The Education Policy Hotlist
Top News in US Education Policy for the Week of March 14th
The Pitts family vacation will interrupt your Education Policy Hotlist services for the next couple of weeks. Expect your hotlist to resume on Monday, March 28th, 2022, and you may also see some fruity adult beverages posted on social in the meantime.
THE WEEK AHEAD
On Wednesday, March 16, at 3:00 PM ET, the Department of Education is hosting a webinar on best practices around supporting the needs of Afghan and other Newcomer students. Register for the event here.
On Thursday, March 17, at 1:00 PM ET, The Hill is hosting a conversation with education leaders to provide a 360-degree overview of the future of K-12 education and current recovery spending. The event will also include state spotlights and more from the Education Recovery Hub. Register for this event here.
On Friday, March 18, at 3 PM ET, NCSL is hosting the state of state education budgets webinar. Registers here.
FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY
K12Dive | The 2022 Omnibus bill goes only so far to ensure districts will have the resources they need to address our evolving educational needs.
"The proposed level puts schools on an IDEA funding cliff and all but ensures that ARP IDEA dollars will go to one-time expenditures instead of sustainable quality investments." — Dan Domenech, AASA
EdCounsel | A summary of key takeaways from the Omnibus package for 2022 and a helpful set of tables comparing line item requests with actual funding.
Politico | Congress cut COVID aid from the Omnibus bill, bringing a halt to universal free meals for schools.
STATE AND LOCAL EDUCATION POLICY
NC & TN | SAS released two new studies with NCDPI and TN on COVID outcomes. There will be more to come soon!
LAUSD | LAUSD, like many other districts, is facing enrollment declines and will need to make some tough decisions.
IL | ISBE announced $4 million in grant funds for districts to cover Bilingual certificates and endorsements.
AL | The Alabama House passed an $8.17 billion education spending plan, increasing education funding by $500 million over this year.
MS | Mississippi legislators, are negotiating a bill to increase teacher pay by nearly $5,000.
NM | Two new bills in New Mexico will ensure that hundreds of Indigenous language certificate holders will be paid at the same rate as licensed general education teachers.
NATIONAL POLICY AND ADVOCACY
AASA | The Superintendent's Association released a new report on superintendent salary and benefits trends.
Ed Choice | According to the latest poll from Ed Choice, parents report that quarantines were a disruption to their children’s education.
The74 & FutureEd | A new analysis and visualization from Future Ed reveals that the most divisive issues mainly were absent from the state of the state speeches this winter.
Bellwether | A new report examines state funding policies in nine Southeastern states and shares key policy recommendations to advance equitable funding practices for English learners.
COVID-19 IN SCHOOLS
CDC | A new study in Arkansas revealed that districts with universal mask requirements between August and October had lower rates of COVID among staff and students.
AEI | Malkus revamps the Return to Learn tracker to include over 8,000 districts’ masking policies. The data reveal some insights about how politics and national guidance are playing out on the ground in communities.
STUDENT AND TEACHER WELL-BEING
KnowledgeWorks | A new report from KnowledgeWorks provides a forecast about the future of liberatory education systems.
K12Dive | Naaz goes deep into the policy barriers that houseless students face when trying to receive services. This piece provides a clear case for developing public policy in-community with those directly influenced when implemented.
“So the lie is that living with other people is less vulnerable than being outside. It was not true before the pandemic, and it's even less true now.”
— Barbara Duffield, Executive Director, SchoolHouse Connection
TEACHING AND LEARNING
NCEE | New pandemic policies show that fostering digital literacy can provide students with long-term benefits.
Education Next | Two researchers, outline the potential adaptations of homeschooling for future education platforms.
DID YOU MISS IT?
Friday, March 11 was national SEL Day. Deana Simmons, educator, academic, and advocate, shared the most compelling message of the day:
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.