nonprofits team up to enroll older immigrants
The prospect of enrolling at a New York City school had begun to seem like a dim possibility for Amadou Sara Barry, an 18-year-old who arrived from Guinea five months ago.Barry came to the U.S. by himself in February, determined to attend school to learn English and take the first step toward his dream of becoming an actor, he told Chalkbeat through an interpreter speaking Pulaar, an indigenous language of Guinea. But he’d hit a wall. Some schools told him he was too old, and others told him to come back in the fall, he said.Under state law, students like...
Vaping: These Colorado schools will get Juul lawsuit settlement money for education and prevention
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.Twenty-one Colorado school districts, seven charter schools, one cooperative education services board, and one youth residential treatment center have been awarded $11.4 million in funding over the next three years for vaping education and prevention programs.The money comes from a $31.7 million settlement between the state of Colorado and e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs Inc. Colorado sued Juul in 2020, alleging that it targeted youth with deceptive marketing and played down the health risks of vaping....
Illinois revenue from a tax on corporate profits is projected to decline. Here’s what that means for school districts.
Sign up for Chalkbeat Chicago’s free daily newsletter to keep up with the latest education news.Illinois public school districts benefited from an uptick in a local tax on corporate profits in recent years. But the surge in revenue is expected to end, leaving school officials to grapple with tighter budgets.The shift comes as federal COVID recovery money dries up, and local education advocates fear that the recent addition of $350 million to the state’s education budget isn’t enough to match the needs of schools.The state’s evidence-based funding uses data from previous years, which means districts that saw unexpected gains from...
New rules for free and reduced-price meals in New Jersey expand eligibility to 60,000 more students
Sign up for Chalkbeat Newark’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system.When New Jersey’s 1.4 million K-12 students return for the new public school year in September, 60,000 more of them will qualify for free or reduced-price meals as a new state law kicks in, representing a new front in the state’s efforts to curb food insecurity.The Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act, signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy in January, raised the upper limit on household income that triggers help with meals at school to 224% of the federal poverty line, from the previous 200%...
NYC educators: How are AI-powered tools changing your classroom?
Sign up for Chalkbeat New York’s free daily newsletter to keep up with NYC’s public schools.New York City teachers: We want to hear your thoughts about how artificial intelligence-powered tools like ChatGPT are changing the classroom.It’s been more than a year since the tech group OpenAI introduced ChatGPT to the public — with it and a slew of other chatbots and tools introducing new ways to generate writing and content using AI. Today, some students at New York City high schools report widespread use of AI-powered chatbots among their peers. And nationally, 44% of teenagers said in a survey they...
Kara Ahmed, NYC’s head of early childhood education, to leave after turbulent tenure
This article is part of an ongoing collaboration between Chalkbeat and THE CITY.Kara Ahmed, the deputy chancellor who oversaw New York City’s early childhood education programs during a turbulent two-and-a-half year period, is leaving her post, she told staffers in a Tuesday morning video conference.Ahmed will take over in September as the president of Educare Network, a group of 25 birth-to-5 schools across the country serving approximately 4,000 students, according to a press release. Ahmed told staffers the job would allow her to “help elevate the quality of early childhood education on a national level,” according to a recording of...
High-ranking NYC education officials switch positions in staffing shuffle
In an unusual staffing shuffle, two high-ranking New York City Education Department officials are effectively swapping positions — with one returning to the public school system just months after leaving for a new job.Melissa Aviles-Ramos, who left her role as chief of staff for schools Chancellor David Banks in February to start a job as a college administrator, will return to the Education Department to take over as deputy chancellor for family and community engagement and external affairs, officials announced Monday.She will replace Kenita Lloyd, a long-time colleague of the chancellor’s, dating back to his days running a network of...
IPS announces new principal at School 87 after fallout from abuse allegations against teacher
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.Indianapolis Public Schools has hired a new principal at George Washington Carver School 87 following an outcry over the school’s culture and administrators’ handling of allegations that a former teacher encouraged abuse of a student with a disability.Elizabeth Krutz, former principal of La Porte Middle School and coordinator of special programs at the La Porte Community School Corporation, will start after her hiring is confirmed by the IPS board at the end of July, per an IPS news...
Flawed FAFSA rollout leads to 11.6% drop in students filling out the college financial aid form
Sign up for our free monthly newsletter Beyond High School to get the latest news about college and career paths for Colorado’s high school grads.As this year’s tumultuous rollout of the so-called Better FAFSA came to a close, the number of students who completed the form dropped 11.6% compared to last year, according to data from the National College Attainment Network.Nationally, 46% of graduating high school seniors this year completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid by June 28, according to data released Saturday by the nonprofit. The form unlocks federal, state, and institutional aid to attend college, and...
Judge dismisses universal preschool lawsuit brought by Colorado school districts
A Denver district court judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit brought by several Colorado school districts over the state’s universal preschool program, ruling that the plaintiffs don’t have legal grounds to sue.In his 20-page ruling, Judge Jon J. Olafson concluded that the six school districts, two education groups, a cooperative education services board, and two families that sued the state last year had not suffered any “injury” covered by state or federal law. The districts, groups, and families had argued that the universal preschool program administration was harming students with disabilities, in addition to other claims.The decision is a win...
Catholic preschools to appeal ruling in Colorado universal preschool case
Two Catholic preschools will appeal a June federal court ruling that would prevent them from barring children from LGBTQ families if they choose to participate in Colorado’s state-funded preschool program.Lawyers for the preschools filed the notice of appeal in late June, about three weeks after Senior U.S. District Judge John L. Kane rejected most of the claims the preschools made when they sued the state of Colorado last August.The appeal to the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals means it will take longer to get a final answer to a key question: Can religious preschools exclude children from LGBTQ...
The pandemic set younger kids back. Their struggle to recover is especially acute, data shows.
Sign up for Chalkbeat’s free weekly newsletter to keep up with how education is changing across the U.S.While older children are showing encouraging signs of academic recovery, younger children are not making that same progress, and are sometimes falling even further behind, especially in math.New data released Monday points to the pandemic’s profound and enduring effects on the nation’s youngest public school children, many of whom were not yet in a formal school setting when COVID hit.“It’s showing that these students — who were either toddlers or maybe in preschool — that their learning was disrupted somehow,” said Kristen Huff,...
Perry’s school board has just 2 candidates for 4 seats. Here’s what could happen next.
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.This election, there are more open seats than candidates for Perry Township school board.The only two people running are incumbents Emily Hartman and Jim Hernandez. Indiana law says the other two incumbents — Steve Johnson and Ken Mertz — could choose to hold onto their seats, even if they aren’t officially running for reelection.But if Johnson and Mertz leave, then it’s up to board members to appoint two new members of the seven-member body by a majority vote.Johnson...
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