Also in this newsletter: Teaching young children where babies come from (and other stuff)

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])
The Report
A newsletter from The Hechinger Report
[link removed] Share ([link removed])
[link removed] https%3A%2F%2Fmailchi.mp%2Fhechingerreport.org%2Finside-mississippis-first-rural-charter-school Tweet ([link removed] https%3A%2F%2Fmailchi.mp%2Fhechingerreport.org%2Finside-mississippis-first-rural-charter-school)
[link removed] Forward ([link removed])
Liz Willen Dear reader,

Here’s a question I hate getting: Are charter schools good or bad? Those who ask may not be aware that it’s complicated; there’s no simple answer.

Charter schools serve only about three million U.S. students. They are publicly funded but independent from many district and state regulations and differ widely in focus and performance.

We don’t take sides at The Hechinger Report, but we report deeply and fairly on charter schools. And that’s why I recommend our feature story ([link removed]) on Mississippi’s first rural charter school, which opened a year ago in a place where school choice still evokes painful memories of white families’ abandonment of the public school system. I hope you will take time to read it – and let us know what you think. Reply directly to this newsletter to send us your thoughts.

Liz Willen, Editor

Was this newsletter forwarded to you?
Click here to subscribe! ([link removed])
Main Idea


** A charter school faces the ugly history of school choice in the Deep South ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
In rural parts of the South, school choice has long been linked to private segregation academies opened for white families fleeing desegregation and busing. Mississippi’s first rural charter school challenges that legacy, but threatens the struggling traditional public schools most black children still attend.
Reading List


** It’s not about sex: Teaching young children where babies come from (and other stuff) ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Comprehensive sexual health education, which covers friendship and families along with babies and bodies, is rare in America’s elementary schools even though experts say it’s critical.


** COLUMN: Black teachers matter, for students and communities ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
When it comes to teachers’ roles in shaping anti-racist communities, it’s better to show than to tell. Meaning, society is better off when students see diversity in the ranks of teachers rather than when they hear lessons about the importance of inclusion from a monolithic group of educators.


** OPINION: A fresh start on school discipline isn’t optional — especially for schools serving underrepresented students ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
It’s never been more important to take a new look at how we think about school discipline. We need to shift away from thinking of discipline as the thing you do to punish a student who is acting out or to rein in a chaotic class.


** Colleges and states turn their attention to slow-moving part-time students ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Fewer than one in five students who enroll part time from the start at a four-year college have earned a degree eight years later, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The reasons these students take so long to finish college, or drop out altogether, often come down to two factors: money and scheduling.


** Spotlight swings to for-profit middlemen that may be driving up the cost of online higher education ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
A little-known industry of for-profit middlemen, which is skimming off as much as 80% of the proceeds and has U.S. revenues of $1 billion annually, may be thwarting the innovative potential of online education.


** OPINION: Out of necessity, I taught my son to choose a college for its value, not its prestige or vibe ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Without photoshopping his face onto the body of a water polo athlete, like some of the parents caught up in the recent U.S. college cheating scandal, I could have prepped my older son, Jonah, for college like a prize pumpkin at the county fair.


** An analysis of achievement gaps in every school in America shows that poverty is the biggest hurdle ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
A Stanford study finds that racial segregation matters because black and Hispanic students are concentrated in high poverty schools.


** OPINION: Cities find new ways to fill pre-K funding holes left by the federal government ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Memphis, Pittsburgh and other cities provide examples of resources and strategies that address the diverse needs of children and families.
Solutions
* "The Turkish app to help autistic children learn ([link removed]) ," via BBC
* "Skilling South Sudanese refugees in Bidibidi settlement restores lost hope ([link removed]) ," via Things that Work Uganda

This week’s solutions section came from SolutionsU ([link removed]) powered by Solutions Journalism Network and their database of solutions journalism. Search ([link removed]) for more solutions.
Contact Nichole Dobo at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) if you want to chat about story ideas or give feedback on any of The Hechinger Report’s newsletters. Did you know we produce four other newsletters with exclusive stories and analysis? Sign up ([link removed]) for free today! (And if you are having trouble signing up, please email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=newsletter%20sign%20up%20problem) .)
Is the Hechinger Report part of your routine? Support it with a monthly gift.
Donate Now ([link removed])
Give today ([link removed]) to make this message go away.
We cover inequality and innovation in education with in-depth journalism that uses research, data and stories from classrooms and campuses to show the public how education can be improved and why it matters.

============================================================

** Twitter ([link removed])
** [link removed] ([link removed])
** Our newsletters ([link removed])

Copyright © 2019 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
475 Riverside Drive
Suite 650
New York, NY 10115
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.