Author: BelieveAgain

The National Center for Education Statistics has tracked academic progress and achievement gaps in U.S. schools for more than 150 years. Educators, policymakers, and researchers alike rely on its data.But a new report, part of a yearlong study by the American Statistical Association, warns that NCES is developing serious gaps in capacity and data to support education policy.“NCES is the weakest among the 13 principal federal statistical agencies in terms of support from its parent agency (i.e., the Department of Education), budget and staffing, and professional independence,” said Steve Pierson, the director of science policy for AmStat. “These weaknesses undermine…

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Charter schools, which have long enrolled fewer children with disabilities than traditional public schools, must prioritize improving access and experiences for the growing student population—and states, authorizers, and community organizations must support them in that work.That’s the conclusion of a new report that argues that improving approaches to special education and enrollment is vital for both the well-being of students and the long-term success of the charter sector.States and authorizers can play a role by shaping policies like application processes, giving students with disabilities priority in enrollment lotteries, and monitoring schools’ success, said the report released July 16 by the…

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Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, a Republican who has come after “left-wing domination” in colleges and universities and criticized schools for “CRT indoctrination,” will be former President Donald Trump’s running mate in the 2024 election.Trump announced that he was picking the first-term senator to occupy the vice presidential slot on the 2024 Republican ticket on Monday, July 15, the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and just two days after a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump at a rally in Butler, Pa.Before his 2022 election, the senator was best known for writing Hillbilly Elegy, a 2016 book chronicling…

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The day after the attempted assasination of former President Donald Trump, U.S. Secret Service officials were investigating how a gunman armed with an AR-style rifle was able to get close enough to shoot and injure the GOP presidential candiate at a rally in Pennsylvania, in a devastating failure of one of the agency’s core duties.Corey Comperatore, 50, a volunteer firefighter who attended Trump’s rally, was killed as he jumped on his family members to shield them from the gunfire. At least two other rally attendees were injured.Less than 24 hours after the attempt on this life, Trump arrived in Milwaukee…

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BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — A shooting at Donald Trump‘s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania is being investigated as an attempted assassination of the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, law enforcement officials say.A shooter is dead and an attendee was killed. Trump’s campaign says he is “fine” after being whisked off the stage and is being checked out at a local medical facility.“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,” spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. “He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will…

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K-12 education plays a prominent role in two conservative policy agendas that shed light on what could change for public education if former President Donald Trump wins the 2024 presidential election.Project 2025, a 900-page policy document assembled by a number of former Trump administration officials and other allies of the former president and helmed by the conservative Heritage Foundation, lays out a conservative plan of action for virtually every corner of the federal government. The Republican National Committee’s 2024 policy platform, meanwhile, outlines a set of 20 “promises” for 2024, written in all caps, as well as the party’s official…

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Classroom apps, tools, and programs, many driven by artificial intelligence, evolve faster than quality control efforts can keep up.This more tech-driven and interconnected education landscape will require a different approach to research, development, and evaluation, according to the head of the U.S. Education Department’s research agency.Matthew Soldner, the acting director of the Institute of Education Sciences, called for a faster and more robust “research and development ecosystem” to build structures to ensure new programs and tools are effective in the classroom. For example, while IES traditionally awards grants for five-year studies, it has launched one new pilot called “Seedlings to…

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The appeal arrived at the U.S. Supreme Court late in the summer of 1980, after more than two years of debate and legal action in Kentucky over a state law that required the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.The Kentucky Supreme Court had upheld the law, and the challengers—a Unitarian stay-at-home mom, a rabbi, a public school teacher who was Catholic, and an atheist Republican—were asking the justices to review the case of Stone v. Graham. The Kentucky case is getting fresh attention now that Louisiana, more than four decades later, has adopted a nearly identical law…

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Former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party would push for universal school choice, expand parental rights over education, end teacher tenure, and prohibit transgender girls from playing girls’ sports if they win the White House and majorities in Congress in the 2024 election. The Republican Party’s platform committee released the party’s 2024 platform on July 8, and formal adoption is expected at the party’s upcoming national convention, which kicks off July 15. While elected officials aren’t bound to follow it, the document serves as the official policy agenda for a potential second Trump term and for Republicans in Congress.…

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