State officials hope to cut chronic absenteeism by 50 percent within five years as schools experiment with mentoring, family outreach and more engaging classroom models.
More than $5.8 billion of the $7.8 billion in federal funds awarded to Illinois schools since March 2020 has been spent. In Chicago, the school system faces a $391 million shortfall for the 2024-25 school year.
The state has not yet signed up for a federal program that would help feed 2 million children who receive free or reduced-cost school lunches over the summer. State officials expect their own funds to be sufficient.
Supporters of a proposed ballot initiative have collected nearly 425,000 signatures. The measure would ensure parents have access to the materials their children are taught in K-12 classrooms.
New York City schools have received more than $7 billion in federal aid to help students recover academically after the pandemic. But 36 percent of students were still “chronically” absent last year. Those in poverty were gone 45 percent of the year.
They’re a costly form of welfare for the wealthy that hurts rural and low-income students. They provide no educational accountability and lead to state-funded discrimination.
The Program for International Student Assessment found that about 54 percent of students got distracted by others using digital devices. Those who were distracted scored 15 points lower in math.
Nearly 100 percent of students use their phones for an average of 42 minutes during the school day, with social media being the top reason. A study found that adolescent smartphone use during weekdays resulted in worsened mental health.
While moderate and liberal candidates did well in recent school board elections nationwide, experts say it's too soon to call these results a permanent change to extreme partisanship in school board politics.
The state has pledged billions of dollars to its pre-kindergarten program, which will be available to 4-year-olds for free, but has no plans to formally evaluate its benefits. Many are wondering: Is the program effective?
New Jersey becomes the latest state to sign a bill centering media literacy in schools, raising further awareness of the need for widespread media literacy policies. But more needs to be done, say experts.
The program also includes more funding for special education, teacher retention, per-student allotments and would revamp virtual education and public school accountability. But it would cost billions to implement.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill on Wednesday, Nov. 1, that will require public schools across the state to teach media literacy as a way to combat misinformation. The law goes into effect immediately.
A survey found that 69 percent of voters were in favor of requiring school districts to place an armed security officer in every school; 73 percent believe it would make schools safer.
Proposed legislation would make it mandatory for students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, which is necessary to secure federal grants, work-study jobs and loans, to graduate high school.
In the 2022 fiscal year, the school district sponsored 232 workers on H-1B or specialty occupation visas, which is nearly four times greater than Houston’s 60 workers, the second-highest total in the U.S.
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