The Education Policy Hotlist
Top News in U.S. Education Policy for the Week of January 30th
My kids and I walked to the park in Portland’s sunny and frigid weather this weekend. Just a block from our house, my youngest hopped onto a curb and shouted, “Mom, I’m practicing my wobbling.”
I giggled inside. Instead of thinking about putting one foot in front of the other as “balancing,” — focusing only on success — she intuitively permitted herself to wobble while she learned to balance. Imagine if we all went a little easier on ourselves and others by practicing our “wobbling” instead of “balancing” in life.
This week, I am taking a cue from my 3-year-old and striving for the graciousness with myself and everyone to make mistakes, learn, and grow our communities together.
THE WEEKS AHEAD
Tuesday, January 31, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. (EST), join CGLR for Smart ESSER Investments: Leveraging EdTech for Equitable Learning Acceleration.
Co-sponsored by Whiteboard Advisors [Register here].Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at noon (EST), CALDER is hosting a webinar: Where are school districts on the road to academic recovery? What comes next? [Regsiter here].
GOVERNANCE
Follow Whiteboard Advisors’ analysis of governors’ state-of-the-state addresses. So far, trends include teacher pay and retention, education finance reform, the science of reading, college affordability, and student mental health [Whiteboard].
Delaware is another state where the legislature is considering abolishing the state board of education. In this case, the power would shift to the superintendent of public instruction [DE].
The Hawaii teacher union seeks a seat on the state board of education but is receiving some pushback [HI].
The74 unpacks a disjointed narrative about union membership. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that only 10.1% of wage and salary workers were union members, national teacher unions continue to say that educators aren’t joining their organizations because they face barriers [The74].
FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY
The IRS increased the educator expense deduction for the first time since 2002. Teachers can now claim $300 in the current tax filing season [EdWeek].
New national data about childcare prices reifies that costs are out of reach for most U.S. families and calls for the federal government to make significant investments in early childhood education [U.S. Department of Labor].
Secretary Cardona released a strategic direction the agency will follow in 2023 to advance academic growth, learning conditions, and global citizenship. In his “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” vision Secretary Cardona outlines key strategies like delivering rigorous instruction, eliminating the teacher shortage, and providing every student a pathway to multilingualism [USED].
TEACHER WORKFORCE
Teach for America makes staff cuts after experiencing smaller-sized cohorts [Chalkbeat].
Alabama is piloting a teacher apprenticeship program to improve teacher quality, retention, and mentorship. Governor Ivey asked the Office of Apprenticeship and the State Superintendent for recommendations and a plan to stand up the program before springtime [AL].
Bellwether released a toolkit of strategies emerging from the field to help system leaders support classroom educators this year [Bellwether].
POLITICS IN EDUCATION
Education Commission of the States projects that legislatures will take up teacher workforce, mental health, and K12 funding this season [ECS].
Missouri’s Senate may discuss a Parents’ Bill of Rights next week that will ban diversity-based Instruction in public schools [MO].
A new mixed-method study from the American School District Panel via the Center on Reinventing Public Education and RAND illustrates that districts are taking a proactive approach to managing hot-button political issues [CRPE].
CRPE
EQUITY AND RELATIONSHIPS
Parents and schools at odds over transgender transitions may be experiencing a symptom of a more significant issue — a lack of relationships and communication altogether [NYT].
Utah follows Washington state, announcing they will sue social media companies due to harm done to children [Plurbius].
An Arkansas bill proposes a week-long observance of the Holocaust [AR].
SCHOOL FUNDING
Districts are increasing their rate of federal relief spending [WSJ].
The new Nebraska governor plans to create a new Education Future Fund to increase state monies for school districts by $1,500 per student — totaling more than $260 million annually [NE].
Rhode Island governor proposes increasing school funding to compensate districts for declining enrollment [RI].
CHOICE AND ACHIEVEMENT
Florida introduces a universal school choice plan with a $4 billion price tag [FL].
Indianapolis fall 2022 MAP scores show evidence that their learning acceleration strategies may work [IN].
ICYMI
Chris “Citizen” Stewart writes about how extreme right-wing communities are helping left-leaning progressives make the case against school choice.
“They love our push for freedom until it makes us free of them.” — Chris “Citizen” Stewart
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 teacher and researcher by training, she previously led research and evaluation for Portland Public Schools. Pitts also served as Policy Advisor at NWEA, overseeing state and federal policy to advance equity and innovation in educational assessment. Follow her for more updates on Linkedin, Instagram, and Twitter.
Thank you, Christine! This is an incredibly helpful and informative resource.