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Recent Editions
Education Slice
National
Enikia Ford Morthel, superintendent of Berkeley USD in California, is to travel to Washington, D.C., for a May 8th hearing to testify in front of congressional members amid allegations of antisemitism in her schools. The district of 9,100 students battles accusations that it has become an unwelcome place for Jews since the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel and Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza. In March, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and the Anti-Defamation League filed a federal complaint with the Department of Education over “severe and persistent” harassment and discrimination against Jewish kids enrolled in Berkeley schools. Pro-Palestinian parents in the district have said that people making complaints conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism. Ms. Morthel will be joined at the hearing by New York City Schools Chancellor David C. Banks and the board of education president of Montgomery County, Maryland, Karla Silvestre.
Full IssueEducation Slice
California
The California Teachers Association (CTA) is sponsoring Senate Bill 1263 to eliminate Teaching Performance Assessments (TPAs), which are seen as unnecessary hurdles for aspiring educators. TPAs have been criticized for being long, time-consuming, and full of low-value tasks. It is also claimed that they disproportionately impact educators of color and require candidates to pay $300 out-of-pocket. The CTA argues that aspiring teachers can better learn the craft in real-world settings, working with mentors and developing quality lesson plans. The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) recently adopted a secondary passing standard for educators who did not complete the TPA requirement, allowing them alternative paths to a credential. The CTA believes that removing barriers like TPAs will improve the educator pipeline and better equip teachers to serve California's diverse students. Other states, including New York, New Jersey, Georgia, and Texas, have already eliminated the TPA requirement.
Full IssueEducation Slice
Texas
A pilot program to incorporate Black history and culture into the social studies curriculum is gaining traction in New York City, the country's largest school district. The curriculum, developed in collaboration between local educators and the Black Education Research Center at Columbia University Teachers College, aims to acknowledge the history and contributions of Black Americans. It includes pre-K-12 lessons aligned with state standards and has the potential to be implemented nationwide. The curriculum offers a holistic approach to discussing culture and race in American and world history, and has received positive feedback from educators and voters, who believe that students should learn about the history of racism and slavery and its impact on society today. In a symposium on the project at the American Educational Research Association's annual conference last week, M.C. Brown II, the executive director at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, called New York City's $3.25 million Black studies curriculum “a nationally historic moment," adding that it "provides a paradigm for professional learning that can support effective implementation, not just in New York City, but around the world.”
Full IssueEducation Slice
Florida
A bill to restrict challenges to school library books by nonparents or guardians was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday. It follows the filing of more than 1,200 complaints about library books and other materials during the previous academic year. The comprehensive bill (HB 1285) also makes provisions to facilitate the transfer of management from failing traditional public schools to charters. The portion of the bill addressing book challenges was adopted after DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature approved measures that increased monitoring of classroom supplies and library books. Currently, any Floridian can challenge however many books they want. But starting July 1st, the new law will cap the number of book challenges residents without kids in school can file to one per month, though no penalties are outlined in the law. Because those residents pay taxes, DeSantis says they should still be able to object to books even if they don't have children in school. Furthermore, the DeSantis administration on Wednesday will consider a rule that would penalize Florida school principals if the state determines they illegally prevented students from looking at library books in their schools. The punishment would include revoking or suspending their educator's certificate.
Full Issue