The Education Policy Hotlist

COVID-19 & SCHOOLS

Burbio | In just one week, about one-quarter of the top 500 school districts converted to mask optional. Now, over ninety percent of the top 500 school districts are mask-optional.
Politico | COVID school meal waivers allowed millions of students to eat for free during the pandemic; now, a coalition of education advocates are fighting to reinstate them.
The74 | CRPE’s latest analysis of the country’s 100 large and urban districts finds that 93 of 100 districts struggle with staffing shortages this year.

STATE & LOCAL EDUCATION POLICY

OK | The Oklahoma Senate passed a bill requiring school districts and charter schools to issue student identification cards, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 988.
MS | According to a recent bill, Mississippi teachers will receive, on average, more than $5,000 more in their salaries next school year. Instructional assistants will also receive salary increases.
CT | Connecticut students had a chance to direct federal pandemic aid in their schools. Now that the department has reviewed the proposals, they are touring the state to hear directly from students. Here is the breakdown of priority areas:
- 71% (107) of the recommendations address the social, emotional, and mental health of students and school staff;
- 52% (78) of the proposals address learning acceleration, academic renewal, and student enrichment;
- 38% (57) of the proposals address building safe and healthy schools;
- 35% (53) of the proposals address family and community connections;
- And 17% (25) of the proposals address the strategic use of technology, staff development, and the digital divide.
LA | Louisiana state officials revised a set of K-12 history curricula and standards based on politicized feedback.
Guilford County Schools | State representatives are providing Guildford County Schools with more money to scale their tutoring program.

NAEP IN THE NEWS

IES | The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine is releasing a series of reports and events to celebrate IES at twenty years.
IES | The latest NAEP High School Transcript Study detailed US high school students' course-taking behavior. In this blog, Mark Schneider explains that the study findings seem promising but provide a misguided view of students’ academic performance compared to other measures.
NCES | Peggy Carr and Leslie Muldoon issued a joint statement about the future and evolution of the National Assessment for Educational Progress.

ASSESSMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY

USED | The newest budget passed by Congress includes a $12 million increase for the Competitive Grants for State Assessment program. Applications for the program are due April 18th.
TestingHQ | Dale Chu provides an updated scan of assessment data.

Annenberg | Castillo and Gillborn provide a straightforward breakdown of the QuantCrit practice and an iterative view of expanding, clarifying, and making this practice accessible to practitioners, researchers, and others.

THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION

Education Next | A new piece explores how bringing early-college skills and topics to high school is helpful for students facing pandemic recovery.

NYT | Twelve teens share their views on the future of education in a focus group with Times reporters.
“their anxieties were about the cost of college and the seriousness of becoming adults.”

NAEd | The National Academy of Education released a new landscape analysis of evaluation policies for teacher preparation programs. Teacher preparation programs are an integral part of advancing a modern educator workforce.

STUDENT & TEACHER WELL-BEING

GAO | The Government Accountability Office reported that over 1 million students did not show up for school in the 2020-21 school year. More importantly, the report unpacks some reasons why students may be disengaged from school.
USED | The US Department of Education awarded Transcend $4 million to invest in a tested approach to whole-child education.

The74 | Addressing chronic absenteeism in the COVID-era requires different strategies than pre-pandemic.
“It’s by re-establishing a compassionate relationship with families and reassuring them that school is a safe, effective space for learning.”

Annenberg | Bleiberg and Kraft explain why there are conflicting narratives about pandemic teacher workforce challenges and how better data systems can help refine responses.

DID YOU MISS IT?

At The Hill’s Future of Education Summit last week, we heard from Keri Rodriguez and Maya Martin Cadogan about the importance of tracking ESSER spending for our communities. For more details about state and districts’ promising investments, check out the EduRecoveryHub.

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Dr. Christine M. T. Pitts serves as Resident Policy Fellow at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, overseeing policy leadership for research, advocacy, and government relations. 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 @cmtpitts.