Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

Future of Schools

Following the ongoing efforts to improve struggling schools.
Indiana
1 day ago

Indiana lawmakers are bringing back a plan to expand takeover for Gary and Muncie schools

It’s official: Lawmakers are planning to re-introduce a controversial plan to expand state takeover of the Gary and Muncie school districts when they come back…

match day

Newark
1 day ago

On high school match day, two-thirds of Newark eighth graders want magnet schools — but far fewer will get them

Students can apply to up to eight schools, but they only get matched with one. They find out which one on April 20.

Pushback

Colorado
2 days ago

National head of DFER after Colorado Democrats’ platform vote: ‘We’re not going anywhere’

Education reform has become an increasingly divisive issue within the Democratic Party.

get out the vote

New York
2 days ago

Can schools encourage students to be more involved citizens? A new study suggests yes they can.

A new study concludes that Democracy Prep, network of charter schools, makes students far more likely to vote once they turn 18.

bills bills bills

New York
2 days ago

New legislation aims to diversify New York City’s elite high schools. Here are 3 reasons to be skeptical.

Specialized high schools have remained starkly segregated.

walkout snapshot

Tennessee
2 days ago

Memphis students mourn gun violence in own communities as they walk out during national protest

Martin Luther King Prep was one of more than 20 Memphis-area schools that staged walkouts Thursday and Friday as part of a larger national movement.
Indiana
April 18, 2018

What it could mean for Indianapolis Public Schools if Ferebee is looking at new jobs

Although Ferebee has withdrawn his name from contention in Los Angeles, he still could be an option for other districts.

contract details

Colorado
April 18, 2018

Antwan Wilson being paid up to $60,000 to consult for Denver Public Schools

The contract shows the district determined that the former Washington, D.C. schools chancellor was the only person qualified for the consultant job.

after parkland

Tennessee
April 18, 2018

Shelby County students walking out tomorrow want to return with specific recommendations on school safety

The walkouts on Thursday will honor the 19th anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado.

What's in a name?

Detroit
April 18, 2018

Detroit has schools named for a slaveholder, a convicted former politician, and a Trump cabinet member. Here’s how that might change.

Despite the passion fueling the debate over renaming schools like the Ben Carson High School of Science and Medicine, members of the Detroit…
Indiana
April 18, 2018

Ferebee drops out of the running for Los Angeles schools superintendent

He withdrew his name less than two days after it was reported publicly.

How I Lead

Colorado
April 18, 2018

This Colorado principal believes in the power of positive phone calls to parents

A Colorado principal talks about what merits positive calls to parents, where she starts her day, and how she evaluates teachers. 

Still walking

Colorado
April 17, 2018

Colorado teachers plan more walkouts, and Jeffco canceled classes one day next week

The announcements come after hundreds of teachers marched at the Capitol Monday to protect their retirement benefits and call for more school funding.

Election Results

Newark
Updated April 18, 2018

Candidates backed by powerful coalition sweep Newark’s historic school board election

The three new members join the board after it recently regained control of the city's schools after a decades-long state takeover.

open discussion

Colorado
April 17, 2018

In renewing superintendent’s contract, Aurora board president says he didn’t run to ‘fire Rico’

The board had allowed a draft contract to proceed on first reading, but Tuesday was the first time they talked about it, just before their final vote.

Follow the money

New York
April 17, 2018

New York City’s finance watchdog demands answers on $600 million school turnaround program

The comptroller’s probe comes at a precarious moment for the program.

First Person

National
April 17, 2018

I’m an Oklahoma educator who had become complacent about funding cuts. Our students will be different.

Over the long term, this walkout will hopefully lead to more funding for our schools. But it will definitely lead to a more engaged youth population in Oklahoma.

election day

Newark
April 17, 2018

Today is Newark’s first school-board election since the return to local control. Here’s what you need to know.

As 13 candidates run for three open board seats, will voters show up? Last year, just 5 percent of voters turned out.

an open forum

New York
April 16, 2018

Carranza promises parents he will be a ‘provocateur,’ ask tough questions of mayor

"While he may be the mayor I’m the chancellor and he’s giving me the opportunity to lead in this organization."

priorities

Colorado
April 16, 2018

With school finance act, Colorado lawmakers try to pass the hot potato of teacher pay to local districts

The school finance act puts more money into K-12 education than Colorado has spent at any point since the Great Recession.

money talks

Colorado
April 16, 2018

Why Colorado teachers marched on the state Capitol

Chanting “Education is a right! That is why we have to fight!” and “Whose schools? Our schools!” several hundred teachers came to the Colorado State Capitol Monday.

exclusive

National
Updated 2 days ago

Internal memo offers candid postmortem of charter fight in Massachusetts

In 2015, charter school advocates had the wind at their backs as they set out to lift the state’s charter cap. A year later, their effort would end in humiliating defeat.

All in a Name

Colorado
April 14, 2018

Colorado Democrats overwhelmingly reject Democrats for Education Reform at state assembly

After booing down the head of the education reform organization, delegates voted overwhelmingly to call for the organization to no longer use “Democrats” in its name.

SRO 101

Colorado
April 13, 2018

10 questions about school resource officers in Colorado, answered

Are they any different from regular police officers? To whom are they accountable? And why are they controversial?
Indiana
April 13, 2018

The new ninth grade: As Indianapolis high schools close, Crispus Attucks rethinks freshman year

The linchpin of the effort is a new freshman academy and a focus on monitoring student data.

personalized persuasion

National
April 13, 2018

Don’t just talk about tech: How ‘personalized learning’ advocates are honing their messaging

Don’t call schools outdated and don’t focus on technology. That’s some of the advice advocates of “personalized learning” offer in a recent messaging document .

Red for ed

Colorado
April 13, 2018

A day of action by Colorado teachers will bring hundreds to the Capitol and already one district has canceled classes

Educators in Colorado are calling attention to school funding shortfalls — and in one case forcing a school district to cancel classes.

Fact check

National
April 13, 2018

Why the school spending graph Betsy DeVos is sharing doesn’t mean what she says it does

Simply pointing to two trends that coincide doesn't say anything about how one affects the other.

Q&A

New York
April 13, 2018

Richard Carranza wants you to know he isn’t afraid to take a hard look at New York City’s school system

"I’m not going to be so busy keeping my job that I’m not going to do my job."

helpline

Colorado
April 12, 2018

As Aurora district is crafting next year’s budget, coaches who turn new technology into engaging lessons are going away

The district describes the change as a shift to embed the personalized learning into other roles.

a temporary home

Detroit
April 12, 2018

These students lost their school to a mold problem. Here’s how they’re doing in their new temporary digs

Five school buses line up outside the closed Palmer Park Preparatory Academy on Thursday morning. Hundreds of elementary students, in a flurry of…

turnaround talk

New York
April 11, 2018

Carranza stands by NYC’s ‘Renewal’ program for struggling schools, but asks, ‘What’s our theory of action?’

"I keep asking that question, and I get different answers,” Carranza said.

Details matter

Colorado
April 11, 2018

$35 million for school safety will go toward training school resource officers, but not hiring them

The Joint Budget Committee's guidelines for how the money can be used alleviates one concern of opponents.

a new standard

Detroit
April 11, 2018

Facing dead-last national test scores, Detroit district approves new teaching materials

The Detroit school board Tuesday adopted a new, $7.1 million curriculum that Superintendent Nikolai Vitti says is a key part of his plan…

testing trouble

New York
Updated April 11, 2018

Delays with computer-based state tests cause headaches at some New York schools

Wednesday’s hiccup could make the switch to computer-based testing more difficult.
Indiana
April 10, 2018

Indianapolis Public Schools offers buyouts to up to 150 teachers

Indianapolis Public Schools is offering teachers $20,000 payments to retire.

adjusting the clock

Colorado
April 9, 2018

Bill that would change Colorado’s school accountability system clears first legislative hurdle

Parents from Aurora, Pueblo, Westminster, and Adams 14 districts gave emotional testimony about the need to know what’s happening in their children’s schools.

chasing a diploma

New York
April 9, 2018

New York state inches closer to a new arts assessment that can be used on students’ path to graduation

New York state officials are trying to create a new arts assessment that can be used as one diploma requirement.

Diversity Delayed

New York
April 9, 2018

NYC is expanding a program to boost diversity at its elite high schools. But it isn’t making a dent.

The mayor has taken heat in recent weeks after new data revealed that the city has failed to increase diversity at specialized schools.

On the Agenda

New York
April 8, 2018

Top New York policymakers to tackle state budget, student privacy, and teacher certification at April meeting

A array of topics could pique the interest of teachers, administrators, and families at April’s Board of Regents meeting.

Road map

Colorado
April 7, 2018

What’s next for Colorado schools ‘on the clock’? This bill would show the way

Colorado's school accountability law is silent about what should happen if students still aren’t learning in the years following state intervention.

Doing more with more

Colorado
April 6, 2018

Colorado gubernatorial hopeful Mike Johnston, known as an education reformer, says what schools really need is money

Johnston released an education platform this week that hinges on a major tax reform and calls for free full-day kindergarten and higher pay for teachers.

pep rally

New York
April 6, 2018

Basketball, concerts and now … charter school testing rallies? Success Academy takes over the Barclays Center

Success Academy, the city’s largest and most controversial charter school network, held its annual ‘Slam the Exam’ event at the Barclays Center on Friday.

How I Got Here

Newark
April 6, 2018

‘I’m making a new life here’: A student’s journey to Newark after Hurricane Maria

After Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, Kristal Sepulveda landed in a new high school in a new city in the middle of her senior year.

Battle to buy a school

Detroit
April 5, 2018

After legal fight with the Detroit district, local charter Detroit Prep is ‘back full force’ working on the building

The leader of a charter school that has been battling the Detroit district over a property says she expects her school to move…
Indiana
April 5, 2018

The New York Times profiled Indiana’s adult high schools. Here’s why they’re getting attention.

The network began with a single school in Indianapolis. Now, it has campuses across the country.

Early enrollment

Detroit
April 4, 2018

The Detroit district tries inviting families to enroll during spring break. Parents are trickling in.

The low turnout reflects the challenges Detroit schools — the district and charters — face as they try to convince parents to think about enrollment earlier in the year.

strange bedfellows

Colorado
April 4, 2018

School security measure passes the Colorado Senate in late night reversal

This proposal divided Democrats, some of whom worry about increasing police presence in schools.

reversing course

Colorado
April 4, 2018

Denver has welcomed school autonomy, but some teachers are now saying no thanks

The votes against more autonomy come at a time when the Denver teachers union is gaining political power.

Scores of scores

Detroit
April 4, 2018

The new state school scoring index is here. See how Detroit schools stacked up.

A new 0-100 state scoring system appears to be a fairer measure of how schools are doing, but…
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