Beth’s Briefings (10-27-15)

Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:

 

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Deputy Education Secretary John B. King Jr. joined others at a panel discussion at the National Press Club on Monday to discuss the state of testing in the nation’s schools and efforts to correct what’s seen as “overtesting.” (Education Week)

 

With more than 20 languages spoken in one eighth-grade classroom, Harlem Village Academy West in New York City rivals the vibrant cultural and ethnic mix of the United Nations headquarters, a short trip down the FDR Drive. Spanish, Mandingo, Fulani, French, Arabic, and other languages come together to form a tapestry of nationalities. Yet unlike the U.N., the premier institution representing the peoples of the world, public schools have not always encouraged children to embrace their heritages. Indeed, as non-native English speakers, some of the Harlem Village’s middle-schoolers relate feelings of isolation as younger children solely based on their attainment of the English language. (The Atlantic)

 

The number of schools offering free meals to all students through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s community eligibility provision jumped 20 percent this year, the second year the option has been available nationwide, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said today. (Education Week)

 

Large student loan debt collectors that the U.S. Department of Education in February vowed to fire after accusing them of misleading troubled borrowers at “unacceptably high rates” have since collected nearly $50 million from the department, federal records show. (Huffington Post)

 

As part of a push to encourage more students to apply to college, New York City will begin offering the SAT free to all public school juniors, Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced on Monday. The test will be given during the school day — not on a Saturday, as is now the common practice. (The New York Times)