As a former Texas Master Teacher, I thought I knew everything there was to know about education, as it related to data and metrics. I knew how to tier my students based on their academic needs. I understood the necessity for grouping my students by various demographic markers. I effectively delivered the Texas Essential Knowledge […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Department of Education wipes out nearly all of special education office
This is a developing story. The Department of Education has fired nearly everyone in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in a wave of new layoffs that began Friday, according to the union representing the agency’s employees. This comes after the college access program known as TRIO was let go, according to Rachel Gittleman, the […]
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Most Banned Books of the 2024-2025 School Year
According to PEN America, there have been nearly 23,000 book bans in public schools nationwide since 2021, the largest number ever recorded in America. There were 6,870 instances of book banning, nearly 4,000 unique titles, during the 2024-2025 school year. This censorship is being mobilized by groups with conservative viewpoints, such as Moms for Liberty, […]
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How teachers are rebuilding a love of reading among teens
In a post-pandemic world, teachers have seized the opportunity to pause and rebuild their approach to learning. When life handed us lemons, we understood the need to offer more than just lemonade in order to reinvigorate students who are chronically absent and disengaged. Many teachers have increased student choice, social-emotional learning strategies, and centered learning […]
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Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools detained by ICE
On Friday, the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, Dr. Ian Roberts, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, according to the district. According to ICE, Roberts was in the country illegally from Guyana and was working as a superintendent despite having “a final order of removal and no work authorization.”In addition, when […]
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The Ten Commandments Meet the First Amendment
The erosion of civil liberties in service to the establishment of a Christofascist theocracy continues apace in the South, as Texas joins Louisiana and Arkansas in mandating that every K-12 public education classroom display a copy of the Ten Commandments. Texas Senate Bill 10, passed by the Texas legislature in late May, requires all public […]
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Trump administration to end grant funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions, affecting many California colleges
by: Michael Burke And Amy DiPierro This story was originally published by EdSource. Sign up for their daily newsletter The U.S. Department of Education said Wednesday it is ending a grant program for Hispanic-Serving Institutions and several similar programs, a decision expected to sap funding from California colleges and universities that are eligible for extra federal dollars because they […]
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Nation’s Report Card shows steep declines for high school students post COVID-19
Student performance in key subjects has dropped sharply in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest Nation’s Report Card that was released just after midnight. The new results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show average score declines between 2019 and 2024 for eighth graders in science and for twelfth […]