Weekend To-Do List

9/28 - 9/29

and

Sep 28, 2024

1. The Country’s Largest School System Braces for Change

READ: New York City’s incoming schools chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos sat down with Chalkbeat’s Michael Elsen-Rooney on Thursday to discuss her vision for the country’s largest school system. Her appointment follows the announcement that current Chancellor David Banks will retire in December. Banks announced his decision on Tuesday, just one day before his boss and close friend, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, was indicted on five federal charges. Despite the upheaval at City Hall, Aviles-Ramos reaffirmed her commitment to Adams and his administration’s education priorities:

“I share their vision … That’s why I agreed to be chancellor,” she said of Adams and Banks. “My North Star is their North Star, but I have to make sure that I keep the train moving.”

Read more here. I shared my thoughts about the Adams indictment on Lost Debate earlier this week. Listen here.

2. NOLA Schools Rebuilt, Revived

READ: Last July, New Orleans Public Schools celebrated a significant milestone: the completion of the final school rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina, marking the end of an 18-year recovery effort. The $2 billion project transformed 110 out of 126 damaged schools, addressing decades of neglect while adhering to rigorous historic preservation rules. Beth Hawkins documented the stories of seven of the rebuilt schools and the efforts made to balance urgent community needs with a desire to preserve the cultural and historical significance of the schools:

It was a massive, hydra-headed puzzle — but also a milestone. “For years, people have commented on the unacceptable physical condition of our schools,” then-Louisiana Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek said in 2007, as he announced the rebuilding plan. “We want these schools to stand as a symbol of the value we place on our children and their education — and as a symbol of what’s possible for the future of our city.”

Read more in The 74 here. I’m excited to welcome Beth to Lost Debate in a few weeks for a deeper dive into her piece. Comment below if you have any questions you want us to cover.

3. School Transfers Surge in West Virginia

READ: More than 7,500 West Virginia students transferred schools in the 2023-24 year, taking advantage of expanded state laws that broadened school choice for education and athletics. While most transfers were driven by parents seeking better childcare and after-school care options, many high school transfers often related to athletics. The new regulations allow students to transfer schools within or across counties. But Jason Huffman, state director for conservative grassroots organization Americans For Prosperity, says too many districts have denied transfers for reasons not allowed under the law:

“I think particularly with things like absences or tardies, perhaps it is a case that the child is being bullied or or the child is unhappy in their learning situation,” Huffman said. “I don’t think that’s a viable reason to deny a transfer. It kind of disregards the individuality of the student.”

Read more from Amelia Ferrell Knisely in The 74 here.

4. Study Reveals Online Learning Struggles

READ/LISTEN: Online learning at West Point during the pandemic led to lower student performance and engagement compared to in-person classes. A study found that students enrolled in online instruction saw an average decrease in their final grades by 1.7 percentage points. Those same students reported feeling less focused and connected to their peers and instructors. The study’s authors, Michael S. Kofoed, Lucas Gebhart, Dallas Gilmore, and Ryan Moschitto, reflected on their findings and their broader implications for the average student:

However, when we consider other ways that West Point differs from traditional colleges and universities, our findings are concerning. West Point students are among the nation’s most disciplined young people. They have met stringent, multidimensional requirements to enroll in a structured military leadership program that accepts about 12 percent of applicants. They attend class in uniform, maintain peak physical fitness, and commit to at least five years of active-duty military service after graduation. If online learning has negative effects at West Point, what does that mean for the typical student?

Read more in Education Next here. I spoke with Michael about the study earlier this week. Listen to our conversation here.

5. Affirmative Action Showdown

READ/LISTEN: Jeannie Suk Gersen took to the pages of The New Yorker to examine the recent lawsuits filed by Students for Fair Admissions against West Point and the Naval Academy. Both cases challenge the military academies’ race-conscious admissions politics, with the government defending its stance by asserting that racial diversity is critical to national security. With the outcomes from these cases set to determine whether military academies can maintain policies that civilian institutions cannot, Suk Gersen reflected on the state of affirmative action and diversity in higher education one year after Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard:

It’s difficult to tell a single story about the immediate effect of S.F.F.A. v. Harvard, except to say that most selective schools found ways to prevent some of the expected impact. After S.F.F.A. v. Harvard, universities can still lawfully pursue diversity—the Court even said the goal was “commendable” and “worthy”—but they cannot do so by using an applicant’s race in itself as a factor.

Read more here. Jeannie also joined me on Lost Debate last fall to discuss college admissions in a post-affirmative action world. Listen here.

6. FAFSA Failures Continue

READ: Emma Camp at Reason reported on a new 41-page report from the Government Accountability Office, released earlier this week, detailing why the Department of Education’s attempt to simplify the FAFSA form turned into a bureaucratic disaster that caused chaos for millions of families. The report highlighted over 40 technical errors in the form, leading to a 9% drop in first-time FAFSA applications. Additionally, nearly three-quarters of calls to the Department’s call center went unanswered, highlighting the severity of the administrative breakdown:

"Education's lack of clear communication stoked confusion among students, who did not know what, if any steps, they needed to take to complete their application or how to resolve technical barrier," GAO's report reads. "With the next year's FAFSA rollout already delayed up to 2 months and over 20 technical issues still unresolved as of August 2024, students would benefit from more timely and proactive communication from Education going forward."

7. Playgrounds Without Protection

READ: Rising temperatures have forced schools nationwide to cancel outdoor recess to protect students from heat-related health risks. Hana Kiros took to the pages of The Atlantic to argue that instead of confining students to indoor recess, more schools should prioritize funding for outdoor shade structures that can create safer and more comfortable play environments:

If kids do spend August and September recesses indoors, they’ll probably stay in the classroom. In warm areas, plenty of elementary schools haven’t invested in gyms because playing outside has been the default. “We’ll see more and more children in these communities having recess inside, in venues not appropriate for physical recreation,” Kelly Turner, a heat researcher at UCLA, told me. “They do things like watch movies” during indoor recess at her daughter’s school. Some teachers are using the extra classroom time to cram in more instruction; others put on dance videos that promise to “get the wiggles out.” But they can’t replicate the type of unstructured play that kids need as they grow.