posted on
Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
National
Eight governors join coalition to expand computer science education
Eight more governors have signed on to the Governors’ Partnership for K-12 Computer Science, a coalition of state leaders committed to advancing computer science education. These recent additions bring the total membership to 16 governors, meaning that the Partnership, which launched in 2016 with the help of Code.org, has doubled since last month. The new members include Republicans Doug Burgum of North Dakota, Eric Holcomb of Indiana, Kay Ivey of Alabama, Matt Mead of Wyoming and Democrats Steve Bullock of Montana, David Ige of Hawaii, Ralph Northam of Virginia and Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania. (EdScoop)
Social-Emotional Learning for Senators: This Elementary School Exercise Helped End the Shutdown
A group of Senators helped negotiate the compromise that ended a three-day government shutdown using an exercise familiar to many elementary school teachers: To prevent interruptions during a spirited conversation, the elected officials were only allowed to speak when they were holding a “talking stick” that belongs to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. (The 74)
What Do Asthma, Heart Disease And Cancer Have In Common? Maybe Childhood Trauma
“Trauma” is a heavy and haunting word. For many Americans, it conjures images of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The emotional toll from those wars made headlines and forced a healthcare reckoning at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, a pediatrician, would like to see a similar reckoning in every doctor’s office, health clinic and classroom in America — for children who have experienced trauma much closer to home. (NPR)
Chris Stewart: Yes, It’s School Choice Week. Unfortunately, We Still Need It
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: National School Choice Week. What better time to remember there are millions of children who are not in the optimal school for their needs? There are hundreds of thousands of children on waiting lists for charter schools. There are many more students with special needs for whom private programs would be better, but they lack the financial support to access those schools. And, there are the students for whom homeschooling would make a world of difference. (The 74)
States
Hawaii
School choice means the best school for your child
For centuries, Hawaii has served as a melting pot for an array of diverse ethnicities and cultures from across the Pacific and the world. That statement remains true today, thanks in part to school choice. This National School Choice Week, we can celebrate how school choice preserves our cultural heritage, while providing the best quality education for our keiki. (Honolulu Star Advertiser)
New York
Parents rally to demand a voice in the search for New York City schools chief
The education department has made it a mission to boost parent involvement in schools. Now, parents are demanding a bigger role elsewhere: In the search for a new schools chancellor. Parent leaders from across New York City took to the steps of the education department’s headquarters to demand that Mayor Bill de Blasio allow them to have a say in the process. “For the mayor to deny parents the opportunity to represent the interests of our children in this critical decision is to ignore the voices of our most vulnerable, underrepresented New Yorkers,” Jessamyn Lee, co-chair of the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council, said in a statement. (Chalkbeat)
North Carolina
NC charter schools enrollment hits 100,000 for first time
North Carolina charter schools have enrolled more than 100,000 students this school year, the first time they have surpassed that mark. The latest enrollment data on the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s website shows charter schools have enrolled 100,866 students in 2017-18 – a gain of more than 8,600 students from this same time last school year. “What a milestone worth celebrating,” said Rhonda Dillingham, executive director of NC Association for Public Charter Schools. (WRAL)
Tennessee
Tennessee gubernatorial candidates: Student testing, teacher evaluations must improve
Five of Tennessee’s leading gubernatorial candidates on Tuesday evening touted the need for student tests that work and teacher evaluations that are reliable. The cordial hourlong forum at Belmont University’s Curb Event Center featured few disagreements and plenty of promises from the three Republicans and two Democrats on stage. The State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), Belmont, the USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee and the NewsChannel5 Network hosted the forum. Each candidate favored strengthening standardized tests and increasing trust in teacher evaluations, offering several solutions. While obvious differences were rare, candidates did offer very different positions on two key issues. (Tennessean)