Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Education Research Report TODAY

Education Research Report


Education Research Report TODAY





K–12 Student Digital Divide Much Larger Than Previously Estimated
With the prospect of another distance learning school year on the horizon due to the coronavirus pandemic, a new analysis released today finds that a full 15 to 16 million public school students across the United States live in households without adequate internet access or computing devices to facilitate distance learning. The analysis, from Common Sense and Boston Consulting Group, also finds t
Different Ways of Measuring Racial Gaps in School Discipline Can Yield Drastically Different Conclusions
\ Racial disparities in school discipline remain central to policy discussions around school discipline. Recent research points to the importance of how discipline disparities are measured for the conclusions that are drawn about the extent of the problem or whether such disparities are improving. This brief uses data from Maryland to demonstrate how the choice of metric of the Black-White discip
The Relationship Between Performance-Funding Policies and Access to Public 4-Year Universities
Efforts to improve college-completion rates have dominated higher education policy agendas. Performance-based funding (PBF) intends to improve college completion and links state funding for public colleges and universities to performance measures. One critique of PBF policies is that institutions might restrict student access. This study uses a difference-in-differences design and institution-lev
Equitable Transitions in the COVID-19 Era
When the coronavirus pandemic spread across the United States this spring, shuttering schools and college campuses, it disrupted the educational trajectory for all students nationwide — but perhaps none more than the 3.7 million seniors who graduated from high school. In addition to missing out on all the fanfare that is traditionally associated with high school graduation, many graduates left wi
1/3 of parents in 3 states may not send children to school because of COVID-19
Parents in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois varied in their support for risk-reduction measures like random COVID-19 testing and face mask requirements MICHIGAN MEDICINE - UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SHARE PRINT E-MAIL IMAGE: MOST PARENTS SURVEYED IN THREE STATES SUPPORT SAFETY MEASURES TO REDUCE COVID-19 EXPOSURE AT SCHOOL, INCLUDING DECREASING THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN ON BUSES, DAILY TEMPERATURE SCREENS FO
Nearly half of US youth have been stalked/harassed by partners
A new, first-of-its-kind Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) study finds that 48% of 12-18-year-olds who have been in a relationship have been stalked or harassed by a partner, and 42% have stalked or harassed a partner. Published in the journal Youth & Society , the analysis is part of the first nationally-representative study of non-physical youth dating abuse. "These victimizatio
Even when women outnumber men, gender bias persists among science undergrads x
Increasing gender diversity has been a long-sought goal across many of the sciences, and interventions and programs to attract more women into fields like physics and math often happen at the undergraduate level. But is representation enough to improve gender diversity in science? In a new study, Colorado State University researchers say there's more to the story: They've found that even when und
Big Claims, Little Evidence, Lots of Money and responses
On June 25, 2020 NEPC published Big Claims, Little Evidence, Lots of Money: The Reality Behind the Summit Learning Program and the Push to Adopt Digital Personalized Learning Platforms , a research brief by Faith Boninger, Alex Molnar, and Christopher M. SaldaƱa. Later that same day, T.L.P. Education (a/k/a “Summit Learning”) posted “ Our Commitment to Transparency and Accuracy ,” its response to
Impact of an Early Childhood Educational Intervention on Later School Selection
This article examines the long-run school selection patterns of children randomly assigned to the Chicago School Readiness Project, an early childhood educational (ECE) intervention that aimed to improve the quality of Head Start classrooms serving low-income communities. Analyses suggest 
Education Research Report

DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all



DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? 
A site to discuss better education for all





California Charter Schools Collect Millions Intended for Small Businesses
The Network for Public Education has been tracking the charter schools that collected from the federal Paycheck Protectiin Program intended to help small businesses struggling to survive. The charter schools have not had any budget cuts, have lost no money, have not been struggling to pay employees, but their lobbyists get them included as eligible for the PPP funding, although public schools are
Denver: Charter Schools Collected $16 Million in Federal Aid for Small Businesses
Chalkbeat reports that charter schools in Denver collected $16 million from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, intended to help small businesses. Across the country, charters are collecting federal money intended to save small businesses faced with economic collapse. Public schools are not eligible to get money from this program. Charter schools also receive state and local funding earmarke
BREAKING NEWS: Supreme Court Rules Against Montana Ban on Funding Religious Schools
The Supreme Court just released a 5-4 decision in the case of Espinoza V. Montana that struck down a provision in the state constitution banning public funds to religious schools. The decision seems to be narrowly tailored to say that if a state provides aid to private schools, it can’t bar aid to religious schools. I will post expert opinions on this as soon as they are available. The many right
Why Does the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Repeatedly Lie about Vouchers in Florida?
The Wall Street Journal editorial board has three core beliefs about education. 1. Public schools are horrible. 2. Teachers’ unions are evil. 3. Non-unionized charters and vouchers are the remedy to all that ails American education. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. The three highest performing states in the nation—Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey—have strong teachers’ unions. None of the non-union
D.C.: Beloved Principal Fired Because She Resisted “No Excuses” Discipline
The Relay “Graduate School of Education” was created by charter schools to train charter school teachers on test-score-raising and no-excuses discipline, while using Doug Lemov’s Bible “Teach Like a Champion.” It’s teachers mostly taught in charters. Relay is called a graduate school, but it has no research faculty, no campus, no library, and at last review, no scholars or anyone with a doctorate
Maybe Why Trump Was Not Briefed on Russian Plan
NPR has the story . Intelligence officials included information about the Russian determination to put a bounty on Coalition forces in his daily briefing report. However, they made a mistake. They put the ominous story in the president’s daily intelligence briefing, which is written. The president doesn’t read. They should have given the information to Fox & Friends. Then he would have noticed.
Congress Wants Answers about Russian Bounty-for-Bodies Allegations
The New York Times reports that members of Congress want intelligence officials to explain the claims that Russia paid a bounty to Afghan militants to kill soldiers who are American or other Coalition forces. Trump denies that he was briefed. Is it credible that such an important development would not be transmitted to the president? Democrats and Republicans in Congress demanded on Monday that A
Chief Justice Roberts Provides Swing Vote to Strike Down Law to Ban Abortions
Chief Justice John Roberts voted with the Supreme Court’s four liberal justices to strike down a Louisiana law that would have severely restricted access to abortion. The Washington Post reports : The Supreme Court on Monday provided a victory for abortion rights activists, striking down a restrictive Louisiana law that would have left the state with only one abortion clinic. Chief Justice John G
Barbara Veltri: TFA Is Still Feeding at the Trough
Barbara Veltri is a teacher educator at Northern Arizona University. She has mentored TFA corps members, and she wrote a book about TFA. In this essay, she notes that Doug Ducey, Republican Governor of Arizona and a favorite of Charles Joch, is an avid supporter of Trump, school choice, and TFA. She writes: Tara Kini, wrote, “We’re hearing a lot of conflicting scenarios and projections related to
Oklahoma: Dark Money Enters Primary Campaigns
Dark money—anonymous donors—are pouring money into primary campaigns. The main donor is the Oklahoma Federation of Children , the state affiliate of Betsy DeVos’ American Federation of Children. Never in history has there been a Secretary of Education with her own political PAC.
Study: Police Killings Reduce Grades, Grad Rates of Black and Hispanic Students
This study should be no surprise. When students of color are exposed to police killings, their grades and graduation rates decline. It seems likely that being exposed to such traumatic events would depress the academic motivation of all students, whatever their race or ethnicity. Witnessing or hearing about a murder in one’s surroundings must be a traumatic experience.
The Barr Memo and the Imperial Presidency
William Barr wrote an unsolicited memo before he was appointed to his current position as Attorney General. It was intended to discredit the Mueller investigation. It sets forth an expansive view of the powers of the president and supports Trump’s view that the president is above the law. As Trump put it, “the president can do whatever he wants.” Barr agrees. To learn more about the Barr memo, re
Vicki Cobb: How the Coronavirus Works
Vicki Cobb is an award-winning science writer. She has written more than 90 science books, mostly for children, which means she is good at explaining complex ideas. She explains here how the coronavirus works and what it is.
A Remarkable Story About Joe Biden
@StanleyKrute shared this story on Twitter, about Rabbi Michael Beals of Delaware and Senator Joe Biden. About 16 years ago, as a rabbi new to Delaware, Rabbi Beals officiated at the memorial service for an elderly 
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all