Plus, math performance around the world

View this email in your browser ([link removed])
The Report
A newsletter from The Hechinger Report
Hi everyone,

Today, at a time when immigration remains at the center of national politics, The Hechinger Report brings you a riveting piece ([link removed]) about an Alabama superintendent who won national recognition for serving his city’s growing Hispanic student body. In a partnership with palabra ([link removed]) , an initiative of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and AL.com ([link removed]) , this piece explores what transpired during now-former Superintendent Heath Grimes’ tenure leading Russellville City Schools. By most accounts, he helped his area’s English learners thrive.

Grimes knew those students' success was, in turn, essential for all young people in the district to succeed. And that is true for the nation as a whole: Today in the U.S., more than 1 in 10 students are English learners and, at a time when overall public school enrollment is falling, they are among the country’s fastest-growing groups of students.

Reporter Kavitha Cardoza interviewed dozens of people in Russellville over months, concluding that Grimes was forced out, the result of a collision of small-town politics, deep-rooted antipathy toward immigrants and a yearning for the city Russellville used to be. The story emerges at the same time as a movement encouraging states to charge undocumented students tuition, and a countermovement to stop it ([link removed]) , our friends at Chalkbeat report. Find our story in Spanish ([link removed]) , too.

On another note: Our Christina A. Samuels brings you a look at how students' math performance, around the world, has sunk ([link removed]) — and was heading south even before the pandemic. There is no one reason for the decline, she found. Don't miss the sample questions from an international test, the PISA, to see whether you can solve them.

And if you can't get enough of Hechinger math content, be sure to sign up for our forthcoming newsletter ([link removed]) devoted to the subject: solving math education.

Nirvi Shah, Executive editor

Was this newsletter forwarded to you?
S ([link removed]) ubscribe! ([link removed])
Main Idea


** A superintendent made big gains with English learners. His success may have been his downfall ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
A self-described Southern conservative and man of faith from rural Alabama, Heath Grimes set about overhauling instruction for English learners when he took over Russellville, Alabama, schools, establishing culturally relevant extracurriculars and reaching out to the Hispanic community. Those efforts had an impact: The share of Hispanic students taking Advanced Placement classes and dual enrollment courses at a local community college went up. Parental involvement increased. But as Grimes’ star rose statewide, according to local educators and residents, his relationship with city leadership started to unravel.
MEMBERSHIP STATUS: You are not currently a member of The Hechinger Report. As a nonprofit news organization, we rely on reader donations ([link removed]) to help sustain this newsletter.
Give $10 today ([link removed])
Reading List
⭐ Extra credit! We offer most of our stories under a noncommercial Creative Commons license. What does that mean? You are allowed to repost or reprint our stories as long as you follow these guidelines ([link removed]) . Questions? Email Nichole Dobo, our Director of Audience Development at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Publication%20of%20Hechinger's%20stories&body=I%20would%20like%20to%20learn%20more%20about%20how%20I%20can%20republish%20The%20Hechinger%20Report's%20stories.%20) .


** PROOF POINTS: A little parent math talk with kids might really add up, a new body of education research suggests ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Mentioning numbers during everyday activities could be more beneficial than workbooks and exercises



** Mathematics test scores in some countries have been dropping for years, even as the subject grows in importance ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Persistence, motivation, and digital device use are among the concerns raised by a survey of students around the world



** OPINION: Powerful partnerships can help solve the national teaching shortage ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
School districts are working with minority-serving institutions to train qualified teachers



** Alternative STEM education: A noncollege path to jobs for students from underrepresented groups ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Free, short-term programs at the Marcy Lab School and Hack the Hood prepare students for jobs in STEM fields



** ¿Un trabajo demasiado bien hecho? ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
En Russellville, Alabama, el superintendente Heath Grimes recibió reconocimiento nacional por atender las necesidades del creciente cuerpo estudiantil hispano de la ciudad. Luego, el distrito le mostró la puerta de salida.



** Most teachers customize curriculum, even though they don’t have to ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Teachers explain why they won’t just ’stick to the script’



** OPINION: I’m a pediatrician. Children need high-quality care by loving, attentive adults ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Advice for Trump and Vance: Trust families to decide what’s best for their children and make child care subsidies widely available

Was this edition of the newsletter helpful?

Your feedback helps me improve the newsletter. Let me know your thoughts below. If you like, follow the linked text to a page where you can write extended answers.
* 👍 This was relevant and interesting. Thanks! ([link removed])
* 😐 This was just OK. ([link removed])
* 👎 This was not interesting to me. ([link removed])

============================================================
Copyright © 2024 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])
.