From The Blaze by Joseph MacKinnon Mississippi has a winning approach to childhood literacy that other jurisdictions might want to adopt. In 2013, Mississippi ranked 49th out of the 50 U.S. states in grade four reading achievement on the National Assessment of Educational Progress — the largest continuing national assessment of American students' knowledge and capability in math, reading, science, and writing. In what has repeatedly been dubbed a "miracle," the state made its way up the list — to 29th in 2019 and then 10 spots higher to ninth place nationally for reading scores last year. According to the NAEP, black students in Mississippi ranked third nationally … [Read more...]
School boards should focus budget deliberations on student outcomes, financial sustainability
The Brookings Institute brings us this primer on school boards and budgets. It's long so you will need to give yourself about 10 minutes to read. The information and questions are relevant and important. As school districts enter one of their most challenging budget cycles in recent memory, all eyes should be on school boards. That’s because the nation’s roughly 13,000 local school boards are the ones who generally own the fiduciary responsibility for spending $700 billion in K-12 public education funds. They’re the ones who sign their names to decisions about what to prioritize when funds are tight, and ultimately where to cut and what to spare. Yet, findings from our research … [Read more...]
Baby Bust Will Soon Reshape Public Schools
Authored by Jay Greene via The Epoch Times The most powerful force shaping the future of education is the sharp decline in babies being born in the United States and worldwide. As Americans have fewer children, and fewer children immigrate from abroad, the school-age population will decline dramatically over the next few decades. The United States has experienced a baby bust once before in the wake of the baby boom in the 1970s and 1980s, which gives us some idea of what to expect. But unlike the previous baby bust, which was a temporary artifact of the boomers aging out of school, the upcoming decline in school-age population has no end in sight. We are about to experience a … [Read more...]
OSPI candidates weigh in on school choice
This article was originally published at The Centersquare.com What do you want? (The Center Square) – A few days after The Seattle Times editorial board came out against school choice, or vouchers, that give families access to education funding, people – including the two candidates for superintendent of public instruction – are weighing in. Live Finne, director of the Center for Education at the Washington Policy Center, was sharply critical of The Seattle Times piece and its contention that "private or religious schools could pick the top tier students and athletes and leave the others in public schools with even fewer resources." “The research shows that applicants to … [Read more...]
Top 5 states for K-12 teachers?
From a 2023 survey (the newest available) the best states for teachers at Scholaroo At #1 - Washington State Average teacher salary: $81,586 Teacher/Student ratio: 8.15 Average teacher pension: $28,204 Job Availability: 4 Washington State stands out in the categories of Salary and Compensation and Work Benefits in the Best States for Teachers 2023. In the first category mentioned, it has the highest salary increase for teachers in the last 10 years. In addition, more than half of its teachers qualify for a pension. At #2: - California Average teacher salary: $87,275 Teacher/Student ratio: 7.48 Average teacher pension: $49,267 Job … [Read more...]
School Choice Voucher Program – Update
So which states have taken action on school vouchers? Here's what our searches have produced: https://www.ncsl.org/research/education/interactive-guide-to-school-choice.aspx Welcome to NCSL’s Interactive Guide to School Choice. School choice comes in many different forms and all 50 states plus the District of Columbia provide parents the ability to send their child to a school outside their neighborhood in some way. Charter schools, magnet schools, open enrollment programs and state turnaround districts all provide public school options to parents. School vouchers, education savings accounts and scholarship tax credit programs expand those choices to include private schools. Clicking … [Read more...]
School Choice Update
Given the number of parents that have started peeling back the layers of the onion "school choice" is gaining more traction. Which states have "choice" programs and what do they look like? Today we share a website that is attempting to gather that information: Federation for Children.org https://www.federationforchildren.org/state-programs/ You will find information on 33 states and territories that have started down the "choice" path. Unfortunately you will not find Washington nor Oregon nor California on that list. Given that, politically, these three (3) states are left of center and progressives claim they want whats best for the people (an by default for children) why are they … [Read more...]
Reducing teacher shortages?
It appears there is a shortage of teachers across the nation. Movement of teachers between school districts in a State happens. However, not a lot of teachers cross state boundaries. Why? Apparently each state has their own teaching standards. What is approved in one State to get a certificate may be enough different that an experienced teacher may need to take new classes and/or undergo a student teacher training period. What if licensed teachers could transfer to other states and step right into a teaching job that they've already qualified for and have proven they are competent in without penalties or delays? About 14% of people move every year. The average person moves over 11 times … [Read more...]
Does Spending More on K12 Education Produce Better Results?
As Washington State continues to argue about "fully funding" education there is a question that still remains unanswered...how much money is necessary to "fully fund" K-12 education? The 2nd question: Does more money make a difference? We went on a search odyssey trying to find the answer. After all there certainly must be scholarly studies and tons of data from the publishers, teachers unions and other groups dedicated to education....right? Hmmmm....that doesn't seem to be the case. We searched for quite some time. We found articles that teased the edges by looking only at low-income districts or some other niche data but what we were looking for was data that shows that more money = … [Read more...]
ESSA – What’s really in it?
This is a repost from a blog. The writer spent 3 days reading the entire 1000+ pages and offers their thoughts with details: WHAT ESSA REALLY SAYS 07 Dec, 2015 by Heather in education, ESEA, ESSA, NCLB, secretary of education Leave a comment Image source: Gifted Education Online Resources What is actually contained in the Every Student Succeeds Act, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act? I wanted to know. So I spent three days straight reading EVERY SINGLE WORD the 1061 page bill which is set to go to the Senate for a vote tomorrow. I ask all congressmen to read the bill, especially the more concerning portions outlined below. Know … [Read more...]