The Education Policy Hotlist
Top News in U.S. Education Policy for the Week of January 2nd
Welcome back, everyone, and cheers to a beautiful 2023! I hope you all had a joyful holiday break. We experienced a lot of highs and lows at my house, with everyone home for two weeks. The pinnacle was celebrating my 13th anniversary with my husband and trying escargot for the first time. Paired with a white Bordeaux, it transported me to another world.
All of my children wished for school to start about halfway through the break and are happy to be reconnected with their friends and teachers this week.
The legislative session is kicking off in many states this month, and with a new governor in Oregon, there is mounting hope that we will see positive changes in our schools this year. I am grateful for this space in the Hotlist to ponder what some of these shifts mean for my children and families in my community. I love when you all reach out to share your work advocating for transparency, high quality, rigorous, individualized instruction, and systemic transformation in your cities and states.
The Hotlist grew by leaps and bounds this year. Your support for this platform validated my weekly work to curate the most important, actionable bits of news for you to take through the day and share with other stakeholders. In 2022, we fostered a supportive community by:
Growing readership to nearly 800 subscribers, tripling in only one year.
Diversifying readership to include philanthropy and state leaders across the country.
I am always here to connect if there are topics, ideas, or comments that will improve the Hotlist. Thank you for subscribing and being a part of this work.
With gratitude, Christine
THE WEEKS AHEAD
Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at 12:30 PM ET, join The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading for Transforming the Early Literacy Landscape Using Collective Learning With 313Reads [Register now].
Thursday, January 12, 2023, at 2:00 PM ET, join The Hunt Institute for Navigating Education Policy in 2023 and Beyond [Register now].
FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY
The Republican majority in the House changes the state of play for congress [The74].
Cardona comments on the federal omnibus package and increasing investments in Title I [USED].
Senator Murray will head up the congressional appropriations committee [Politico].
Bernie Sanders will chair the Senate HELP committee [Politico]
In the new omnibus funding package, IES is directed to spend new R&D funds for “quick turnaround” Covid-19 recovery-related research [AERA].
LEADERSHIP & JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Colorado education commissioner stepping down and making way for new leadership [Chalkbeat].
The Research Partnership for Professional Learning at Annenberg is recruiting for a director of research and evaluation [Apply now].
TEACHER WORKFORCE
The American workforce, including teachers, rises to the top of legislatures [Plurbius].
New Jersey will replace the commonly used certification test EdTPA with certification assessments administered at colleges across the state [NJ].
EDUCATION FINANCE
Oregon spends nearly 5% less per student than the national average [Oregonian].
DATA, ASSESSMENT, & ACCOUNTABILITY
In a review of DQC’s best reads from 2022, one seemed most impactful: Students want their data [DQC].
SUPPORTING FAMILIES
Five states will consider paid family and medical leave programs [Plurbius].
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Some states are changing education policies to support the science of reading [ExcelinEd].
ICYMI
Alaska is spearheading a portfolio of reading education initiatives, including building general awareness about the science of reading [Region 16 CC]. If you’re interested in learning more about their work, you can reach out to me. It is exciting to see another carving a policy and practice path for transforming reading instruction.
Dr. Christine M. T. Pitts serves as Director of Impact and Communications at the Center on Reinventing ic Education, overseeing policy leadership and external affairs. A teacher and researcher by training, she previously led research and evaluation for Portland Public Schools. She served as Policy Advisor at NWEA, overseeing state and federal policy to advance equity and innovation in educational assessment. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @cmtpitts.