The Education Policy Hotlist
Top News in US Education Policy for the Week of October 17th
THE WEEKS AHEAD
Tuesday, October 18, 2022, at 1:00 PM EST, join EWA at a webinar for reporters about the upcoming release of state data from NAEP. Register here.
Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at 11:00 AM PST, join the National Association for Testing Professionals for a webinar about how state and local leaders are using federal aid for assessment innovation. Register here.
Wednesday, October 26, 2022, at 10:00 AM EST, join the Collaborative for Student Success and the Hill for a live and virtual event. More details are here.
FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY
The US Department of Education announced the newest members of the National Assessment Governing Board, including community members and educators [NAGB].
The US Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition announced $120 million for teachers of English learner students [USED].
FEDERAL RELIEF SPENDING
A new peer-reviewed study reports on a disjointed approach to federal relief aid during Covid-19 and national cost estimates to truly address learning loss, totaling $700 billion [AERA].
NCDPI announces the awards for pandemic research across North Carolina [EdNC].
The US Department of Education released guidance for state education agencies who need to request spending extensions for CARES Act funds [K12Dive].
Burbio released charts showing the amount of district spending in important categories for pandemic recovery [Burbio].
ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Montana’s Office of Public Instruction plans to implement periodic assessments in place of the summative end-of-year tests [MT].
ACT released 2022 data in a new report finding that the national average composite score in 2022 decreased to 19.8 from 20.3 in 2021, the lowest average score since 1991 [ACT].
In DQC’s 2022 legislative review of data policy, three broad categories emerged: encouraging practices, areas where legislators should proceed with caution, and provisions to avoid [DQC].
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
A new blog in Brookings covers how the gender gap in educational outcomes varies across the US [Brookings].
New Classrooms and Transcend released a report about innovative learning models, including how government, philanthropy, and school system leaders can help scale new learning models. [New Classrooms].
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Robin Lake summarizes important recommendations for education leaders to consider in their pandemic recovery plans for students with disabilities [The74].
There is new anticipation for increasing federal funding for special education and improving the way that IDEA funds are allocated to states since disparities among states in IDEA funding are systematic [Brookings].
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Parents across the US are having a difficult time finding childcare [AP].
New America provides a national landscape review of state and local early childhood assessments, including interactive maps by topic area [New America].
TEACHER WORKFORCE
A new descriptive analysis in a CALDER working paper describes staffing challenges faced by school districts in Washington state throughout the 2021–22 school year using data collected from job posting websites for districts [CALDER].
FutureEd released a comprehensive picture of state and local spending of recovery resources for the nation’s teaching force [FutureEd].
MEASUREMENT
REL SW released a toolkit to guide educators in measuring school improvement and continuous improvement efforts [IES].
ICYMI
Vicki Phillips and Jason Dougal joined Michael Horn to discuss the Blueprint for a High Performing Education System [The Future of Education].
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 and 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.