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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
National
Protesters briefly block Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s visit to a D.C. school
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos encountered protesters Friday morning outside a D.C. middle school and found her way barred as she tried to enter through
a side door, forcing her to retreat into a government vehicle as a man shouted “Shame!” Eventually, DeVos made her way inside for an event starting at about 10 a.m. that included the D.C. schools chancellor and others. The event was closed to the media. (The Washington Post)
Can Betsy DeVos Make Shift From Divisive Nominee to Effective Leader?
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos finally took the helm of her agency this week after a bitter and tumultuous confirmation process unlike any other in the U.S. Department of Education’s more than three-decade history. Now, it’s an open question whether DeVos can make the transition from highly divisive nominee to effective leader. (Education Week)
Empathy Is Tough to Teach, But Is One Of the Most Important Life Lessons
Dr. Brené Brown has become famous for her speaking and writing about vulnerability, worthiness, shame and the other important emotions running underneath daily life all the time. One theme she returns to over and over is the importance of cultivating empathy, a very different reaction than sympathy. (KQED News)
New Instructions at High Schools: Take a Nap
Some high schools are trying a new cure for teenagers who stay up late, don’t want to wake up in the morning and doze off during class. Teachers are letting them nap at school. Nap clubs, where students meet and rest quietly, have cropped up in some high schools. Some are trying quiet rooms, where no speaking or technology are allowed. And wellness centers that offer everything from cozy couches and free tea to sleep-health consultations are available at some public schools. (The Wall Street Journal)
The next generation of charter school innovation and impact
The rapid growth of the charter school sector in its early years was often framed as an opportunity to improve public education. Charter schools, with fewer bureaucratic hurdles, would be able to innovate and create a pipeline for improvement strategies that could circle back to the district-run schools and help everybody. (Education Dive)
State
Tennessee
Tennessee Says A Third Of Its High School Graduates Didn’t Meet Requirements
About a third of Tennessee students who graduated from high school in 2015 did so without earning the necessary credits. That revelation came late last month in a report by the state’s education department — a report meant to explore why so many Tennessee students are having trouble in college. For the first time, state officials led an audit to see whether graduates were fulfilling the state’s graduation requirements. One in three was not. (NPR)
New York
City’s High School Grad Rate Edges Up to Nearly 73 Percent
New York City’s graduation rate increased by more than 2 percentage points last year, to 72.6 percent. That number represents students who graduated in August after four years of high school. Statewide, the four-year graduation rate increased to 81.4 percent. (WNYC)