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COVID-19 Crisis Raises K-12 Stakes for State Elections Nationwide

State leadership is on the ballot in dozens of states as they grapple with the pandemic's impact on schools, the economy, and their relationship to federal officials.




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Montana announces $13M in coronavirus relief for schools




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Pennsylvania

Distinguished educators are assigned by the state to help low-scoring districts in Pennsylvania. Part of Education Week's special annual report, Leading for Learning.




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Trial Set for 2020 in Long-Running Pennsylvania School Funding Lawsuit

The lawsuit, filed in 2014, alleges that the state was severely underfunding schools, forcing school districts to lean heavily on property taxes, which especially disadvantages students in property-poor areas.





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A Big Charter School Struggle Has Been Galvanized by a Democratic Governor

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has become increasingly critical of charter schools this year, and his new proposals for charters would change how they operate and how they are funded.




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Black Parents Force District to End Academic Tracking

Fed up with their district’s unmet pledges to stop steering African American students into low-level classes, parents take action.




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What's Behind the Gender Pay Gap Among Educators?

Female teachers, principals, and superintendents in Pennsylvania earn significantly less money than their male counterparts, a new study shows.




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Fight Over COVID Aid Between Private Schools and States Heats Up

Pennsylvania's rejection of a formal complaint from the state Catholic Conference over COVID aid and private school students highlights a messy dispute taking place in many states.




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Educational Opportunities and Performance in Pennsylvania

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




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Teach New Content or Review Familiar Material? A Tough Call During Coronavirus Closures

Schools must make the critical decision whether to reinforce the learning that students have already done this year or introduce new content.




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Hacked and Cut Off From the Public: This Is School Board Business in the Coronavirus Crisis

Social distancing is forcing school business to be conducted virtually, putting school boards in the difficult spot of making crucial decisions on spending and other issues without the same level of public input.




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Educational Opportunities and Performance in Pennsylvania

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




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Districts Offer Cash to Families Who Skip the School Bus

Facing big transportation costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some school districts will pay parents or caregivers to get their kids to school, or charge them for the bus ride.




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Philadelphia schools will stay virtual as virus cases spike




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Teachers union: More Pennsylvania schools should go virtual




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Parents, schools push back over proposed shutdown order




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Populous suburban Philly county orders schools to go remote




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Pennsylvania school disciplined for marching band's costumes




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$11B budget package passes Pennsylvania Legislature




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Pennsylvania expands virus app to school-age phone users




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Adoption of New Science Standards May Start With Rhode Island

Rhode Island may become the first state to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards.




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Science Standards Win OK in First State With Rhode Island Vote

Rhode Island today became the first state in the nation adopt the Next Generation Science Standards.




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Vote on Charging Students for Summer School Delayed by R.I. State Board

Rhode Island's Council on Elementary and Secondary Education has postponed a decision on whether school districts can charge for summer school.




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Per-Pupil Spending in Rhode Island Schools (Map)

This map of Rhode Island shows per-pupil spending by school and just how much spending varies among the schools within individual districts.




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R.I. Proposal Would Provide More School Choice, With Some Restrictions

Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo proposes to allow traditional public schools to be free of certain regulations, including opening up enrollment outside their neighborhoods.




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Reading Instruction: A Flurry of New State Laws

Many states have recently enacted laws or rules designed to ensure that teachers are well versed in evidence-based reading instruction. Here are some highlights.




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New Science Standards to Face First State Vote Today, in Rhode Island

Rhode Island may become the first state to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards. The state board will vote later today.




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Michigan, Rhode Island to Require Education About Genocide in Schools

The two states are the first in 20 years to add such a requirement.




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Rhode Island PARCC Scores Lower on Computer-Based Exams

A state-by-state breakdown shows that Colorado, Rhode Island and Illinois found some evidence that students' familiarity with technology impacted scores on 2014-15 PARCC exams. An analysis in Maryland is pending.




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Rhode Island Announces Statewide K-12 Personalized Learning Push

The Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative and other funders are supporting Rhode Island's efforts to define and research personalized learning in traditional public schools.




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Rhode Island to Promote Blended Learning Through Nonprofit Partnership

The Rhode Island Department of Education and the nonprofit Learning Accelerator are teaming to develop a strategic plan and a communications strategy aimed at expanding blended learning.




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R.I. Education Commissioner Diagnosed with Brain Tumor

From guest blogger Kimberly Shannon Rhode Island Education Commissioner Deborah Gist has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and will undergo surgery in September, according to the Associated Press. She is expected to have a full recovery, but will be working a limited schedule until her operation. Af




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Rhode Island Jumps on 'Computer Science for All' Bandwagon

Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo announced a new effort to bring computer science classes to every public school in the state by the end of 2017.




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New Rhode Island Law Mandates Daily School Recess, Calls It a Student's Right

The law passed after parent groups lobbied for it and will require schools to provide 20 consecutive minutes of recess daily for students in kindergarten through 6th grade.




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States Must Change, Too For Blended Learning

Lisa Duty of The Learning Accelerator, a Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and Highlander Institute funding partner, outlines the Rhode Islands's commitment to a blended learning future. She describes how the state is developing its new five-year strategic plan that's engaging RIDE's Ambas




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Educational Opportunities and Performance in Rhode Island

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




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Rhode Island the Latest State to Plan a District Intervention

The move to assume broad powers over the Providence school system illustrates both the attraction and challenges of high-profile approaches to troubled or low-performing schools and districts.




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Educational Opportunities and Performance in Rhode Island

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




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How America's Leaders Have Failed Educators on COVID-19

Principals and superintendents are caught between politicians’ demands, an anxious public, and experts’ contrary advice about the path forward during the pandemic. The unspoken message: You’re on your own.




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Bid to halt in-person classes denied; prison cases protested




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Achievement, Grad Rate Among Tribal Students of Concern in Oregon

New report on Oregon's tribal students show they start out behind, miss more school, and are more likely to drop out.




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Oregon Educator Named Superintendent of the Year

Matthew Utterback, the superintendent of the North Clackamas district in Oregon, was named last week as the 2017 National Superintendent of the Year.




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Oregon Considers Ethnic Studies Standards

Oregon is the latest state to consider adding an ethnic studies curriculum.




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Oregon Governor Orders Release of School Performance Ratings

Gov. Kate Brown ordered the public release of annual school performance ratings last week after Oregon's biggest newspaper reported that a Brown appointee had delayed the release of the statistical rankings until after the high-stakes gubernatorial election Nov. 6.




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Dual-Language Learning: How Schools Can Invest in Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

In this fourth installment on the growth in dual-language learning, the director of dual-language education in Portland, Ore., says schools must have a clear reason for why they are offering dual-language instruction.




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Teacher: I Was Fired for Being Gay. Now It Can't Happen to Anyone Else

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling was a victory, but it doesn’t take away the hurt of losing my students in a cold February, writes Brett Bigham.




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School Workers in Oregon Sue Union Over Window of Opportunity to Quit

Three Oregon school employees sued their union in federal court last week, arguing it's unfair that the teachers' union only lets members drop out and stop paying dues during the month of September.




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Two More Statewide Teacher Protests Are on the Horizon

Teachers in North Carolina and Oregon plan to walk out of their classrooms in protest in May.




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Rapid Deployment of Remote Learning: Lessons From 4 Districts

Chief technology officers are facing an unprecedented test of digital preparedness due to the coronavirus pandemic, struggling with shortfalls of available learning devices and huge Wi-Fi access challenges.