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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
Early childhood education in the U.S. is a disaster, and policies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia do little to address the low wages and economic insecurity among teachers and the lack of affordable, high-quality services for children. (U.S. News)
State and local spending on prisons and jails has increased at triple the rate of funding for public education for preschool through grade P-12 education in the last three decades, a new analysis by the U.S. Department of Education found. (U.S. Department of Education)
A House subcommittee on Thursday blocked a Senate effort to provide low-income college students federal Pell grants to take classes throughout the year and instead approved an appropriations bill that would cut $1.3 billion out of the program. (The Washington Post)
The NEA just awarded its “Friend of Education” award to Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) for their role in shepherding the Every Student Succeeds Act through Congress. The law replaces the No Child Left Behind Act and devolves much of the authority over schools back to states. (Education Week)
Unemployed after cycling through temporary jobs in insurance, accounting and real estate, Lisa Edwards was considering whether to borrow and go back to college three years ago when she came upon a flier on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. It was for a “women in technology” program offered by Per Scholas, a nonprofit offering low-income workers training in information technology. (The New York Times)
Ivonne Barcenas grew up in the hometown of the University of Georgia and had hopes of studying there – until she found out that immigrants without permanent legal status are prohibited from attending the state’s top public universities. (Associated Press)