Oakland charter designed with students of color in mind

Roses in Concrete Community School aims to offer the enrichment opportunities common in wealthy, white, independent schools instead of the bootcamp-like test prep more common in urban areas.

By Tara García Mathewson • Dec. 2, 2016

Data Quality Campaign analysis finds state report cards are failing

The organization's “Show Me the Data” report argues states are not making information accessible or easy to understand, but that can change with ESSA.

By Tara García Mathewson • Dec. 2, 2016

School leaders share tips for becoming 'Future Ready'

Three administrators from Massachusetts and Rhode Island discuss leadership strategies for building schools for the 21st century that support teacher innovation and student success.

By Tara García Mathewson • Dec. 1, 2016

Dallas County considers changes to controversial truancy policies

A Texas truancy law allows schools to send students to court for unexcused absences, but new recommendations might change that.

By Tara García Mathewson • Dec. 1, 2016

NYC may approach school segregation as human rights issue

A bill being considered by the City Council would create a new office within the New York City Commission on Human Rights to study segregation in public schools.

By Tara García Mathewson • Dec. 1, 2016

Students of all ages have trouble assessing online content for validity

Stanford researchers developed tasks for 7,800 students in 12 states, finding even though students grow up as “digital natives,” they can't accurately determine quality content.

By Tara García Mathewson • Dec. 1, 2016

Teacher shortage hits 'alarming rates' in some California districts

A survey of 211 districts by the Learning Policy Institute and the California School Boards Association found shortages in 75% of districts overall.

By Tara García Mathewson • Dec. 1, 2016

CA policy institute recommends rethinking special ed funding

The Public Policy Institute of California released a long-awaited report Tuesday, encouraging the state to send special education dollars directly to schools instead of through regional agencies.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 29, 2016

Ed Dept finalizes ESSA accountability, reporting and state plan regs

The U.S. Department of Education has released a batch of final regulations to guide state implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act after responding to criticism of its drafts.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 29, 2016

The 2016 Dive Awards for K-12 education

After months of research, we've narrowed down the year's top administrator, district, startup and more.

By Roger Riddell • Nov. 28, 2016

Syracuse academy targets aspiring leaders among teachers, admins

The Syracuse City School District is in its fourth year of offering an aspiring leaders academy, which serves to groom a pipeline of teacher and administrator leaders.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 28, 2016

Report: Barriers hinder equity at home, in school and through funding

Scholastic Education surveyed 4,700 teachers and principals who universally agree equity is an important priority.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 28, 2016

Who is Betsy DeVos, Trump's pick for ed secretary?

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen the Michigan billionaire, charter school proponent and active Republican to lead his Ed Department, but her power could be limited.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 28, 2016

Student-based funding formula possible for Mississippi

Lawmakers could rewrite the state’s ed funding formula, moving to a model that allocates a base student cost and assigns extra money to address at-risk qualities.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 28, 2016

Michigan gov's attorneys argue literacy not a right

Seven students from Detroit’s public schools are suing the state, claiming “slum-like conditions” in schools limit access to literacy and violate their civil rights.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 22, 2016

Ed Sec King calls for end to corporal punishment

More than 110,000 students received corporal punishment during the 2013-14 school year, the latest for which data is available, and a disproportionate number were black.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 22, 2016

Bilingual ed is newly legal in California, but challenges remain

Voters approved the return of bilingual ed in the state earlier this month, but it will be up to individual districts to bring the programs back — and staffing is sure to be a challenge.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 22, 2016

DC schools boost pre-K attendance with home visits

Research makes clear that attendance matters as early as preschool, but getting parents to buy into the importance of daily participation presents a challenge.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 22, 2016

Californians primed to oppose Trump's $20B voucher plan

On the campaign trail, the president-elect outlined a massive federal school choice program that would give money to students from low-income families to leave their public schools.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 22, 2016

Is drug-testing in schools worth it?

Some districts randomly screen students who participate in athletics or extra-curricular activities, while others defer to research that says it doesn’t do much as a deterrence strategy.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 21, 2016

UPDATE: Michelle Rhee removes herself from ed secretary candidacy

The former DC schools chief met with the president-elect this weekend, but in the end decided to remove herself from the running.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 21, 2016

Apprenticeships could be key to preparing manufacturing workforce

If manufacturing jobs do increase under a Trump presidency, apprenticeships could be an important path to filling them.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 21, 2016

How should states rethink accountability under ESSA?

David Griffith and Mike Petrilli, a research and policy associate and president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, respectively, offer their take on the perfect accountability system.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 18, 2016

Districts should have succession plans in place at all times

Many districts wait until positions are open to think about who can fill them, but experts say it is better to be proactive and incorporate succession planning into broader strategic initiatives.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 18, 2016

Benefits of preschool clear, but quality is critical

New research exploring the short- and long-term benefits of preschool in North Carolina say the early childhood program led to higher test scores and fewer special ed placements, to start.

By Tara García Mathewson • Nov. 18, 2016