Education in Focus

Finalization of the Department of Education’s Title IX ruling that would strike down statewide prohibitions on transgender athletes participating in a sport that matched their identity is expected to occur next year. An updated page on the Office of Management and Budget says final action on the federal government's rule on how transgender students can play on sports teams that match their gender identity is expected in March, months after it was initially anticipated in October. As Chalkboard reported last week, the Department said the finalization was delayed because of the large number of comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking and that it is working “overtime” to get through the comments. 

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The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores show U.S. students scored significantly worse on math than in 2018 and declines in all subjects. It also found that increased spending had less to do with student outcomes than how the funds are used. PISA also noted that lower math test scores were associated with lower parental involvement.

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A debate over whether New York City’s classrooms are overcrowded is mounting between the city’s teachers union and the public school system. The United Federation of Teachers says hundreds of thousands of students are subjected to overcrowded classes, while the New York City Public Schools says it is in compliance with the law. A recent survey from the city’s teachers union asserted that over 300,000 students who attend Title I schools in the city are in overcrowded classrooms that are out of compliance with a state law that limits class sizes. 

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For schools and institutions of higher learning waiting for the Department of Education’s final action on a rule governing eligibility for transgender students on sports teams to be finalized, more patience is required. Initially expected in October, the Department of Education’s forthcoming rule on transgender athletes on sports teams has been delayed as the agency sifts through thousands of comments from the public, according to a spokesperson. The department’s changes would overrule statewide laws prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in sports that align with their gender identity and replace them with criteria for schools and institutions to use on an individual basis. 

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Students have returned to school in Portland as the teachers union and district have yet to vote on an agreement to end the weeks long strike, which kept students out of class for most of November. The Portland Association of Teachers and Portland Public Schools announced a tentative agreement Sunday, ending a strike that began on Nov. 1. The union called the strike a win in an update to members. The district said in an update that the contract will cost taxpayers an additional $175 million over the next three years. 

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Voters support school policies that require educators to tell parents about changes to their student’s pronouns, a nationwide poll has found. The findings come as parental notification policies have stirred controversy as student advocates and parents square off in school board meetings. The Center Square Voter’s Voice Poll conducted with Noble Predictive Insights found that two-thirds of voters back measures requiring parental notification of changes in a student’s preferred gender as school gender policies have been scrutinized by the courts in recent years.

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New federal data shows white students are more likely than their peers to report being harassed or bullied because of their sex or disability. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released data this week from a survey of district-level data on student discipline, harassment and educational access conducted in the 2020-21 school year. The data shows white students were much more likely to report bullying or harassment on account of their sex or disability than other groups.

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A recent report based on polling parents of K-12 students found that while most think their child is on the right track academically based on their grades, test scores show the majority of students are not actually performing at grade level. The report released this week from Gallup and Learning Heroes found that while almost 80% of parents said their students received at least B grades, under 50% meet standardized test scores that show proficiency. The discrepancy points to the need for measures outside the traditional report card, the report found. 

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The Pacific Research Institute released a study in September reviewing the impacts of the various approaches states took when dealing with the pandemic. The study concluded: "The states that implemented policies categorized as more stringent tended to have fewer COVID-19 infections and fewer COVID-19 mortalities per 100,000 people. These states have also experienced increases in other causes of mortality that may fully offset the reduction in COVID-19 mortalities, larger economic consequences, and larger education losses for children."

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A large majority of voters say that public schools should focus on the basics – math, reading, writing, science and social studies – to improve the quality of public education in the country. That's according to the latest The Center Square’s Voters' Voice poll conducted in late October in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights. The poll results come as the nation has seen academic achievement declines since school closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as cultural debates about gender ideology and curriculum content roil parents and communities in school board meetings across the country.

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