academic and careers

Michael Kirst Stepping Down as President of California State Board

Michael Kirst will be stepping down from his job as president of the California School Board when Gov. Jerry Brown's tenure is over, Kirst announced this week. Kirst, who is an emeritus professor education and business administration at Stanford University, was first appointed to the state board bac




academic and careers

'On California' Is on Vacation

The blessings of season to you all! We will be back in the New Year. Christmas thoughts follow.




academic and careers

School Revolution in California

What's taking place in California is nothing less than a quiet revolution in education.




academic and careers

California Reforms Accountability

California just made school accountability much more complicated. And that's good.




academic and careers

California Teachers Challenge Union's Collection of Dues

Five California educators last week filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the state's top teachers' union from collecting dues through mandatory paycheck deductions.




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Educational Opportunities and Performance in California

This Quality Counts 2019 Highlights Report captures all the data you need to assess your state's performance on key educational outcomes.




academic and careers

Incoming California Governor to Seek Nearly $2 Billion in Early-Childhood Funding

Democrat Gavin Newsom, who takes office Jan. 7, plans to expand full-day kindergarten and child-care offerings in the state, according to media reports.




academic and careers

Paid Maternity Leave for Teachers? California's Governor Says No Once Again

The bill would have given public school teachers at least six weeks of paid maternity leave.




academic and careers

Educational Opportunities and Performance in California

This Quality Counts 2020 Highlights Report captures all the data you need to assess your state's performance on key educational outcomes.




academic and careers

Wisconsin




academic and careers

Foxconn in Wisconsin -- A Truly Bad Deal

Wisconsin's $3 billion Foxconn deal is an economic and workforce loser for the state and its residents, argues Marc Tucker.




academic and careers

With a Schools Superintendent Running the State, What Lies Ahead for Wisconsin?

After years of shepherding the state’s K-12 system, Democrat Tony Evers will be called on to make good as governor on his pledge of more funding for K-12.




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Briefly Stated: Stories You May Have Missed

A special state panel in Wisconsin has rejected a financially strapped district's request to dissolve.




academic and careers

In Battle Against Bullies, Some Schools Target Parents

Looking for new ways to combat kids who bully, some communities are threatening to fine parents with no evidence that the approach is effective.




academic and careers

In Wisconsin, a High-Pitched, Emotional Battle over K-12 Spending

Wisconsin is one of a handful of states where how much schools will get this fall is still being debated in the state capitol.




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Virtual Teaching: Skill of the Future? Or Not So Much?

Leaders in some districts say remote teaching will now be a skill they will build even more in their existing teacher corps. Others are more skeptical.




academic and careers

Should Schools Have an N-Word Policy? Uproar Over Guard's Firing Forces Hard Questions

The firing of a black staff member for repeating the n-word while telling a black student not to use it underscores how uneasy many districts, schools, and educators are with handling the use of racist language in any context.




academic and careers

Dyslexia Is Not a Bad Word, Advocates Say. Schools Should Use It

A push to get dyslexia defined in state law and persuade educators to use the term has translated to new laws in 40 states.




academic and careers

Why Don't Struggling K-12 Districts Just Dissolve?

Emotions remain raw as educators and residents in a rural Wisconsin district dig for solutions after being denied the option of dissolving.




academic and careers

Educational Opportunities and Performance in Wisconsin

This Quality Counts 2019 Highlights Report captures all the data you need to assess your state's performance on key educational outcomes.




academic and careers

How Layoffs Upend Life for Educators, Students, and Districts

Pandemic-inflicted budget cuts have cost thousands of educators their jobs. Here’s how that’s playing out in five districts around the country.




academic and careers

Verdict Looms on Whether Insolvent Wisconsin District Can Dissolve

Palmyra-Eagle, a mostly rural school district in Southeast Wisconsin, lost more than half its students to surrounding districts and then taxpayers voted to dissolve the district.




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Most Wisconsin schools, districts meet expectations




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Panel Rejects Wisconsin District's Request to Dissolve

Members of the special state panel felt the Palmyra-Eagle district needs more time to explore options to stay alive, though many residents, including the local school board, believe the district faces a fiscal cliff.




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Autistic School Board Member Pushes for Inclusion, Understanding

Schools are "still dealing with the belief that children [with disabilities] can't be educated with their peers," says Nicki Vander Meulen, an autistic school board member in Madison, Wis.




academic and careers

Joe Biden Backs Two Proposals to Increase Education Funding in 2020 Swing State

Biden's campaign announced March 31 that the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate backs two local attempts to raise more tax revenue for schools.




academic and careers

Educational Opportunities and Performance in Wisconsin

This Quality Counts 2020 Highlights Report captures all the data you need to assess your state's performance on key educational outcomes.




academic and careers

Districts Feel the Pain From Standoff Over COVID-19 Aid

More layoffs and damaging cuts loom as districts move deeper into the school year with their budgets depleting and Congress stalemated over emergency relief.




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Program aims to retain aspiring American Indian teachers




academic and careers

Utah




academic and careers

Utah

State of the States: Education highlights from latest governor's address before the legislature.




academic and careers

Utah

Like many educational technology programs around the country, Utah’s efforts to start new programs are fighting a lack of funding in order to move forward.




academic and careers

Utah Inflated Its High School Graduation Rate, Federal Watchdog Finds

Federal watchdogs find that Utah inflated its high school graduation rate in the last of a series of reports warning states not to make end runs around the rules for calculating graduation rates.




academic and careers

Utah Will Ask for Test Participation Waiver From ESSA

Utah's state board members said last week that they support its state's test participation law which conflicts with the Every Student Succeeds Act.




academic and careers

Utah

In response to a shortage of 400 teachers this year, Gov. Huntsman recommended increasing teachers’ salaries by 7 percent and called on universities to graduate 1,000 more teachers annually, over the next four years.




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'Pay for Success' Funding Model Focus of Policy Toolkit

The Urban Institute released a toolkit aimed at policymakers and investors interested in using private dollars to pay for public programs, such as prekindergarten.




academic and careers

Dozens of Teacher Misconduct Cases Go Unreported, Utah Audit Finds

School authorities in Utah have failed to report educator misconduct, possibly allowing teachers to offend again by moving to other schools, according to a new audit.




academic and careers

Utah




academic and careers

Betsy DeVos OKs ESSA Plans for California, Utah

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos green-lighted California and Utah's plans to implement the Every Student Succeed Act. That means just one state is still waiting: Florida.




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With Waiver Denial, Utah Mulls Second Accountability System

Utah is one of four states where state laws conflict with components of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act meaning districts may have to answer to two separate accountability systems this fall.




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School Named for Andrew Jackson Changes Name to Honor Famed NASA Engineer

Mary Jackson's story is among those depicted in the book "Hidden Figures," which focused on the lives of black women who worked as mathematicians and engineers for NASA during the Space Race. Before landing there, Jackson worked as a math teacher in Maryland.




academic and careers

Utah to Drop $44 Million Contract With New Assessment Company

Utah education officials have abruptly canceled a $44 million contract with a Minnesota-based standardized-testing company amid a flurry of technological glitches that have created uncertainty about whether this year's test scores will be validated.




academic and careers

Educational Opportunities and Performance in Utah

This Quality Counts 2019 Highlights Report captures all the data you need to assess your state's performance on key educational outcomes.




academic and careers

Educational Opportunities and Performance in Utah

This Quality Counts 2020 Highlights Report captures all the data you need to assess your state's performance on key educational outcomes.




academic and careers

Utah public school enrollment falls for 1st time since 2000




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Utah voters pass big change to how education is funded




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Utah gov issues statewide mask mandate to stem coronavirus




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Utah teachers call for remote learning as virus cases surge




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Utah high school to replace Braves mascot amid backlash




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What if Hawaii's False Alarm Had Happened on a School Day?

Hawaii's schools are prepared to respond to ballistic missile threats, education officials wrote in a letter to parents after Saturday's false alarm.