Plus, student protests over gun control and democracy  

This is a weekly newsletter. Sign up for a free subscription, and invite a friend to subscribe ([link removed]) . 📬
View this email in your browser ([link removed])
Support for this newsletter comes from
[link removed]
The Report
A newsletter from The Hechinger Report
[link removed] Share ([link removed])
[link removed] https%3A%2F%2Fmailchi.mp%2Fhechingerreport.org%2Ftn-reading-law-could-hold-back-thousands-of-students Tweet ([link removed] https%3A%2F%2Fmailchi.mp%2Fhechingerreport.org%2Ftn-reading-law-could-hold-back-thousands-of-students)
[link removed] Forward ([link removed])
Liz Willen Dear reader,

The state of Tennessee has become the center of urgent education news on two different fronts, which we are exploring at The Hechinger Report. First, Ariel Gilreath takes us inside ([link removed]) a third-grade classroom, where students are preparing for a controversial, high-stakes reading test that will determine whether they’re promoted to fourth grade.

Those who fail could be held back a year, per a new state law meant to address lagging reading scores and pandemic learning loss, Gilreath explains, in a story that also appeared in The Washington Post.

The state capitol in Nashville, meanwhile, has become the center of intense protests this week, many led by students, in the aftermath of yet another tragic school shooting. I spoke with students ([link removed]) and a teacher who spent hours protesting both the lax gun laws in Tennessee and the expulsion of two Black lawmakers who took part in gun-control protests. “We are going to be heard,” one of the students told me.

Also, this week we continue our Saving the College Dream series on community colleges, with a story by our partners at AL.com on efforts to improve advising ([link removed]) . And we look at a program in California to pay college students ([link removed]) to work in climate mitigation, schools and for anti-hunger groups as they earn their degrees.

As always, we welcome your thoughts, ideas and potential solutions. Please get in touch, and remind others to sign up ([link removed]) for our newsletters.
Liz Willen, Editor

Help us share this newsletter.
Imagine if everyone had access to high-quality news and information about America's schools. In just one click you can recommend this newsletter to your friends. We've made it easy to share by pressing this link (mailto:?subject=A%20newsletter%20recommendation%20for%20you&body=Hi%2C%0AI've%20been%20reading%20a%20terrific%20newsletter%20about%20education%2C%20and%20I%20want%20to%20share%20with%20you.%20Once%20a%20week%20you'll%20get%20the%20most%20important%20education%20news%20delivered%20straight%20to%20your%20inbox.%20It%20couldn't%20be%20simpler.%20Sign%20up%20here%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fhechingerreport.org%2Fweeklynewsletter%2F) .
Main Idea


** Tennessee law could hold back thousands of third graders in bid to help kids recover from the pandemic ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

A retention policy tied to state reading test scores is drawing both support and skepticism
[link removed]
Are you interested in reaching an education-obsessed audience? Learn more about sponsoring this newsletter.
Contact us at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
Story List


** California helps college students cut their debt by paying them to help their communities ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Inspired by service programs from earlier eras, the College Corps program puts low-income, first-generation students to work in education, food insecurity and climate mitigation



** COLUMN: Nashville student activists not willing to wait a generation for gun control ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Weary and worn out, they plan to keep fighting to end shootings, promote democracy and secure a better future for Tennessee



** Many community college students never earn a degree. New approaches to advising aim to reverse that trend ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
In Alabama, two-year colleges are investing in ‘success coaches’ and other strategies designed to ensure more students graduate



** Do you tell your kid something is ‘racist’ or ‘mean’? The answer may depend on your race ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
New research shows white parents shy away from identifying racism with children



** OPINION: Republican education bill would increase interference in classrooms ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
H.R.5 would create more problems than it solves



** TEACHER’S VOICE: I abandoned grading my students and stopped taking attendance. Here’s what happened ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
My college students not only felt less stressed, they took chances and learned a lot more
Was this newsletter forwarded to you?
Click here to subscribe! ([link removed])
You made it to the bottom of this free newsletter. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a gift?
Donate Now ([link removed])
Give today ([link removed]) to make this message go away.
============================================================

Copyright © 2023 The Hechinger Report, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up at our website The Hechinger Report.

Our mailing address is:
The Hechinger Report
525 W 120th Street
Suite 127
New York, NY 10027
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.