Weekend To-Do List
5/4 - 5/5
1. Student Journalists Recognized for Protest Coverage
READ/LISTEN: Santul Nerkar took to the pages of The New York Times to highlight the work of student journalists covering the campus protests. Columbia Journalism School Professor Bill Grueskin explained why the coverage has received such widespread praise:
“What really distinguishes this story is they’re writing about their campus, their friends and, to a certain extent, themselves.”
Read the rest of Nerkar’s piece here. On Tuesday's episode of Lost Debate, I shared more about the latest developments at Columbia. Listen here.
2. What’s the Point?
READ: Joshua Bay reported on a new survey from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation, which found that while more than 60% of Gen Z students consider themselves happy, less than half of those in middle or high school felt motivated to go to school. Bay spoke with Kimberly Winterbottom, a principal in Maryland, about what schools can do to motivate students:
Winterbottom added how having direct conversations with students on the importance of engaging in school has proven helpful.
“Adults don’t spend a lot of time explaining to students the reasons why but I feel like when we do some light bulbs go off and students start to understand and become more invested,” Winterbottom said.
Read more in The 74 here.
3. White House Honors Teachers With State Dinner
READ: First Lady Jill Biden hosted the first-ever White House state dinner for teachers this week. The more than 200 guests in attendance celebrated state teachers of the year and, per Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, aimed to honor teachers “with a level of national respect.” Missy Testerman, the 2024 National Teacher of the Year, said the event served as a hopeful moment:
Testerman said she dreams of a well-funded school that has the resources that teachers and students need—one where every child feels welcome and every teacher sees the potential in each student.
“Sadly, that dream can sometimes feel like a fantasy,” said Testerman, who teaches at Rogersville City School. “Our reality often feels heavy due to the struggles that we watch our students endure. But in real life, we not only teach our students, we wrap our arms around them, advocate for them, help them feel secure, and help them create a better future for themselves.”
Read more from Madeline Will at Education Week here.
4. Detroit Educators Urge Caution on Cannabis
READ: Lori Higgins and Robyn Vincent reported on the advocacy from some Detroit school leaders who want to see lawmakers help minimize student use of marijuana edibles. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti penned a letter to federal, state, and local lawmakers, citing the 745 drug infractions Detroit Public Schools Community District has already faced this school year as the impetus for his advocacy:
“A week of school rarely passes where a student is not taken to the hospital due to intentional or unintentional consumption of edibles,” [he] said.
Read more in Chalkbeat here.
5. Loudoun County Considers More Security
READ: After initially rejecting a proposal for elementary school contracts with police, Loudoun County Sherriff Mike Chapman is asking school districts to consider a new proposal to add school resources officers to the County’s 62 elementary schools. The change in course comes in response to safety recommendations made as part of the County’s “Blue Ribbon Panel” on school security. Chaman says it’s past time for this shift:
“It is time for Loudoun County to develop a multi-year plan and identify the necessary funding to ensure the presence of a School Resource Officer (SRO) in LCPS elementary schools, as we have for every middle and high school,” Chapman said in a news release. “The Blue-Ribbon Panel’s recommendations are a helpful starting point for these important discussions.”
Read more from Karina Elwood in The Washington Post here.
6. State of Emergency in West Virginia
READ: West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has lifted the state’s FAFSA requirement so that students can receive major state grants without filling out a FAFSA form. The decision came as part of Justice’s announcement that he’d declared a state of emergency over the current FAFSA form:
"I don't believe any other state in the nation has gone this far, but I simply cannot and will not stand by as money sits on the table that could be helping our students continue their education," [he] said in a press release. "There's only so much outreach you can do when students can't complete the form due to issues only the federal government can control. We have been left with no choice but to suspend the FAFSA requirement for our state financial aid programs."
Read more from Emma Camp in Reason here.
7. Is School Optional?
READ/LISTEN: Sarah Mervosh and Francesca Paris reported on the steep increase in chronic absenteeism since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Experts say student absenteeism is a major reason the country has struggled to recover from pandemic learning loss. They also caution that the impact isn’t just felt in academics:
The trends suggest that something fundamental has shifted in American childhood and the culture of school, in ways that may be long lasting. What was once a deeply ingrained habit — wake up, catch the bus, report to class — is now something far more tenuous.
“Our relationship with school became optional,” said Katie Rosanbalm, a psychologist and associate research professor with the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University.
Read more from The New York Times here. In this week's episode of the National Parents Union Podcast, Keri, Tafshier, Bernita, and Ariel also discussed what’s really behind chronic absenteeism and what schools should do about it. Listen here.