Weekend To-Do List

8/17 - 8/18

and

Aug 17, 2024

1. Columbia University President Minouche Shafik Resigns

READ/WATCH: Minouche Shafik’s tenure as Columbia University’s first female president ended abruptly after a year of escalating campus tensions and criticism from all sides. Hailed as the “perfect candidate” upon her arrival, Shafik faced a barrage of challenges, including student protests and congressional scrutiny, that left her increasingly isolated:

“She started with a lot of hope and optimism, and no one foresaw it ending this way,” said James H. Applegate, a professor of astronomy and a member of a University Senate committee whose authority Dr. Shafik ignored when she summoned the police to campus in April. “That is a tremendous disappointment.”
But, he added, perhaps her decision should not have been all that much of surprise: “At some point you have to say, from Shafik’s point of view, How much longer do you want to put up with this stuff? It’s a toxic hellhole, and it’s directed at her.”

Read more from Alan Blinder, Stephanie Saul, Sharon Otterman, and Mark Landler in The New York Times here. I also discussed Shafik’s departure with Todd Rose on this week’s Lost Debate. Watch here.

2. Mathletes in a Bind

READ: Milla Surjadi and Sara Randazzo reported on widespread cheating allegations facing the American Mathematics Competitions. Leaked exams have caused outrage among families who look to the high-school math contest to provide their students an edge in college admissions. The AMC has promised to implement tighter controls, but rising seniors wonder if it’s too little, too late:

Nate Onderko, a rising senior at Brooklyn Tech, spent last summer studying for the competition but worried after the leaks that it wouldn’t be enough to achieve a standout score.
“I took it seriously,” he said, noting that he hopes his qualification to the second round will improve his chances of getting into his top schools, like Carnegie Mellon and Brown University. “A lot of kids have put a lot of time into trying to make it.”

Read more in The Wall Street Journal here.

3. Walz’s Education Record

READ/LISTEN: Laura Meckler and Hannah Natanson at The Washington Post took a closer look at Minnesota Governor and current Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz’s education record. Walz has won praise from Democrats and teachers’ unions for his significant increases in K-12 funding, free school meals, and policies supporting LGBTQ+ rights. Still, he’s faced sharp criticism from conservatives who point to declining test scores and accuse him of prioritizing political agendas over academic performance. Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and former Minnesota State Senator Paul Gazelka reflected on a previous negotiation over a statewide voucher program and the impact of Waz’s unshakeable allegiance to teachers’ unions:

Hortman recalled that at a point during their closed-door talks, the governor replied, “You know I’m a member of Education Minnesota, right?” (He actually was no longer a member but had been as a teacher.)
Gazelka walked away frustrated.
“I was willing to give up a lot to get that, but it just didn’t happen,” Gazelka said. “We just weren’t asking that much, but that’s how passionate he was against any kind of education reform. He would never go against the teachers union.”

Read more here. Kate and Chris also discussed the education priorities the Harris-Walz ticket might prioritize on the campaign trail on the latest episode of The Citizen Stewart Show. Listen here.

4. How School Choice Has Redefined Education in America

READ/WATCH: School choice has seen exponential growth since the beginning of the pandemic. How long can it last? To find out, Rick Hess interviewed Patrick Wolf, the 21st Century Endowed Chair in School Choice at the University of Arkansas. Hess and Wolf discussed the surge in parental dissatisfaction with traditional public school options, the rise in Education Savings Accounts, and why school choice positively impacts both private and public school outcomes. Wolfe urged educators to embrace the golden age of school choice:

I’m greatly impressed by public school leaders and educators who say, “School choice is the new reality. We strive to be the school of choice for parents and students in our community.” That’s the spirit! Those highly responsive public schools view parents as allies and see education as a team sport. Public schools that are responsive to parents tend to hold onto their enrollments and, in some cases, grow them. We all should want the children of our country to be in schools that effectively serve their needs. That’s what public education, whether provided by a public or private school, should be all about.

Read more in Education Next here. I laid out the school choice policies that could strengthen the future of education in a new YouTube video this week. Watch here.

5. Parents Say Schools Have Failed, So They’ve Taken Charge

READ: Families have increasingly turned to nontraditional education options since the start of the pandemic for many reasons, and concern that traditional schools can no longer support children with disabilities and learning differences is chief among them. Anna North at Vox spoke with families and educators to better understand how policy changes like education savings accounts and the rise of microschools have diversified the educational landscape and supported an increase in individualized learning environments:

Many parents say their kids thrive on the one-on-one attention homeschooling can provide. For Wingert’s younger child, who has dyslexia, it sometimes meant “we’re going to practice sight words today, but we’re going to do it outside with your dog,” Wingert said.

Read more here. I also interviewed Laura Meckler about the rise of homeschooling earlier this summer. Listen here.

6. Beyond the Surface: Why Understanding the Science of Teaching Matters

READ: Chris Stewart took to the pages of his Citizen Stewart substack to argue that families and education advocates need to do more to understand (and appreciate) the complex science of teaching. New research from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) confirms that too many teachers are sent into the classroom without enough guidance:

For those of us on the outside looking in, this might seem like something we don't need to worry about. But if we care about the future, we should be paying attention. We don't need to become experts, but we should be curious. We should want to understand how education works. When we know, we can advocate for better policies and push for changes that make a difference.

7. SCOTUS Blocks Biden’s Title IX Protections for Transgender Students in 26 States

READ: David G. Savage at Los Angeles Times reported on the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision not to lift court orders in 26 states that block new Title IX rules intended to provide antidiscrimination protections to transgender students. The ruling means that half of the nation’s schools and colleges will not be required to protect students based on sexual orientation or gender identity:

The justices in the majority said they saw no reason to set aside the lower court rulings and decide on a temporary basis that the rule may take effect nationwide as lawsuits continue.
Conservative Justice Neil M. Gorsuch joined in dissent with liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.