Weekend To-Do List

1/6 - 1/7

and

Jan 06, 2024

1. A Renewed Fight for School Integration

READ: The Wall Street Journal’s Matt Barnum reported on a new push for racially balanced public schools. Lawsuits filed in Minnesota and New Jersey seek to prove that racial imbalances contribute to inadequate education and argue that policies like magnet schools and voluntary transfer programs will increase diversity in schools:

Alejandro Cruz-Guzman, the lead plaintiff and a parent in St. Paul, said he joined the case after initially sending his children to a predominantly Hispanic charter school. “All the kids were just like my kids,” said Cruz-Guzman, who is Mexican American. “What’s going to happen when they get older, they grow up, and they haven’t been exposed to other kids from other communities and different backgrounds?”

2. Home-School Advocates Resist Push for Government Funding

READ: After nearly 50 years of fighting for freedom from government oversight, home-school advocates now face pressure from school choice advocates who want to see home-schooling included in ESA eligibility guidelines. Advocates fear the policy shift will lead to increased accountability and regulation:

Jennifer Beving, a former attorney and home-school mom who volunteers with the group, said the state’s home educators expect new regulatory proposals in 2024 — and are preparing to fight them. “I don’t want to overstate it, but people are up in arms,” Beving said. “You feel like it’s a slap in the face. We just want to educate our kids. We’re not asking for anything.”

Read more from Peter Jamison and Laura Meckler in The Washington Post here.

3. Former Ed Secretary Says Standards-Based Reforms Require Adjustment, Not Abandonment

READ: James A. Peyser took to the pages of Education Next to decry the Manhattan Institute’s Ray Domanico’s recent proposal to overhaul New York State’s high school graduation requirements. Peyser, former secretary of education for Massachusetts, said implementing Domanico’s “back-to-the-future” reforms would only encourage what President George W. Bush coined “the soft bigotry of low expectations”:

The bottom line is that an opt-in approach to the Regents exam would open the door to the same kind of game-playing and excuse-making that masked the failings and inequities of school systems in the days before the standards-based reforms of the 1990s and early 2000s. I have no doubt that, given the option, most urban school systems would decide not to use state assessments…Meanwhile, in most suburbs, where parents insist on assurances of college-readiness, “academic” diplomas tied to state exams would remain in place.

4. Loudoun County’s New Superintendent Focused On Trust and Transparency

READ: Three months into his new role as the face of a district once considered the face of the culture wars, Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Aaron Spence has already faced scrutiny over his handling of overdoses at a county high school and communication around student-led pro-Palestinian protests. Despite this, the president of the Loudoun Education Association says the superintendent’s recent listening tours have made teachers and parents cautiously optimistic:

“I felt like he really was genuinely listening and hearing what people were saying and responding to it, even if it was something maybe I had a sense that he might not tackle it,” Sullivan said. “It certainly validated people’s feelings, and I’m not sure educators have felt that validated in many areas for a while.”

Read more from Karina Elwood in The Washington Post here.

5. Indiana’s Private Schools See Modest Enrollment Increase as Voucher Applications Skyrocket

READ: While Indiana’s private school enrollment increased by around 5% to 92,000 students this school year, the state’s Choice Scholarship applications increased by nearly 30% to 69,000. With almost no change in the number of students enrolled in the state’s public schools, critics of the program say the numbers confirm their fears that the funding primarily benefits families who already attend and can already afford private schools:

“It validates what we were concerned about once they lifted the income requirements, that this is an entitlement program for the wealthy,” said Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education, which advocated against the voucher expansion during the 2023 legislative session.

Choice advocates say the the scholarships effects require closer study. Read more from Aleksandra Appleton in Chalkbeat here.

6. Colorado Changes Course on Religion in Preschool

READ: Colorado officials announced this week that they will no longer seek to ban religious instruction from schools participating in its new $322 million universal preschool program. Choosing not to implement the ban may attract more faith-based preschools to participate in the state’s initiative, which currently educates over 60% of Colorado’s 4-year-olds. While the level of religious instruction differs between schools, reporter Ann Schimke talked with one Baptist preschool leader who says the school incorporates religion into all elements of their day:

One morning last fall, a class of 4-year-old preschoolers recited Bible verses with their teacher.“OK, here we go,” said teacher Corrie Haynes to the 13 children sitting in front of her on a green rug. “Phillipians 4:19. My God shall supply all your needs,” they said together. Next, they sang songs about God and talked about sin and forgiveness.

Read more from Colorado Public Radio here.

7. Honoring a Luminary

READ: Linda Brown, founder of Building Excellent Schools and mentor to countless educators and school leaders, passed away on Christmas Day. To try to summarize the contributions of one of the country’s most influential educators is a nearly impossible task, but Dr. Howard Fuller rose to the occasion:

“The ongoing work to change education in America over the last 30 years has produced relatively few superheroes. Linda Brown is one of them. She had an uncommon level of commitment and dedication to create schools that changed the trajectory of the lives of our most disadvantaged children... There are now terrific school leaders all over the country because of Linda."

Read Linda’s obituary here. Richard Whitmire also penned a tribute for The 74 with reflections from leaders like Doug Lemov and Sue Walsh. Read it here.