Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

Future of Schools

Following the ongoing efforts to improve struggling schools.

another path

New York
2 days ago

‘They’re my second family.’ Largest Pathways to Graduation class earn their diplomas

The program also saw the most students ever participate in its graduation ceremony, a joyful celebration held this year at the Bronx United Palace Theater.

New Standards

Tennessee
2 days ago

Tennessee updates science standards for first time in 10 years. New guidelines stress class discussion, inquiry

How can a wolf change the river? Why doesn’t a cactus have leaves? Why can’t you exterminate bats in Tennessee?…

stump speech

New York
2 days ago

New York City schools Chancellor Richard Carranza on segregation, national politics, and being Mexican-American

In his two months on the job, Chancellor Richard Carranza has left little room to doubt how he thinks and feels about…

Eyes on

Tennessee
2 days ago

Happening at a campus near you: Here’s what the security review of every public school in Tennessee looks like

Aging school facilities and heightened safety concerns after Parkland are the drivers behind Tennessee’s unprecedented summertime inspection of all 1,800 of its schools.

First Person

New York
2 days ago

I’ve spent years studying the link between SHSAT scores and student success. The test doesn’t tell you as much as you might think.

A standardized test does not predict as well as past school performance, indicating that Mayor Bill de Blasio seems headed in the right direction.

Urgent repairs

Detroit
2 days ago

Crumbling Detroit school buildings will cost $500 million to repair. It’s money the district doesn’t have

The review found that nearly a third of school buildings are in an “unsatisfactory” or “poor” condition.

Local control

Colorado
3 days ago

Change in Colorado law sets up a ‘David and Goliath’ school choice battle no one saw coming

A last-minute provision tacked onto an unrelated bill allows school districts to send buses into neighboring jurisdictions without their consent.

Enrollment push

Detroit
3 days ago

‘The pressure is on everyone’ as Detroit’s main district advertises to attract more students

Detroit’s main school district has a new look. Officials announced a new brand for the Detroit Public Schools Community District…

First Person

Newark
June 20, 2018

With roots in Cuba and Spain, Newark student came to America to ‘shine bright’

Layla Gonzalez is a fourth-grader at Hawkins Street School.

First Person

Newark
June 20, 2018

From ‘abandoned’ to ‘blessed,’ Newark teacher sees herself in her students

Jennifer Palumbo is a second-grade bilingual teacher at Hawkins Street School.

here's the plan

New York
June 20, 2018

Brooklyn middle schools may eliminate academic ‘screening’ in effort to integrate

In a Brooklyn district where middle schools are sharply divided by race and class, a radical recommendation to spur integration has emerged: eliminating…

First Person

Newark
June 20, 2018

Principal and son of immigrants: ‘My grit was born in that struggle to survive’

Alejandro Lopez is the principal of Hawkins Street School.

Parent voices

Detroit
June 20, 2018

A parent hotline is among fixes promised for special education in Detroit schools

It is a stunning number: roughly one-sixth of students in Detroit’s main school district have learning disabilities or…

reaction

Colorado
June 20, 2018

Some see a victory in Denver pausing its school closure policy, others a ‘slap in the face’

“We know this is not a result of DPS coming to some enlightened position around school closures. We know this is directly related to communities organizing.”

PAYOUT

Colorado
June 20, 2018

Douglas County district pays $1.3 million to settle landmark special education case

Colorado's Douglas County School District has paid $1.32 million to settle a long-running special education case that led to a landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.

it's official

New York
June 20, 2018

An integration plan is approved for Upper West Side and Harlem middle schools

The New York City education department on Wednesday approved a plan to integrate middle schools in Manhattan’s District 3, the culmination of years…

Spread the wealth

Colorado
June 19, 2018

A few Colorado charter schools won ‘the lottery’ in this year’s round of school construction grants

The BEST grant program uses state land proceeds and marijuana tax revenue to pay for school construction projects.

Cut off

Detroit
June 19, 2018

Michigan’s third-grade reading law could penalize bilingual programs

The grocery store down the street from Academy of Americas blasts Mexican pop music over the radio. A few blocks away, a taco…
Indiana
June 19, 2018

What’s so hard about teaching ‘soft skills’? More than Indiana policymakers might think

Under a law that passed this past spring with broad bipartisan support, all schools will have to incorporate these skills into their lessons beginning in 2019.

New Possibilities

New York
June 19, 2018

Inside a Bronx middle school where students rarely apply to attend specialized high schools

If the plan becomes a reality, schools such as New Venture theoretically have the most to gain. But the proposal would do little to solve the most entrenched challenges that have kept students from schools such as New Venture out of specialized high schools for so long.

measuring up

Tennessee
June 19, 2018

After five years, the Tennessee-run district isn’t performing any better than low-performing schools receiving no intervention, research says

The study compares Tennessee's state-run district with other and found that average test scores “before and after the reform is no different from the difference during the same period for comparison schools.”

Changes

Colorado
June 18, 2018

Far northeast Denver gets campus upgrades, but not the traditional high school some want

“You can’t just dangle low-hanging fruit and believe that’s enough,” one school board member said.

Incentives

Colorado
June 18, 2018

Aurora’s school district is testing out a stipend for hard to staff positions

Officials believe they will know if there's been an impact on recruitment and vacancies by August.

Coming merger

Detroit
June 18, 2018

‘We all became family.’ Students say goodbye to Detroit school after promising three-year run

The three year-old Mumford Academy will close this week, and merge next fall with the larger Mumford High School.

big award

Colorado
June 18, 2018

Denver’s DSST charter school network wins a $250,000 prize

“This award belongs to our students, staff, and the DSST community,” said Bill Kurtz, CEO of the network.

Rahm

Chicago
June 18, 2018

Emanuel touts Chicago grads’ successes in defense of CPS

In three commencement speeches, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has touted post-high school success, underscoring a prime education goal that he’s prioritized for more…
Chicago
June 18, 2018

5 ways ‘Janus’ Supreme Court ruling could affect Illinois schools

The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to decide a historic case that could shift the political landscape and dampen union power –…

a different model

Colorado
June 15, 2018

Denver expands its experiment with more autonomous ‘innovation zones’

Innovation zones represent a different way of managing schools that is somewhere between the traditional approach and that of charter schools.

student activism

Chicago
June 15, 2018

Five Chicago student activists on why they will be in your face this summer

Trevon Bosley’s brother was murdered while attending band rehearsal at church. Shot from the street while helping a friend with drums in 2006,…

more room

New York
June 15, 2018

Amid uproar over specialized high school admissions, Mayor de Blasio suggests adding more seats

The chancellor is “going to come back with a plan in the coming months,” de Blasio said.

By the numbers

New York
June 14, 2018

Where specialized high school students come from (and where they don’t)

Early every school day, private charter buses rumble through the Upper West Side to ferry students from the city’s wealthiest school district into…

round one

Tennessee
June 14, 2018

All Memphis charter school applicants sent back to drawing board if they want to open in 2019

If the school board agrees, applicants have 30 days to revise and resubmit. The board will vote on the amended applications August 21.

Colorado Votes 2018

Colorado
June 14, 2018

Where candidates in the Colorado Democratic primary stand on education issues

Chalkbeat Colorado asked the Democratic candidates for governor about their own educational experiences, school funding, achievement gaps, and more.

Uphill battle

Detroit
June 14, 2018

Recruiting when your team is full of ‘detractors’: As the Detroit district searches for talent, most of its employees aren’t on board

Michigan’s largest school district has its share of critics, from lawmakers pushing for school closures to families who…

Colorado Votes 2018

Colorado
June 14, 2018

Colorado’s Republican candidates for governor lay out their education plans

Chalkbeat Colorado asked the Republican candidates for governor about their own educational experiences, school choice, achievement gaps, school funding, and more.

Looking to Michigan

Detroit
June 14, 2018

Detroit teachers unions won’t be hurt by the Janus decision. They already survived.

Faced with a looming Supreme Court decision that could adversely affect unions, some labor leaders from across the country are looking to Michigan…

draining the pool

New York
June 14, 2018

New York City’s Absent Teacher Reserve could get pricier as teachers collect raises, bonuses

The controversial Absent Teacher Reserve is set to become even more expensive for New York City as educators in the pool build years…

bring it on

New York
June 13, 2018

In a politically charged town hall, Carranza tackles segregation, testing, and charter schools

In his more than two months in office, Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza has already found himself at the center of several explosive education debates, from…

Childcare crisis

Detroit
June 13, 2018

As caregivers struggle to make ends meet, 28,000 Detroit children go without care

The financial demands of providing early education in Michigan have contributed to Detroit’s status as a child care desert.

charters on the hill

National
June 13, 2018

Virtual schools, open records, and claims about research — highlights from Congress’s look at charter schools

Charter schools got some extra attention in Washington, D.C. today in the form of a U.S. House hearing.
Indiana
June 13, 2018

Indiana online charter schools face scrutiny at Congressional committee hearing

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici said advocates lauded charter schools while ignoring the problems of online charter schools.

high stakes

Detroit
June 12, 2018

Are Detroit schools making progress towards state benchmarks? Either way, the stakes are rising

Test results released on Tuesday suggest that 14 Detroit schools are not on track to meet student achievement targets set last year to…

handshake agreement

New York
June 12, 2018

City budget includes influx for school accessibility, social workers for homeless students

This week’s agreement includes more funding for some of the city’s most vulnerable students.

catalyst

Colorado
June 12, 2018

Adams 14 could get a grant to replace Commerce City elementary school with safety problems

Adams 14 must still figure out some details of how to come up with their $14 million match for the grant.

Board's beginning

Detroit
June 12, 2018

Leadership, funding and security dominate discussion in first meeting on school bus loop plan

The mayoral-appointed education commission board held its first meeting Tuesday.
Indiana
June 12, 2018

4 takeaways from Indiana’s first review of its troubled virtual charter schools

The committee met for the first time Tuesday.

Investigations

Chicago
June 12, 2018

10 questions for the CPS Inspector General as he wades into the student sex abuse scandal

In the past year, Chicago Board of Education Inspector General Nicholas Schuler has led investigations into improper admissions at selective enrollment programs…

Q&A

Newark
June 12, 2018

‘What if this was my son?’ How Newark’s Teacher of the Year pushes autistic students to succeed

After Lourdes Reyes' son was born with autism, she went back to school to become a special-education teacher.

How I Teach

Colorado
June 12, 2018

How the acting aspirations of a student with Down syndrome changed this theater teacher’s approach

This Colorado theater teacher talks about why she aims to reach a diverse set of students, how she builds rapport with students and what it means to be a “cookie person.”

change of plans

Tennessee
June 11, 2018

With A-F grades off the table, Tennessee gets creative about rating its schools under federal law

Days of online testing problems this spring forced officials to toss out a new A-F grading system to rate the state's 1,700-plus public schools.
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