School Reform and Restructuring

Source: Learning Policy Institute

Date: 3/29/2024

Redesigning High Schools: 10 Features for Success

This publication outlines 10 lessons that constitute evidence-based features of effective redesigned high schools that help create the kind of education experience students need: safe environments where exciting and rigorous academic work occurs and where all groups of students succeed academically, graduate at high levels, and go on to college and productive work.

Assessment

Source: EdTrust

Date: 4/11/2024

Making Assessment Reports More Meaningful for Students & Families,

"The final report offers guidance on how schools can better communicate the results of students' federally required annual tests so parents can be better informed about how their students are doing in school and work with educators to get the appropriate supports. Also available is an example of what a better annual assessment report can look like."

Community Schools

Source: Urban Institute

Date: 4104/2024

Data Collection and Reporting Guidance for the Full-Service Community Schools Program

"The Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) program is dedicated to transforming schools into vibrant hubs of support and opportunity for students, families, and communities. With a holistic approach, FSCS integrates education, health, social services, and community development to address the needs of students and their families. By providing comprehensive services spanning from early childhood through college, FSCS initiatives empower communities to create pathways to success for all students.

 

Published by the Department of Education, the FSCS Data and Reporting Guidance Document serves as a roadmap for grantees to effectively collect, manage, and utilize data to enhance program outcomes and impact. The document outlines the strategies and structures for data collection and reporting, ensuring that FSCS grantees can track progress, identify areas for improvement and demonstrate results. This updated version of the document reflects the evolving landscape of the FSCS program, incorporating changes in reporting items and ensuring alignment with the goals and priorities of current grantees.

 

The guidance document underscores the importance of results-based planning and continuous improvement, emphasizing the use of real-time data to inform decision-making and drive change. It equips grantees with the tools and methodologies necessary to establish a robust reporting system. While tailored to the specific needs of the FSCS grantees, the recommendations outlined in the guidance document hold relevance for other place-based initiatives seeking to improve educational outcomes. By sharing best practices and proven strategies, the document serves as a valuable resource for stakeholders committed to advancing equity and opportunity in education."

Education and the Workplace

Source: Brookings Institute

Date: 4/9/2024

Career and technical education is a hidden weak spot in many high schools' teacher workforces

"National data shows that administrators report having difficulty filling positions in CTE subjects 57% of the time, compared to only 39% for openings in academic subjects. CTE teachers with occupational licenses and in high-growth areas are much more likely to leave the profession, earn nearly 20% more in private industry, and their departure from the classroom sometimes results in fewer learning opportunities for students.

 

The provision of CTE coursework in high schools, especially in high-growth fields, promotes student engagement, high school completion, and later employment, especially among disadvantaged student groups."

Family Engagement

Source: EdTrust

Date: 4/11/2024

Engaging First: Supporting Young Learners Through Family Engagement

"The first report is based on two nationally representative surveys, including 600 parents or caregivers of children in first or second grade in the 2022-23 school year, and 300 teachers of the same grade. While respondents said their communication with schools was positive overall, there was significant room for growth: 2 out of 3 parents reported their child's school offered parent-teacher conferences, and parents from low-income or multilingual households were more likely to say they had a bad experience with their child's school, or that staff was not welcoming."

Family Engagement

Source: EdTrust

Date: 4/11/2024

How Student, Family, and Community Engagement Impacts Students' Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD)

"The second report discusses how schools can better communicate with families, caregivers, and communities to support students' academic development and overall wellbeing, the numerous barriers that can get in the way of such engagement, and offers recommendations for federal, state, and local policymakers to help schools improve the ways in which they respond to their community's needs."

Review of Public Education at a Crossroads: A Comprehensive Look at K-12 Resources and Outcomes

Source: Reason Foundation

Reviewed by: Clive Belfield, City University of New York

Clive Belfield, a professor at the City University of New York and Principal Economist at the Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education, University of Pennsylvania, reviewed Public Education at a Crossroads: A Comprehensive Look at K-12 Resources and Outcomes, finding it to use poor methodology and analysis to lead to its vacuous conclusions—most pointedly that there "isn't a consistent relationship between funding growth and outcomes across states."

Will Banning TikTok Make Kids Safer Online? It's More Complicated Than That

By: ERS

While it's true that young people are increasingly struggling with mental health issues at the same time social media usage is ballooning, today's available research simply hasn't found one of those to be the driving force behind the other - in sum, correlation does not equal causation. That's one of the findings by a committee tasked by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine with looking into social media and its impact on children's health and well-being. The committee's roughly 250-page report also made recommendations for governmental policies and future research on the topic.

Bias hinders women's progress in education leadership, survey finds

By: Donald Cohen, ITPI

Some 82% of survey respondents reported having felt external pressure to dress, speak or behave a certain way due to their gender - and those pressures are further amplified for women of color.

Florida settlement's limits on 'Don't Say Gay' law may give teachers and students breathing room

By: Juan Perex, Politico

Florida teachers can place a photo of their spouse on their desk. School libraries can stock books featuring LGBTQ characters. And anti-bullying efforts can protect LGBTQ students. But restrictions on classroom instruction related to sexuality and gender identity remain.

How flawed IQ tests prevent kids from getting help in school

By: Erica Meltzer, Chalkbeat

IQ tests' centrality in many schools is now slowly starting to ebb after decades of research showing their potential for racial and class bias, among other issues. IQ scores can also change significantly over time and have proven particularly unreliable for young children. As a result, more states and school districts have adopted policies and practices that downplay the role of intelligence testing in special education evaluations.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, state lawmakers, and education advocates announce new student teacher stipend

By: Bree Dusseault, CRPE

Student teachers often have little time to work while they are working full time as student teachers. A Pennsylvania state law that just went into effect established the $10-million Educator Pipeline Support Grant Program, providing $15,000 to eligible student teachers.

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