The Education Policy Hotlist
Top news in U.S. education policy for the week of May 15 - 19
Welcome back to the Education Policy Hotlist!
It’s been a couple of weeks since the last edition. At our house, spring marks the avalanche of school and sports-related events for my kids. After traveling several times since January, I’ve been lucky to be home and focused on my children in May. We raced in our first 4x400 relay, won and tied soccer games, celebrated the end of many seasons, marched in a parade, and even won a basketball tournament. It all culminated with a very eventful Mother’s Day weekend.
Like many of you, I am a bit overwhelmed with piecing together my summer puzzle of programs for the kids. It’s always a balance of countless variables, including but not limited to my children’s interests and their academic needs. I always feel torn between what is flashy and shiny for the kids versus the practical needs like summer academies. Mostly, every spring, I get frustrated with the lack of affordable and accessible summer programs in my area. Many families will fork over thousands of dollars this year for a smattering of summer offerings that do not align with parents’ work schedules so their children can thrive until the next school year begins — and many families will struggle to find care.
The National Summer Learning Association has a useful tool for families of school-aged kids looking to find care and summer programs. Please check it out and share!
THE WEEKS AHEAD
May 16, 2023, at 10:15 a.m. (EST) the House Committee on Education and the Workforce is holding a hearing about Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education. Watch here.
May 16, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. (EST), join AEI at a live event about The Great School Rethink: Reimagining in K-12 Education After the Pandemic. RSVP here.
May 18, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. (EST), join the Hunt Institute for Using the Science of Reading to Teach All Learners. Register here.
May 22, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. (EST), Fordham is hosting a webinar about their latest report about charter schools and English Learners. Register here.
May 24, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. (EST), join the virtual White House briefing about the National Partnership for Student Success initiative and how organizations may join this effort. Register here.
TEACHER WORKFORCE
Read about state examples of teacher residencies in a new blog from the National Center for Teacher Residencies [ECS].
A new resource reports that 43% of teachers identified leadership pathways that lead to increased responsibility and salary as a key retention strategy [ECS].
ECS released a new policy outline that provides state leaders with sustainable policy options to support teacher recruitment and retention across the pipeline [ECS].
Alabama SB46, a bill to bring Alabama into the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact that allows licensed teachers to practice among compact states, passed the House Education Policy Committee [AL].
Kansas SB66, a bill to bring Kansas into the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, was signed by Governor Kelly [KS].
Louisiana HB472, a bill to bring Louisiana into the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, passed the House Education Committee [LA].
Colorado SB087, which establishes an alternative teacher licensure program through an apprenticeship model, passed the legislature [CO].
DATA, ASSESSMENT, AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Data Quality Campaign released a new vision to transform state data systems. Their latest resource aims to ensure that all students and families have access to tailored information that drives student success, economic mobility, and systemic change [DQC].
New Meridian founder and CEO speaks with Rick Hess about the assessment problems they are trying to solve [EdNext].
Michigan HB4166, which eliminates Michigan’s A-F accountability system, was presented to the Governor last week [MI].
Colorado HB1241, establishing a task force for studying school accountability, is moving from the House to the Senate education committee CO].
A new accountability policy in Chicago will provide families and the public with a metrics dashboard — over a complicated calculation — to understand how their school measures up to other schools in the district [Chalkbeat].
A new brief discusses the importance of data governance for leaders and staff in agencies that collect, store, or use individuals’ data, including state examples [ECS].
IES released a new evaluation of the Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority programs. The report summarizes common challenges and states' progress [IES].
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
IES and NSF awarded the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, $20 million to establish the Institute for Inclusive and Intelligent Technologies for Education (INVITE). INVITE aims to develop resources and supports for non-cognitive skills linked to effective learning, including persistence, academic resilience, and collaboration. This work will reframe how learners interact with technology and content [IES].
John Bailey provides a straightforward overview of the utility of AI in schools [The74].
One-third of teens have never heard about ChatGPT [EdChoice].
FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY
Secretary Cardona urges Republicans to spend more, not less, for students [K12Dive].
A bipartisan group of U.S. representatives introduced a bill that would increase funding for Registered Apprenticeship programs over the next five years [Whiteboard Advisors].
STUDENT WELL-BEING
FutureEd released a new attendance playbook to support education leaders in addressing chronic absenteeism [FutureEd].
A New York bill may limit the number of mandatory lockdown drills to one per year and allow families to opt out of them [Chalkbeat].
A bipartisan group of Minnesota senators has introduced legislation requiring a minimum age for children to use social media and parental consent for those between 13 and 18 [MPR News].
PANDEMIC IMPACTS
A combination of pandemic incubation, school closures, and enrollment declines puts school districts in difficult funding positions moving forward [The74].
A new study finds negative average impacts on all student-based outcomes — the largest at the high end of the absence distribution, the low end of the grade distribution, and for middle school students [Annenberg].
POSTSECONDARY SUCCESS
Indiana HB1002 will provide students with $5,000 Career Scholarship Accounts to support work-based learning apprenticeship costs [IN].
According to a new study, HBCUs receive 178 times less funding from philanthropy organizations than their Ivy League peers [CBS].
EARLY LITERACY
The Education Trust’s latest brief, “A Call to Action: The State of Early Literacy in New York,” highlights how state and local leaders can address New York’s reading outcomes [The Education Trust- NY].
NYC Reads, a $35 million literacy initiative, may provide students with structured, science-backed reading instruction. The city requires schools to adopt one of three curricula over the next two years: Into Reading, Wit and Wisdom, and EL Education. While these curricula are all rated highly on EdReports, teachers must ensure they implement the lessons with integrity to foundational literacy skills like phonics, phonemic awareness, and fluency. For example, Wit and Wisdom must be coupled with the add-on Geodes that provides phonics lessons [Whiteboard Advisors].
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Fordham Institute released a new report that examines the academic and economic outcomes of English Learners in Texas charter schools compared to their peers in traditional public schools [Fordham]. Here are the biggest takeaways:
Overall, Texas charter schools stack up well against traditional public schools when serving the state’s English Learners.
Examining longer-term outcomes is essential to understanding English Learners’ educational experiences.
In some cases, efforts to boost English Learners’ reading achievement may be coming at the expense of their math achievement.
Alaska HB165, which enables the state board of education to authorize charter schools and increases funding for the state correspondence program, was referred to the House education committee [AK].
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
A new resource provides state-by-state overviews of the federal Child Care and Development Block Grants [The First Five Years Fund].
A New Mexico amendment expands access to preschool by 40%. This model will increase instructional hours, expand the number of seats, and improve pay for early childhood workers [Brookings].
EDUCATION FINANCE
According to a new analysis, just over half of the Elementary and Secondary School Relief (ESSER) funds have been spent [FutureEd].
ICYMI
The Stanford Social Innovation Review published a 6-essay series about leadership, philanthropy, equity, and impact [SSIR].
Dr. Christine M. T. Pitts serves as Senior Policy Fellow at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, where she oversees policy leadership and external affairs. With a background as a teacher and researcher, Christine previously led research and evaluation for Portland Public Schools and served as Policy Advisor at NWEA, where she oversaw state and federal policy to advance equity and innovation in educational assessment. Follow her on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter for updates.
I was wondering if I was just missing your newsletters in my inbox. It's indeed a crazy time of year! 🌞