The Education Policy Hotlist
Top News in US Education Policy for the Week of June 6th
THE WEEKS AHEAD
Tuesday, June 7th (3:00 PM EST), EveryDay Labs is hosting the webinar on Addressing the Attendance Gap in the SCUSD, in which the Sacramento City Unified School District will describe how they are using attendance as a systemic lever to reduce gaps and drive more equitable student outcomes. Register here.
Tuesday, June 7th (3:00 PM EST), ExcelinEd and The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading are hosting a webinar about the research behind tutoring and key components of state approaches. Register here.
Wednesday, June 8th (1:00 PM MST), ECS and SAS will host a webinar with Senator Ballard (NC) and Commissioner Vandeven (MO) about their state plan to address unfinished learning. Register here.
Wednesday, June 15th (3:00 PM EST), The National Association of State Boards of Education is hosting Building Trauma-informed School Systems. Register here.
FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY
NCES | NCES released the Condition of Education Report for 2022. The report summarizes the latest information about education in the United States on critical indicators like the teacher workforce and international comparisons.
VOX | Unless Congress acts, school lunch program waivers will expire on June 30th.
H.R.7921 | A new resolution will amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to require an action plan in each local plan for entities within the one-stop delivery system to meet the needs of individuals who have experienced trauma and mental health challenges or substance use disorders.
TEACHER WORKFORCE
WA | Washington’s state-run preschool program struggles to find teachers to maintain classroom student-teacher ratio and keep classrooms open.
ECS | Education Commission of the States released a policy brief summarizing the latest state policy changes to address teacher workforce challenges.
EDUCATION FINANCE & FUNDING
CO | Governor Polis signs a bill that will Increase average per-pupil spending by 6% and provide districts an extra $1,750 for each student with a specialized education plan, a 40% increase.
TX | Dallas Independent School District used $4M of ESSER funding to establish Reset Centers in place of school suspensions. And they see improvements in their school discipline data.
STUDENT WELL-BEING
PEW | More than 4 in 10 teens say they are closer to their parents since the pandemic, according to a new study from PEW.
NC | The North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey, administered every two years, revealed that teachers see a need for social and emotional learning support.
OK | Oklahoma uses ESSER funds to invest in school-based mental health professionals.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
MI | A new partnership with Grand Valley State University and Littera Education will provide Michigan students high-dosage tutoring.
FL | 1 in 4 third graders in Florida achieved proficiency on the statewide test this year.
Fordham | Mike Petrilli released a clear, data-driven agenda for addressing the excellence gap among all age groups.
GAPolicyLabs | Georgia Policy Labs updated their unfinished learning analysis for fall 2021. Follow the data in this tweet thread:
STUDENT ENROLLMENT
Bloomberg | “… we are paying more for failure.”
Burbio | Burbio is reporting on the latest state-by-state enrollment data (including over 95% of US students).
ICYMI
The Data Quality Campaign released its sixth report on report cards from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The analysis revealed that states are prioritizing compliance over authentic data conversations through their annual report cards. Further, only 28 states have disaggregated data across the federally required subgroups — an essential step for identifying systemic inequities for historically underserved US students.
Dr. Christine M. T. Pitts serves as Director of Impact and Communications at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, overseeing policy leadership and external affairs. A former teacher and administrator, she previously led research and evaluation for Portland Public Schools. She also served as Policy Advisor at NWEA, where she oversaw state and federal policy to advance equity and innovation in educational assessment. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @cmtpitts.