CER Daily Media Clips

Your Daily News Clips for March, 18 2021

CER Daily Media Clips for March 18, 2021

Cardona Keeps Tough Stance on State Tests as He Focuses on School Reopenings

Mar 18, 2021 | Education Week | federal policy | National

As the Biden administration continued its push for in-person learning Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said that the Department of Education does not plan any updates to guidance about state academic assessments it issued last month that said the agency is not entertaining requests to cancel those standardized exams for this school year.

Education Department Releases $122 Billion in Coronavirus Relief Funds to States

Mar 18, 2021 | US News & World Report | federal budget | National

School leaders cheered the funding that they’ve been begging Congress for since last summer, arguing it was untenable to reopen for in-person learning without it.

Many Schools Suffering From Threat-Rigidity Response To COVID

Mar 18, 2021 | Forbes | innovation | National

In the wake of COVID-19 shattering the traditional routines and plans of so many schools nationwide, I have lamented that schools haven’t done nearly enough to create more compelling learning experiences for each student. Many schools have instead focused on logistics and operations—which are important given health concerns, but also insufficient.

CDC set to revisit advice on spacing between students amid new evidence

Mar 18, 2021 | Washington Post | federal policy | National

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that her agency would “soon” revisit its guidelines encouraging schools to keep six feet of distance between people, saying new evidence has emerged that three feet may be enough.

Learning Apps Have Boomed in the Pandemic. Now Comes the Real Test.

Mar 18, 2021 | New York Times | technology | National

Start-ups hope there’s no turning back for online learning, even as more students return to the classroom.

Commentary: The Supreme Court Has Unfinished School-Choice Business

Mar 18, 2021 | Wall Street Journal | school choice | States, Northeast, Maine

A petition from Maine parents gives the justices an opportunity to protect religious freedom fully.

Column: Teachers union boss in California caught taking daughter to private school

Mar 18, 2021 | Waco Tribune | school choice | States, West, California

Meyer is a hypocrite, yes. But he should be a poster boy for the school choice movement to free families whose children are trapped in underperforming public schools and give them alternatives.

Lawmakers introduce bills to expand educational options in Texas, ensure parental rights

Mar 18, 2021 | The Center Square | school choice | States, South, Texas

Several bills introduced in the Texas Legislature would expand educational options for Texas parents, including through special needs micro-grants, learning pods protections, expanding and improving virtual school programs and public charter schools, and creating education savings accounts and tax credits.

Opinion: Maine likes not-too-religious schools

Mar 18, 2021 | Washington Post | private schools | States, Northeast, Maine

At the court’s conference on April 1, the nine judicial brows will be furrowed as they consider whether to hear a case from Maine that poses this question: Is it constitutional for that state to say that parents can use state aid to pay tuition at religious schools if the schools are not too religious.

House Education Committee kills tuition-reimbursement bill

Mar 18, 2021 | Wyoming Tribune | school choice | States, West, Wyoming

The House Education Committee voted 7-2 Wednesday afternoon to kill House Bill 106. The bill would have created a program called the Wyoming Education Options Act, which proposed to reimburse parents for tuition or other expenses related to private school and homeschool for up to half of what their school district would receive in per-pupil funding.

DeSantis calls for $3,000 bonuses for Florida teachers who complete civics education training

Mar 18, 2021 | Orlando Sentinel | civics education | States, South, Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing a $3,000 bonus for Florida teachers, but only if they complete training and certification for “the Florida civic seal of excellence,” a new civics education program.

1 in 3 CPS students back in classrooms are being taught by remote teachers

Mar 18, 2021 | Chicago Sun-Times | school districts | Towns, States, Midwest, Illinois

The learning condition — sitting in a classroom while an educator teachers remotely — was more frequent in students in majority Black and majority Latino schools, a survey found.

Baker admin. draws fire over school reopening

Mar 18, 2021 | Bay State Banner | elected officials | States, Northeast, Massachusetts

Beyond the vaccination issue, Riley’s order to a return to in-person learning has raised questions of whether the education commissioner is overreaching state authority.

Will California’s Schools Ever Fully Reopen? There’s Plenty of Money

Mar 18, 2021 | California Globe | school funding | States, West, California

Taking these and other factors into account, the analysis found the baseline cost of California’s K-12 public schools to be around $137.6 billion, or just over $20,000 per year per pupil. Adding the state and federal supplemental funds to that yields a total estimated K-12 spending in California today of $170 billion, or over $25,000 per pupil. What has that bought parents and students so far?

Charter schools seek NC help to offer daily in-person classes to all students

Mar 18, 2021 | News & Observer | charter schools | States, South, North Carolina

Proposed legislation filed Wednesday would allow North Carolina charter schools to offer full-time, daily in-person instruction to middle school and high school students.

Vermilion Parish chool Board hears pitch for new charter school

Mar 18, 2021 | The Kaplan Herald | charter schools | Towns, States, South, Louisiana

Vermilion Parish School Board Member Kibbie Pillette and other board members listened to the presentation from four different members of the Charter Schools USA team. The charter representatives explained to the school board members that the charter school is being built to ease overcrowding in the Maurice area.Read More...

House Bill allowing expansion of charter schools becomes law

Mar 18, 2021 | WSAZ | charter schools | States, South, West Virginia

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has passed a law that increases the number of charter schools allowed in the state.The law increases the number of charter schools allowed every three years from three to ten.

A Debate Over Charter Schools that Complicates Partisan Lines

Mar 18, 2021 | CT Examiner | charter schools | States, Northeast, Connecticut

If Senate Bill 949 passes, all taxpayer funded schools – public, charter, vocational and magnet – will receive no less than $11,525 in funding through a combination of state and local monies. In other words, all publicly-funded schools would receive a “foundation amount” for the first time.

COVID lesson: Some kids learn best online, so KC-area districts open virtual schools

Mar 18, 2021 | Kansas City Star | online learning | Towns, States, Midwest, Missouri

Park Hill is joining a trend locally and nationally to offer that option in the future, even when the pandemic is just a memory. The district is among those launching a permanent online academy in the fall for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. That’s where Cael will spend his senior year.

Private Michigan schools may receive public funding for health expenses, state Supreme Court says wi

Mar 18, 2021 | Mlive.com | private schools | States, Midwest, Michigan

A refusal by the Michigan Supreme Court to re-hear a case that previously resulted in a 3-3 deadlock means public funding can be spent on health measures at private schools. A coalition of education and parent groups filed a lawsuit in 2017 to prevent the state from reimbursing private and parochial schools for expenses related to health and safety mandates, arguing such payments are unconstitutional.

Controversial scholarships to be removed from education bill

Mar 18, 2021 | Idaho State Journal | school choice | States, West, Idaho

After significant pushback, the sponsors of HB 294 told the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday that they believed the scholarship portion of the Strong Students bill should be removed. The committee voted 7-2 to send the bill to the amending order for changes.

Private-school tuition bill fails to clear state House

Mar 18, 2021 | Arkansas Democrat Gazette | school choice | States, South, Arkansas

A proposal to fund private school tuition for qualifying students with up to $4 million in state income tax dollars failed in the Arkansas House with bipartisan opposition Wednesday, after barely making it out of committee the day before.

Lawmakers Aim to Get College Dropouts into Viable Jobs

Mar 18, 2021 | Spectrum News 1 | higher education | States, Midwest, Ohio

Republican Sens. Jerry Cirino and Terry Johnson introduced a Senate bill, which could give those who dropped out of four-year institutions tuition relief through the second-chance voucher program. That means, they could take tuition already paid for a program they didn't complete and apply it to an alternative program at a community college or technical school certified by the state.

New Report Backs Claims EFAs Will Save NH Taxpayers Money

Mar 18, 2021 | New Hampshire Journal | school choice | States, Northeast, New Hampshire

A new study from the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, a New Hampshire-based free-market think tank, finds Educational Freedom Accounts (EFAs) could save Granite State taxpayers more than $6.5 million the first two years.

Senate passes ESAs bill, governor lets teacher strike bill be law without signature

Mar 18, 2021 | WV Metro News | school choice | States, South, West Virginia

Both houses of the Legislature have passed a bill that would divert dollars for students leaving public schools for private school or homeschooling. And the governor let go into law without his signature a bill clarifying that strikes against the state by public employees including educators are unlawful. The governor also signed a bill late last week allowing faster expansion of West Virginia’s fledgling charter school system. Add all that up, and it’s what West Virginia teachers unions continue to call legislative payback against public educators,

For this Montclair family, remote learning a chance to thrive

Mar 18, 2021 | Montclair Local | remote learning | Towns, States, Northeast, New Jersey

Before his return to full-time work, Mr. Smith was the one sitting in on classes. The parents have been fortunate enough to have the time and money to give their children’s education close attention, he said.

Opinion: How the next mayor and chancellor can fix NYC’s broken schools

Mar 18, 2021 | New York Post | school districts | States, Northeast, New York

New York City’s schools are in a state of urgent decline. Struggling to hold students accountable for basic attendance, let alone evaluate schoolwork and grades, leaders blame COVID-19. The reality? The school system was deteriorating long before the coronavirus became a household word.

‘Fight is far from over.’ Fayette board chair, others push back on KY school choice bill

Mar 18, 2021 | Lexington Herald Leader | school choice | States, South, Kentucky

Under the bill, private school tuition in Fayette and other larger counties could be paid from newly created education opportunity accounts. Superintendent Marlene Helm issued a strong statement opposing the bill Tuesday before both chambers approved it. The Kentucky Education Association, the state’s main school employee group, also said Wednesday that it would continue in its efforts against the bill.

Opinion: Legislators just expanded their voucher expansion bill. Can they get any more arrogant?

Mar 18, 2021 | Arizona Republic | school choice | States, West, Arizona

Expanding Arizona's school voucher program would be a punch in the nose to Arizona's voters. So, naturally, a voucher expansion bill is just one major vote away from passing the Legislature.

Utah school districts start new virtual schools as post-pandemic option

Mar 18, 2021 | KUTV | online learning | Towns, States, West, Utah

Students in Utah who are thriving online will have new choices to keep learning virtually once the pandemic is over.

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