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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
National
Why the Trump administration wants school districts to change their budgets — and how Title I could stand in the way
President Trump’s first budget proposal promised $1 billion in new funds for poor students, with a catch: the money would be used to encourage school districts to adopt a new way of funding their schools. Tucked into the administration’s “skinny budget,” the single sentence on the issue manages to say a great deal about the Trump administration’s priorities — and about how complicated it could be to move them forward. (Chalkbeat)
The 2017 Brown Center Report on American Education: How Well Are American Students Learning?
This Brown Center Report (BCR) on American Education is the sixth and final edition in the third volume and the 16th issue overall. The series began in 2000. As in the past, the report comprises three studies. Also in keeping with tradition, the first section features recent results from state, national, or international assessments; the second section investigates a thematic topic in education, either by collecting new data or by analyzing existing empirical evidence in a novel way; and the third section looks at one or more education policies. (Brookings Institution)
ESSA Rules’ Rollback Complicates States’ Planning
Congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump’s administration recently put their own stamp on the Every Student Succeeds Actt by dismantling key elements of the previous administration’s work. State school leaders say the moves won’t significantly influence their approach to the law, but advocacy groups will be watching closely to see how the new, more flexible policy environment affects decisions about underperforming schools and disadvantaged students. (Education Week)
State
New York
No Warrant, No Way In: NYC to Prevent ICE Agents From Entering Schools Without Warrants
With school districts around the country responding to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown by declaring themselves “sanctuaries” for undocumented students, New York officials reassured the city’s large immigrant population yesterday that they are ready to do everything in their power to protect students should federal agents move to apprehend students in schools. (The 74)
Tennessee
Shelby school voucher bill leading other proposals
A school voucher proposal targeting Shelby County Schools is shaping up to be the top voucher bill in the Tennessee General Assembly this year after it passed through a House education committee Tuesday. ”I think there is less concern about this bill than in years past,” said Rep. Harry Brooks, R-Knoxville, who is sponsoring the bill. “I think this is the one that the folks in the House and Senate see as the lead bill and that will be it.” (The Tennessean)
Georgia
The Separate, Unequal Education of Students With Special Needs
Brent Agnew remembers feeling a sense of relief when he left the meeting called to discuss his 6-year-old son Caleb’s anxiety attacks. As he and his wife, Jennifer, walked into the parking lot outside the E. E. Butler Center in Gainesville, Georgia, that day in 2006, the two could picture a different future for Caleb. At the meeting, a special-education teacher had recommended taking the boy out of Martin Elementary School, in a town 10 miles southwest of Gainesville, and placing him in Georgia’s Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS), a statewide system for children with “emotional and behavioral disorders.” (The Atlantic)