The Education Policy Hotlist
Top News in U.S. Education Policy for the Week of January 23rd
THE WEEKS AHEAD
On Tuesday, January 24, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. (EST), join Attendance Works and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading for a webinar about Closing the Gap: Improving Attendance for Our Youngest Learners [Register here].
On Wednesday, January 25, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. (PST), NWEA is hosting The science of reading for leaders: Helping your teachers shift instructional practice [Register here].
All4Edu
FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY
The US Department of Education will award 42 local agencies in eight states (Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico) to support Full Service Community Schools [USED].
A new resource outlines how state education agencies and districts can use federal funds to support community schools [White House].
New Pulse Panel survey data reveals an increase in public schools with pandemic disease plans, up to 82% from 46% during the 2017-18 school year [IES].
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
A new report from the Connecticut Department of Education provides evidence that home visits increased attendance rates — a phenomenon many witnessed during Covid-19 schooling [CT].
A new study reveals the importance of collecting data on students’ feelings of safety and using those data to make targeted resource and programming decisions [AERAOpen].
A new report illuminates that the public places practical skills and utcomes over college outcomes [Populace].
POLITICAL PRIORITIES
Bellwether released a new report that aims to “help the field establish a common fact base — because understanding the landscape is the first step to navigating it.” The report summarizes the state of hot topics in education politics, including student achievement, enrollment, discipline, guns and safety, race and racism, and LGBTQ rights [Bellwether].
Respected researchers share what they’ll be watching for during the 2023 political season [Brookings].
"Congressional oversight will intensify over functions of the U.S. Department of Education and in civil rights enforcement conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice.” — Kenneth Wong, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings
LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS
Florida House Speaker Paul Renner (R) is backing a bill to increase access to private school tuition vouchers for all Florida students, focusing on reaching low-income students and those in need of special services [Plurbius].
Hawaii's lieutenant governor is making a bold bet on early childhood care, aiming for nearly 500 classrooms in under ten years [Plurbius].
EDUCATION GOVERNANCE
Nebraska amendment proposes eliminating the state board of education so the governor will have complete oversight of the state department of education [NE].
Ohio Senate education committee will begin hearings this week on a policy that will “remove most control over education policy from the State Board of Education and … give it to the governor” [OH].
STUDENT WELL-BEING
Schools serving primarily Black students are likelier to implement zero-tolerance discipline policies [Brookings].
ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
A new book explores how educational measurement misses the mark when used in practice, including the malpractice of focusing on gaps without context [The 74].
The74
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
The Bipartisan Policy Center updated a 2018 report about each state’s integrated early childcare systems [BPC].
POSTSECONDARY PATHWAYS
According to a new survey, “most Gen Z-ers are interested in the same traditional careers as generations before them” [Axios].
ICYMI
A Princeton student is working on building a portfolio of applications to evaluate whether a text is written by artificial intelligence [GPTZero]. It seems like individual perspectives about AI are about as diverse as AI use cases.
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.