The Education Policy Hotlist
Top news in U.S. education policy for the week of February 13 - 17
Happy Monday!
We will kick off a new feature highlighting 2023 education legislation on Wednesday. So keep an eye on your inbox!
Until then, please meet the latest member of our household: Izzy.
After being lobbied for over a year, I finally caved and said yes to everyone’s plea for a puppy. Izzy is a portidoodle (a Portuguese waterdog and poodle mix). I’ll spend all my spare time puppy (and human) training for the next couple of months.
THE WEEKS AHEAD
On Tuesday, February 14, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. (EST), join ExcelinEd for The Impact of Mississippi’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act: Lessons Learned From the Front Lines webinar [Register here].
On Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. (PST), join CALDER for Where are School Districts on the Road to Recovery? What Comes Next? webinar [Register here].
On Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. (EST), join the National Center for Teacher Residencies Doing Better for Black Educators: Six Policy Recommendations for Improving the Recruitment and Preparation of Black Educators webinar [Register here].
ACCELERATING LEARNING
Khan Academy continues to push the field. Their partnership with Howard University should be replicated between other vendors and systems. Read more from Sal himself [The74].
Mayor Bowser, D.C., will grant $7 million to nine organizations to provide reading and math tutoring before and after school [DC].
According to the national school panel pulse survey, more than 80% of schools report using diagnostic and formative assessment data to identify students’ academic needs [IES].
Sixth-grade students retained in 3rd grade under Mississippi’s 2014-15 policy showed “substantial and sustained” gains in ELA scores [ExcelinEd].
FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY
New Senate education committee ranking member, Sen. Cassidy, uses his seat to draw attention to dyslexia and early literacy [The74].
Jim Jordan, the new republican judiciary chair, subpoenas records about the Biden administration’s threats to district leaders during Covid-19 school closures [Politico].
Biden steered clear of raising tense education issues in his state of the state address [The Hill].
TEACHER WORKFORCE
Ten states are considering joining a compact to make interstate teacher licensing easier [AP].
According to a fourth-grade teacher, supporting teachers and creating solid teams can help schools implement engaging, high-quality curricula [The74].
NCTQ worked with teacher preparation program faculty, staff, and content and measurement experts to review standards for building content knowledge in social studies and science content [NCTQ].
THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION
A new set of equity-based essays posits that “some beacons of bipartisan reform [during Covid-19] shone through the fog hanging over the education landscape: the spread of research-based reading methods; a widening commitment to high-quality tutoring systems; new, career-oriented high school pathways; and a willingness to pay teachers for expertise in the face of severe shortages,” [FutureEd].
An essay about the flaws within and outside the OECD’s PISA measure transcends this single assessment. The author argues a point applicable to all evidence-backed guidance, “policy recommendations are strongly context-dependent, and PISA’s recommendations may be difficult for policymakers to interpret correctly if they lack precise knowledge of their education system’s state of maturity” [Education Next].
EDUCATION FINANCE
The financial pressures early in the pandemic, like learning recovery and a fiscal cliff, have not faded and are more intense than ever [Forbes].
As we all settle into the school budget season and explore new funding bills coming through the state legislature, it is essential to know that “ the general public and school parents greatly underestimate per-student spending in public schools” [EdChoice].
Morning Consult & Ed Choice
STUDENT WELL-BEING
Learn about the current state of the school counseling profession and the workforce landscape in U.S. schools [Brookings].
Brookings
CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION
The first North Dakota bill signed into law this year invests $68 million into 13 career academies across the state [ND].
ICYMI
One of our country’s leading education governors, Governor Jared Polis (CO) provided testimony at the first House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing of 2023, titled "American Education in Crisis.”
You can read Chairwoman Virginia Foxx’s opening statement and watch the entire hearing, including topics spanning school choice, teacher workforce and retention, career and technical education, and early childhood.
Dr. Christine M. T. Pitts serves as Director of Impact and Communications at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, overseeing policy leadership and external affairs. A teacher and researcher by training, she previously led research and evaluation for Portland Public Schools. Pitts also served as Policy Advisor at NWEA, overseeing state and federal policy to advance equity and innovation in educational assessment. Follow her for more updates on Linkedin, Instagram, and Twitter.