The Education Policy Hotlist

FEDERAL EDUCATION POLICY

FCC | The FCC will commit $39 million in additional emergency funding to close the connectivity and homework gap.
USED | The National Center for Education Research released a request for information about improving large, national datasets.
USED | The Department of Education announced plans to gather public input on possible amendments to Section 504 regulations to strengthen and protect the rights of students with disabilities.
USED | The Department released a statement outlining investments from ED and philanthropy groups in pandemic response.
NCES | NCES released a new data hub with information about US schools by geographic locale.

STATE EDUCATION POLICY

AZ | A for Arizona announced another round of micro-grants for local innovation.
AK | Alaska policymakers will now allow traditional and cultural regalia at graduation ceremonies.
MI | Chalkbeat reports on the critical practices for efficacious tutoring programs.
TN | Governor Lee signed into law the new funding formula for Tennessee schools adding $1 billion statewide to education funding.
NC | North Carolina lawmakers, turn to principals to identify the best implementation components of new pandemic policies.
MA | According to a new poll out of Massachusetts, 80% of Black parents support a mask mandate, compared to 50% of white parents.

EDUCATION FINANCE

Fordham | Dan Goldhaber writes for Fordham about the smart and not-so-smart ways that districts are spending ESSER funds on teacher bonuses.
“Some districts are using ESSER funds to pay what is essential “thank-you” bonuses to teachers for their service—i.e., payments that are not linked to future retention.”
FutureEd | A new analysis reveals that districts that assigned specific dollar figures to summer learning are planning to spend upwards of $773 million of their ESSER III money on summer learning, potentially impacting nearly 5.8 million students.

STUDENT AND FAMILY ENGAGEMENT

Chicago Consortium | Findings from a new qualitative study on school-family engagement during remote learning reveal that school leadership is a key to facilitating teacher-family relationships.
EdChoice | Teens view improving education as one of the most critical public policy issues.

CT | Senate Bill 1 in Connecticut will improve school-based mental health programs, increase wages for childcare professionals, and establish the minority teacher scholarship fund.
The Washington Post | The DMV area, is deciding how to move forward with virtual learning.

EDUCATION GOVERNANCE

DQC | DQC released a fact sheet about P-20 data systems.
EdNext | Kogan summarizes his latest policy recommendations for reformers on education governance.
"When the policy window opens, reformers should remain laser-focused on improving school governance—to ensure that the reform process prioritizes the interests of kids rather than the demands and political agendas of adults."

DID YOU MISS IT?

Research heavy-hitters released two reports about the road to COVID-19 recovery, including a webinar featuring panelists from Harvard, the US Department of Education, CASEL, and Tennessee, see below.

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Dr. Christine M. T. Pitts serves as Director of Impact and Communications at the Center on Reinventing Public Education, overseeing policy leadership for research, advocacy, and government relations. A former teacher and administrator, she previously led research and evaluation for Portland Public Schools. She also served as Policy Advisor at NWEA, where she oversaw state and federal policy to advance equity and innovation in educational assessment. Follow her on Twitter @cmtpitts.