The idea that holding students back when they haven’t met grade-level standards does more harm than good is a widely held belief in education circles. This phrase is often repeated as if it were an unquestionable scientific fact. But few anti-retention advocates seem to understand how the foundational studies were conducted, what the data could […]
Current Events in Education
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Trump administration abandons appeal targeting DEI in education
The Trump administration has withdrawn a significant initiative that sought to curb diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts across schools and colleges. The Trump administration has filed a notice withdrawing its appeal in a case that sought to roll back more than 60 years of civil rights protections in public education after attempting to require […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Chasing a different STAAR: HB8 changes to state testing for elementary and middle schooL students in Texas
I remember the exact moment. It was June 2023, right after the last bell rang on a Friday afternoon. My colleague stuck her head in my classroom door, grinning. “Did you hear? They killed the STAAR!” We’d been teaching under the weight of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness for over a decade. […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
The Hidden Threat in Florida’s new “Vision for Education“
Florida recently became the first state in the nation to adopt The Phoenix Declaration: An American Vision for Education, a statement of principles for education in America by the conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation. At first glance this manifesto seems harmless; after all, who doesn’t want access to a “high-quality, content-rich education?” On closer examination, however, […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Idea Exchange: What is school and how do we “do” school?
Education is one of the largest systems we interact with. Nearly all of us have a formal education background in some way. In other words, we all have experience going to school growing up. So let me pose a few questions, and specifically regarding K-12: I try to be mindful that schools vary. I am […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Finding Peace for immigrant communities in the era of ICE
Unidentified black SUVs swarming the parking lot, strange, official-looking men yet no badges, and a distinct, overwhelming fear. I will never forget my first encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in my school community. It marked the start of an era in our predominantly Latinx neighborhood, a close-knit community of mostly Central Americans fleeing […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
How the Government Shutdown has Triggered my Teacher Shame
Teacher Shame, a term I use to describe the regular intervals at which I am reminded that I chose a low-paying job that seems to be considered unimportant by society. The current government shutdown has triggered me. The first time I felt this shame was when I watched the faces of my college boyfriend’s family […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education
Colorado voters support measures to feed public schools students by taxing rich
Last night, Colorado voters decided on a pair of measures aimed at bolstering funding for free school meals for all public school students, as well as to mitigate federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, by taxing the wealthy. Proposition MM will increase state income taxes paid by households earning […]