Author: BelieveAgain

Alabama on Thursday became the first state in 2024 to establish a new private school choice program, extending the momentum of state-funded education savings account programs that have become commonplace in Republican-led states nationwide.Education savings accounts are state-funded offerings that parents can use to pay for private school tuition, fees, and a wide range of other related expenses. Parents can use them for a wider variety of expenses than they can private school vouchers, which are similar but exclusively cover tuition.Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, made private school choice her top priority during her State of the State address in…

President Joe Biden hopes to secure more money for high-need schools and students with disabilities, and to make free preschool universally available to 4-year-olds in the next fiscal year.Biden released his proposed 2025 budget on March 11, requesting $82 billion for the U.S. Department of Education. The budget announcement came days after Biden’s State of the Union address, in which he called for teacher pay raises and expanded access to preschool, tutoring, summer learning, and career and technical education.The budget document puts many of those priorities on paper. Though there’s virtually no chance it will take effect as proposed, with…

In a closely watched case involving school board members and other public officials who block critical comments and users from their personal social media pages, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that officials may be sued in some circumstances but set a test that will shield many posts and actions by the officials from First Amendment scrutiny.The justices ruled unanimously that officials would be engaged in “state action” only if they have the authority to speak on the government’s behalf and are exercising that authority in specific posts on their personal social media pages.The question of whether the officials…

A surge of state proposals would allow school districts to use religiously affiliated chaplains to counsel students during the school day. Texas became the first state to pass such a bill last year. Fourteen states have followed course since, weighing legislation with similar language. They include Florida, where legislators passed a bill March 7 that will soon head to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk.The bills come as educators struggle to address a youth mental health crisis. They also come as states weigh actions—like the approval of a religious charter school in Oklahoma and bills pending in several states that would…

To kick off the end-of-year holiday season and wrap up Thanksgiving, we reflect on the importance of gratitude and why and how we should cultivate it. We might even warm some cockles along the way. Mike explores the neuroscience showing gratitude boosts dopamine, serotonin, and mood based on an article by Kayla Barnes. We feature sound from Matthew Palmer and Robin Naughton to make it a real family affair. We are grateful for the opportunity to engage with thought-provoking conferences and have rich conversations with guests throughout the year. Then Mike refers back to teacher Rebecka Peterson’s “one good thing”…

To kick off the end-of-year holiday season and wrap up Thanksgiving, we reflect on the importance of gratitude and why and how we should cultivate it. We might even warm some cockles along the way. Mike explores the neuroscience showing gratitude boosts dopamine, serotonin, and mood based on an article by Kayla Barnes. We feature sound from Matthew Palmer and Robin Naughton to make it a real family affair. We are grateful for the opportunity to engage with thought-provoking conferences and have rich conversations with guests throughout the year. Then Mike refers back to teacher Rebecka Peterson’s “one good thing”…

Melissa Turnbaugh is a Partner at architecture firm PBK where she serves as National Education and Innovation Leader. She joins host Mike Palmer in a conversation about how architects approach designing K-12 learning spaces in a rapidly changing world, emphasizing the need for flexibility and personalization. Turnbaugh outlines emerging trends like outdoor classrooms along with integrating artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies. She stresses designing schools to be learner-centric instead of teacher-centric, creating spaces tailored to neurodiversity and social-emotional needs. When asked about advice for education careers, Turnbaugh advocates being open to transformation and learning from outside perspectives. Throughout the…

In this thought-provoking episode, Mike Palmer welcomes education journalist Laura Pappano to discuss her new book School Moms: Parent Activism, Partisan Politics and the Battle for Public Education. Laura shares her experiences attending Moms for Liberty summits, witnessing alarming rhetoric portraying public schools as indoctrination centers. She also touches on the work she is doing at the New Haven Student Journalism. While marketed as a grassroots parent movement, we learn Moms for Liberty is well-funded by far-right groups aiming to shift the political balance of local school boards. Laura recounts the transformation from 2022 to 2023 summits, with protestors surrounding…

Eunice Ofori has a unique background, hailing originally from Ghana where she was an educator for 20 years. She immigrated to the U.S. in 2011 when her husband began his PhD program, intrigued by the American education system and efforts to provide accommodations for students with disabilities. This was lacking in Ghana and a key motivator for Eunice. She went on to pursue her own PhD research on optimizing instructional messaging for mobile devices, examining it through both an accessibility lens and a learning lens. Now at Tulane University, Eunice works to promote innovation and accessibility in education. As a…

In this episode of Trending in Education, host Mike Palmer interviews Tade Oyerinde, the founder and chancellor of Campus.edu, an organization providing accessible pathway programs powered by professors from top universities. Tade shares how his unconventional homeschooling background and later experiences meeting impoverished adjunct professors sparked his interest in transforming higher education. After a failed startup attempt, Tade found purpose in creating custom ed tech solutions for universities. Seeing adjunct faculty struggles and low community college completion rates firsthand, Tade acquired a small Sacramento college to test a new model – pairing exemplary professors from elite institutions with community college…