Weekend To-Do List

6/22 - 6/23

and

Jun 22, 2024

1. The Reading Curriculum With No Books

READ: Xochitl Gonzalez took to the pages of The Atlantic to raise concerns about New York City’s implementation of Into Reading, a new curriculum rolled out by the Adams administration as part of its work to shift its approach to reading instruction from balanced literacy to the science of reading. Into Reading limits exposure to full-length books by utilizing a textbook format, and Gonzalez argues that this method will reduce the number of students who grow into lifelong readers:

When Demos talks about kids losing their love of reading, the loss feels visceral to me. I had some amazing teachers over my years in public school, but I had some duds too. The books we read expanded my mind, regardless of who was in front of my class. Knowing how to read is crucial, but loving to read is a form of power, one that helps kids grow into curious, engaged, and empathetic adults.

Half of New York City’s third to eighth graders cannot read at grade level. Read more here.

2. Families Turning To Microschools for Tailored Learning

READ: An estimated 1.5 million children now attend one of the country’s roughly 95,000 microschools. Dana Goldstein visited three Atlanta-based programs to get a sense of what this growing education model looks like and better understand why students are leaving public and private schools to enroll in them. Goldstein noted that while the microschools have garnered increasing criticism over their funding models and more lax regulatory status, a diverse group of families continue to seek out the sector in the hopes that their children will receive a more individualized learning experience:

Ms. Moreau said most parents would prefer public school if it worked for their children. Public schools are free, and their students have access to clubs, sports teams and a wider range of peers.
But in reality, she said, those schools too often passed Black students who had not mastered core concepts from grade to grade.
When students enroll in her program, “I have to build my kids back up,” she said. “They think they can’t do it, that they’re dumb, they’re unteachable.”
“Parents are waking up,” she added, “especially in the Black community.”

3. Could Better Data Increase Civics Proficiency?

READ: With just one in three students able to correctly match each of the three branches of government to its core function, Martin R. West says it’s time to implement more U.S. history and civics testing. West pointed to NAEP’s literacy and math assessments as one example of how consistent student achievement data can help educators refine their approach to instruction:

In U.S. history and civics, by contrast, NAEP provides a single national data point about every four years. While the program will in 2030 permit states to test enough students in civics to produce state-level results, recent history suggests that fewer than a dozen will embrace that opportunity. Requiring all of them to do so would take Congressional action.

4. 50 Years of More of the Same in Boston

READ/LISTEN: This week marked fifty years since Judge Arthur Garrity ordered Boston schools to desegregate via busing. But the intended impact was never fully realized: Boston schools are still deeply segregated and unequal, with only 12% of Black third through eighth graders at or above grade level in math, compared to 57% of the city’s white students. It’s why families across the city have scrambled to enroll in schools outside of the BPS system:

“They want the best for their kids, and they are going to do anything, whether they think it’s across the street or across town, parents are going to make that sacrifice to get their kids the best,” said Kim Janey, who was bused as a BPS student and later served, for eight months, as Boston’s acting mayor. “We’ve got to do more in this city to make sure that BPS is a real option, a viable option, a strong option, the best option for families, and sadly, it isn’t.”

Read more from Mike Damiano, Milton J. Valencia, and Christopher Huffaker in The Boston Globe here. The National Parents Union Podcast also discussed this topic this week as part of their discussion on a recent report about the best and worst places to raise a child. Listen here.

5. Texas Democrats Revamp Education Strategy

READ/LISTEN: Jasper Scherer wrote for The 74 and The Texas Tribune about Texas Democrats’ strategy to focus on education in the state’s upcoming House election. But the party has had to adjust to sharing its title as “the education party” with Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who’s made the passage of school vouchers a centerpiece of his political agenda:

“Traditionally, we think of public education as a Democratic issue, because most often if we’re talking about public education, we’re talking about spending, and … there’s almost no debate in which Democrats aren’t going to be more willing than Republicans to spend money on public education,” Blank said. “But if we’re talking about curriculum concerns and parental rights, that puts Democrats in a difficult position.”

Read more here. I also spoke with Liz Crampton from Politico this week on Lost Debate about how the school voucher debate will continue to impact the state’s politics. Listen here.

6. Schools Scramble To Support Kids in Special Education

READ: Over 15% of public school students accessed special education services last year, up from 13% ten years ago. Sara Randazzo and Matt Barnum at The Wall Street Journal reported on the factors behind the increase, from lingering pandemic challenges to a rise in autism diagnoses. With a teacher shortage and dwindling funds as COVID relief funds are set to expire, both school leaders and families question whether schools can sufficiently support students:

“We are in a situation right now that is not sustainable,” said Kevin Rubenstein, who oversees special education for an 8,000-student suburban Chicago district. “We continue to struggle to make sure that we have enough teachers in place.”
Georgia parent Joshua Caines appreciated the special-education services his local public elementary school provided for his now 12-year-old son, whose autism and ADHD affect his attention and ability to hand-write, among other things.
Caines worried, though, about middle school, and whether a larger campus and class sizes would overwhelm his son, who learns better around people he’s familiar with. So he moved him to a Christian private school for sixth grade, where he’s in classes with less than 10 students.
“It wasn’t a decision that we took lightly,” said Caines, who works as a pastor. “If I felt my child could get the resources he needed in public school, we would have kept him there.”

Read more from Sara Randazzo and Matt Barnum at The Wall Street Journal here.

7. Does Child-Centered AI Require Increased Awareness and Guardrails?

READ: Caroline Mimbs Nyce says the advent of AI has introduced a sense of anticipatory dread amongst adults, and kids are left as the beta testers for a new technology that they might not yet have the emotional and cognitive tools to comprehend fully. Nyce urged families and educators to consider building more guardrails, such as increased media literacy education and AI governance policies, before flooding schools and homes with more innovative AI products:

Older children and teens are able to think more concretely, but they may struggle to separate reality from deepfakes, Kirkorian pointed out. Even adults are struggling with the AI-generated stuff—for middle- and high-school kids, that task is still more challenging. “It’s going to be even harder for kids to learn that,” Kirkorian explained, citing the need for more media and digital literacy. Teens in particular may be vulnerable to some of AI’s worst effects, given that they’re possibly some of the biggest users of AI overall.