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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
National
Parents Own Responsibility for Their Child’s Education, but Lack Accurate Picture of Their Child’s Progress, According to New National Survey
For the second year in a row, a new national survey finds that nine in 10 K-8 parents say their child is performing at or above grade level in reading and math, when only a third of students are achieving at that level, according to 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data. (Market Insider)
‘I think that’s blood money’: Arne Duncan pushed charters to reject funds from Trump admin if budget cuts approved
For left-of-center education reformers, the proposed Trump budget amounted to a devil’s bargain. They could support the budget plan, which would give hundreds of millions of dollars to charter schools. But they would have to do so knowing it slashed education spending across the board, including money meant for poor students. (Chalkbeat)
State
Hawaii
New Hawaii Schools Chief’s First Priority: Listening
Hawaii’s new schools superintendent Christina Kishimoto began her first day on the job Tuesday slipping unscheduled into a state Board of Education subcommittee meeting, nodding along during presentations about health services for students and a program that celebrates bilingual students. With little fanfare, the lei-draped Kishimoto took a seat at a table across from several board members and listened. (Honolulu Civil Beat)
Maryland
Can STEM instruction benefit from an infusion of the arts? One Maryland district says yes
In the 2014-2015 school year, Prince George’s County Public Schools District in Upper Marlboro, MD, instituted a pilot program to integrate the arts into curricula at 14 of the district’s schools. The program was initiated by John Ceschini, the district’s Arts Integration Officer, who wanted to offer professional development for educators to integrate the arts into an array of subjects, including STEM subjects. (EducationDive)
South Carolina
Erskine College’s new role as charter school gatekeeper could change landscape of public education
A private Christian college in Due West could become the gatekeeper for millions of state taxpayer dollars to fund online charter schools. Erskine College is creating a college sponsorship route for charter schools, a route that could remove state education supervision for at least two schools that have expressed an interest the new system. (The Post and Courier)
Tennessee
Memphis NAACP branch helps sway conversation on charter schools
When the national NAACP called for a moratorium on new charter schools last fall, Deidre Malone, president of the Memphis branch, was more than a bit surprised. The blanket statement didn’t seem to jibe with what she sees on the ground in Shelby County, home to more than 70 charter schools this fall. “In Memphis and in Shelby county, there definitely are some positive things going on when it comes to charters,” said Malone, whose public relations firm represents some charter schools. (The Commercial Appeal)
Washington D.C.
A Lasting Impact
Teachers matter—and some matter more than others. That recognition has driven a tidal wave of controversial policy reforms over the past decade, rooted in new evaluation systems that link teachers’ ratings and, in some cases, their pay and advancement to evidence of classroom practice and student learning. Two out of three U.S. states overhauled teacher evaluations between 2009 and 2015, supported by federal incentives such as Race to the Top and Teacher Incentive Fund grants, as well as No Child Left Behind Act waivers. (EducationNext)