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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
National
Report: The Feasibility of Collecting School-Level Finance Data: An Evaluation of Data From the School-Level Finance Survey (SLFS) School Year 2013–14
This Research and Development (R&D) report presents school-level finance data on expenditures by function from the School-Level Finance Survey (SLFS). The SLFS is an extension of two existing collections being conducted by NCES in collaboration with the Census Bureau: the School District Finance Survey (F-33) and the state-level National Public Education Financial Survey (NPEFS). The SLFS is essentially an expansion of the F-33 to include some school-level variables. The SLFS pilot study was cleared to collect school-level finance data for the School Year (SY) 2013-14 from 12 state education agencies (SEAs). In the second year (SY 2014–15) the SLFS pilot was cleared to collect data from up to 20 SEAs, and NCES has recently obtained clearance to collect school-level finance data on a volunteer basis from all 50 states and the District of Columbia for SY 2015–16. (NCES)
Let’s protect children against disadvantage with early education
The Nellie Mae Foundation recently awarded the city of Danbury $295,000 to hold focus groups on residents’ perceptions of why there is a gap in high school graduation rates between the city’s racial minority students and their mostly white peers in wealthier suburban school districts. Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan will give $30 million to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop a digital screening tool to identify kindergartners who will have difficulty learning to read. (The Hill)
Discipline Disparities Grow for Students of Color, New Federal Data Show
At a time when the Trump administration is rolling back discipline guidance with protections for vulnerable groups, new federal data find continuing disparities in how students of color and those with disabilities are disciplined and in the opportunities they get in schools. The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday released two reports highlighting statistics from the 2015-16 school year’s civil rights data collection on school safety and discipline and on students’ access to science and math courses. (Education Week)
Do charter schools suspend students more? It depends on how you look at the data.
A few weeks ago, a government watchdog agency released an extensive report on discipline in U.S. schools. It drew headlines for underscoring how black students, boys, and students with disabilities are much more likely to be suspended. But there was one question that the report helped answer that didn’t get much attention: are charter schools more or less likely to suspend their students? It’s a fraught topic, particularly as so-called “no-excuses” charter schools across the country have been criticized for what some see as overly harsh discipline. And the answer turns out to be complicated. (Chalkbeat)
States
Delaware
Give taxpayers a clearer picture of school spending
A clarion call is being sounded in some Delaware education circles to revamp the way public schools are funded. The American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware sued the state in January, arguing the current system is unconstitutional. At a conference this week, local and national leaders piggybacked on that theme and advocated change. The ACLU suit says the system discriminates against students who are poor, disabled or learning English because it doesn’t provide the extra funding they need to succeed. Many say that disparity is a main cause for the achievement gap between low-income and affluent kids. (Delaware Online)
North Carolina
New Report Shows Improvements In NC Teacher Pay, Spending
New findings released Monday by the National Education Association showed an improvement in teacher pay and per-pupil spending in North Carolina last year. Despite the improvement, the state remains well behind the national average in these two areas. According to the report, the average salary for North Carolina public school teachers in 2017 was $49,970, a pay increase of about $2,000 from 2016. The state ranked 39th in average teacher pay last year, an improvement from 41st in 2016. (WFAE)
South Carolina
Charleston RISE Announces the Launch of Its New Website
Charleston RISE, a grassroots parent-advocacy coalition that seeks great public schools for all children in the Charleston County School District (CCSD), is excited to announce the launch of its official website where parents, participants and the community can keep up and get involved in the work RISE is doing to improve public education. Charleston RISE has created and maintained a large following on social media through its Facebook page which has allowed RISE to share statistics about the state of education in South Carolina and lead the conversation. Now, through the website, Charleston RISE will have a new capability in reaching people, sharing data and encouraging people to get involved. (Low Country Biz SC)