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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
National
A Witness to the Desegregation—and Resegregation—of America’s Schools
On Rebecca Palacios’s first day in front of a classroom, one of her white students picked up his chair and threw it toward her, declaring that he refused to be taught by a “Mexican teacher.” It was 1976, Palacios was 22 years old, and many of her first-grade students were at the school because of a recently launched busing program in Corpus Christi, Texas, that the courts had mandated in an effort to racially integrate campuses. Large numbers of white students were now traveling across town to her school—Lamar Elementary—which for generations had served mostly working-class Mexican American children. (The Atlantic)
Unionized Or Not, Teachers Struggle To Make Ends Meet, NPR/Ipsos Poll Finds
More than 9 in 10 teachers say they joined the profession for idealistic reasons — “I wanted to do good” — but most are struggling to some extent economically. Those findings come from a nationally representative survey by NPR and Ipsos of more than 500 teachers across the country. The poll was conducted in April amid widespread walkouts in several states, including Colorado, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia, and currently Arizona. (NPR)
Computer-based tests are another challenge for low-income students, teachers say
When students at Govans Elementary School in North Baltimore took statewide standardized tests last year, Principal Linda Taylor said, some struggled with using a mouse to navigate the online assessment. Some didn’t know how to scroll to the appropriate sections. Others grappled with how to highlight information. The nearly 450 students enrolled at the public charter school last year shared roughly 70 computers, laptops and iPads. Some had access to a computer only once a week, Taylor said, making it difficult for them to develop the skills needed to succeed on an online test. (The Washington Post)
Report: Rethinking Dual Enrollment to Reach More Students
This Promising Practices report discusses state approaches that systematically broaden dual enrollment access and provide pre-collegiate experiences to middle- and lower-achieving students. (Education Commission of the States)
States
Delaware
Study: Almost half of Delaware children experience trauma, stress
Almost half of Delaware children experience some type of traumatic or stressful moment growing up that could influence a child’s overall health, according to a new study. The annual Kids Count report, released Tuesday, found that 48 percent of kids in Delaware experience one or more adverse childhood experiences, slightly higher than that the national average of 46 percent. Janice Barlow, director of Kids Count at the University of Delaware, said economic hardship is the most common experience, followed by divorce or separation of a parent. Substance abuse, exposure to violence and mental illness are also commonly reported. (Delaware Online)
Hawaii
How Hawai‘i’s Schools Are Tackling Chronic Absenteeism
A prime predictor of future economic and emotional instability, and even prison time, chronic absenteeism affects large numbers of Hawai’i public school students. Last school year, nearly 27,000 students got in trouble for missing too much school. Helping them show up consistently will take a community effort. (Honolulu Magazine)
New Jersey
New Jersey schools stuck in limbo: Districts unsure whether they’ll gain or lose funding
For the second year in a row, competing visions over how to fund public education has left New Jersey’s roughly 600 school districts in limbo as they face crucial May deadlines to finalize their budgets, set tax bills and make hiring decisions for the coming school year. Many districts stand to gain or lose money — in some cases, millions of dollars — compared with preliminary aid figures the state released in March. But how they fare depends on the outcome of negotiations between Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and lawmakers, which are unlikely to conclude before the deadlines pass. (NorthJersey.com)
Pennsylvania
Suburban schools’ residency enforcement mostly affects kids of color
On Sept. 11, 2014, a resident of the Pottsgrove School District sent school administrators a letter demanding action. She believed one of the neighbors in her sleepy suburban subdivision was running a scam, allowing extended family to stay at the address on school nights so they could illegally attend local public schools. Children would show up at the house early on weekday mornings or late Sunday night and disappear again Friday afternoon, the neighbor claimed. She and others had been complaining about the house on Butternut Drive for years, saying the family was “using our school district and tax dollars.” (WHYY)