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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Education have updated a policy document to assert that young children with disabilities should be included in high-quality early childhood education programs alongside peers without disabilities so they can receive individualized supports and achieve their full potential. Underlining a “renewed commitment and urgency,” the 68-page document reiterates the expectations for inclusive early childhood settings for children from birth through age five. The document also updates recommendations for state and local agencies charged with implementing or overseeing any early childhood education program, including Head Start, child care, home visiting, preschool, and public schools, as well as programs that provide early childhood special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The updated statement builds upon one issued by HHS and the Education Department in 2015.

 

K12 Dive

Create Effective Teacher Teams to Improve Student Results

Do you ever sit in a faculty meeting and ask, “How will we improve FAST scores this Spring?” or “What small wins can we implement to accelerate math or reading proficiency?” One way to plan for academic success is starting a professional learning community (PLC).  According to Polly Patrick, co-author of PLC-Powered Data Teams, “There is no 'one right approach' to how teacher teams are constructed.” When a school acts together as one larger, connected professional learning community—in turn made up of smaller, effective teacher PLCs—an effective and successful learning environment is bound to flourish. Read Polly’s 7-minute article, Strategies for Starting a Professional Learning Community in Education (hmhco.com), and learn about the five strategies for creating effective professional learning communities: Leadership, Collaborative teams, Dedicated Support, Purposeful Data, and Transparency.

 

Penguin Random House has filed a federal lawsuit in Iowa to prevent the banning of books in schools. The lawsuit is in response to a state law that prohibits books in school libraries or classrooms that depict or describe sex acts, as well as books that address gender identity or sexual orientation for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The law has resulted in the removal of classics such as "1984," "Brave New World," and "The Bluest Eye" from some Iowa school districts. Penguin Random House argues that authors have the right to communicate their ideas without interference from the government and that the law could potentially target a wide range of books. This is the first time Penguin Random House has directly sued a state over educational policies regarding school libraries and books in teacher classrooms.

 

Wall Street Journal

Oakland Promise, Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified, and National University have been awarded five-year Full Service Community Schools grants by the U.S. Department of Education. These grants, totaling $74m, aim to support school districts, nonprofits, and other organizations in expanding community schools. Oakland Promise received a capacity building and development grant of $401,345, while National University and Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified were each awarded $3m multi-local agency grants to implement and sustain community schools. The grants will support comprehensive approaches such as nutrition assistance, mental health services, early childhood education, and access to high-quality afterschool summer learning and enrichment programs, all of which are crucial for students' academic success.

 

EdSource

Despite some momentum around the country to increase pay for local school board members, at least 13 states explicitly ban the practice, according to an EdWeek analysis of state laws. The debate about whether school board members should receive compensation for their time and expertise has gained traction in recent years as districts contemplate how to develop more diverse slates of candidates for these influential seats. In 2023 alone, two states, Kansas and Mississippi, codified school board compensation into law, allowing members of local boards to receive pay for their work. The Denver school board earlier this month voted 6-1 to approve a salary increase for future board members, from $8,250 to $33,000 per year, the maximum allowed under Colorado law. In doing so, a board member cited a need to “remove barriers that prevent a school board that looks like and reflects” the student body. While the drive to pay school board members has happened in hopes of attracting members who are more representative of the communities they represent, no research has been conducted to test whether compensation is effective in attracting more diverse candidates or in improving board members' ability to manage districts. Still, advocates argue that the amount of time members spend working on board duties is evidence enough that they should be compensated. Many board members even say their duties are equivalent to a full-time job.

 

Education Week News

New Mexico's top education official says the focus of his agency’s next budget proposal will be on holding districts and schools responsible improving student achievement. Public Education Secretary Arsenio Romero's proposed spending plan will follow the overdue release last month of results from spring standardized testing. The results show just 38% of tested students were proficient in reading, marking a slight uptick from the previous year. Statewide math proficiency stands stagnant at 24%.

 

AP News

Gov. Bill Lee is proposing to expand Tennessee's voucher program for low-income kids to include private schooling statewide. The current program, which offers public money for private school tuition, is only available in three counties. The new initiative would make 20,000 education scholarships available, with half going to lower-income or disabled students. Critics argue that expanding the program would divert resources from public schools and put them at risk of closure. However, Lee believes that the Education Freedom Scholarships will empower parents to choose the right education for their child. The proposal will need approval from the state legislature, where Republicans hold the majority. Tennessee ranks low in per-student spending for public schools, and the voucher program aims to provide more options for families. The performance of voucher students academically is still unclear, but there is evidence of negative growth compared to previous years.

 

Fox News

Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker has named Kevin Bethel, the School District of Philadelphia’s current chief of school safety, as her new police commissioner. During his tenure in the school district, Bethel focused on reforming the juvenile justice system, dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline, and promoting “trauma-informed policing.” As a deputy police commissioner and then the district’s safety director, he also developed a national reputation for his work emphasizing prevention over punishment as an approach to improving student behavior, and discipline both in and out of school settings.

 

Chalkbeat