Education in Focus

After a recent showdown with Gov. Gavin Newsom, a California school board has approved a middle school social studies curriculum that it previously rejected over opposition to materials that mention the gay historical figure Harvey Milk. The Temecula Valley Unified School District school board voted in a special meeting Friday to approve the curriculum after Newsom said the state would provide textbooks that align with state standards and fine the school for failing to provide materials that do so.

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Americans are unhappy with how schools handle student behavior issues and how school discipline policies are enforced, which can have an effect on school safety, according to a July 19 poll. Parental rights organization Parents Defending Education commissioned the poll conducted by CRC Research. The poll found that 40% of those surveyed think schools are doing a poor job enforcing student behavior policies and said school disruptions have increased in the past year.

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New research from an education assessment organization found that test scores from students in the 2022-2023 school year show student achievement fell short of what it was before schools nationwide closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research from Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) found that achievement gains for most students in grades 3-8 again fell short of average achievement gains from before the pandemic. The researchers concluded that the average student will need at least four extra months of school to catch up on reading and math. 

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A top official at the U.S. Education Department Office of Civil Rights said this afternoon that her office would consider taking away federal funds from school districts that remove books from school libraries. Assistant Secretary Catherine Lhamon said that her office is "very eager" to enforce its control over federal funds to keep districts from creating a hostile environment for students caused by book removals.

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As more school districts across the country consider the possibility of four-day school weeks, critics point to studies that indicate there are more risks than benefits. While advocates argue condensing instruction hours into four longer school days can save taxpayers money while appealing for teachers and students, studies show negative correlations between both student performance and teacher recruitment and retention, according to Shannon Holston, chief of policy and programs at the National Council on Teacher Quality.

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Illinois saw its highest graduation rate in more than a decade last year, according to the Illinois Report Card. Yet critics are wondering if the state's schools are graduating students who aren't ready. Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski argues that the Illinois School System has become so broken even its greatest accomplishments now raise questions about its overall competency. “These school districts are not being honest with students or parents,” Dabrowski told The Center Square. “They’re looking to hide all their failures by graduating kids that are not prepared to move on.”

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A practice once used in the criminal justice system is now preferred by the nation's top law enforcement and education agencies who say schools should use it to prevent discrimination.  Restorative justice or restorative practices have in the past decade or so become more regular terms in school buildings across the country as an alternative to hard-line disciplinary policies that before dominated districts. But is the new approach to discipline actually working? 

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Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro signaled that he supports school choice measures as the state Legislature began discussions Thursday around the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success Program. Lawmakers in the Pennsylvania state house are the latest to discuss expanding school choice measures that allow public funds to follow students to private schools.

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Learn about the launch of Chalkboard News which provides a non-partisan, non-political approach to news coverage of the critical issues facing public education in America. Our journalists focus on curriculum; school funding; educational choice; the roles of parents, teachers, and administrators; the voice taxpayers have in their local schools; and the betterment of K-12 public education.

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U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona described several bright spots amid an otherwise bleak announcement this week that there has been no past-pandemic recovery for reading and mathematics based on test scores of 13-year-olds tested last year.

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