EduClips: More Undocumented Students Apply for Aid Under CA Dream Act; WV Teacher Strike Ends — and More Must-Reads From America’s 15 Biggest School Districts
EduClips is a compilation of the latest education news from America’s largest school districts, where millions of students attend classes on a daily basis. Catch up on previous EduClips here. Stay updated with the top school and policy news by signing up for the TopSheet Education Newsletter.
Featured Story
STRIKE RESOLVED – On Tuesday, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice signed a bill allowing for a contract agreement with the state’s 20,000 teachers. This will result in the return of 275,000 public school students to classrooms as early as today. During the signing ceremony, Justice expressed his excitement for the future of education and announced a 5% pay raise for teachers, effectively ending the nine-day strike. The new contract will also cover over 10,000 support staff members. Justice declared that the state will find the necessary funds in the budget to provide a 5% pay increase to all state employees. However, certain pay raises will have to wait until the budget bill is passed. (Read more at USA Today)
National News
TEACHER STRIKES – Could Wildcat Teachers’ Strikes Occur in Other States? (Read at Bloomberg)
FLORIDA SHOOTING – Senator Rubio Questions Obama-Era Guidelines on School Arrests Following the Parkland Shooting (Read at Education Week)
NATIONAL WALKOUT – Baltimore Students Walk Out of School to Advocate for Gun Safety (Read at The Washington Post)
SCHOOL SAFETY – Senators Inform School Chiefs of Plans to Improve School Safety with Increased Funding for Counselors and Enhanced Security, but No Mention of Guns (Read at The74Million.org)
ESSA – Secretary DeVos and Democrats Debate School Ratings, Which Excludes Minority Performance (Read at The Wall Street Journal)
District and State News
CALIFORNIA – Greater Student Enrollment for California Dream Act following Assurances from Educators (Read at the Los Angeles Times)
NEW YORK – Concerns Arise Over De Blasio’s New Schools Chancellor (Read at the New York Daily News)
ILLINOIS – School Superintendent Transitions into School Resource Officer (Read at WTHI TV)
CALIFORNIA – Varied Responses from California Districts to the National School Walkout (Read at EdSource)
FLORIDA – Florida Passes Bill Aimed to Weaken Educational Unions (Read at Orlando Weekly)
PUERTO RICO – Prominent School Choice Organization Assisting Puerto Rico in Expanding Charters and Vouchers (Read at Chalkbeat)
TEXAS – Texas Attorney General Targets School-Led Voter Registration Efforts (Read at the Star-Telegram)
NEW YORK – Leader of De Blasio’s Flagship School Improvement Program Resigns for Another Project (Read at Chalkbeat)
PENNSYLVANIA – High School Senior Becomes a Rising Politician in Philadelphia (Read at The Philadelphia Inquirer)
NEVADA – Clark County Schools Experiment with New Approaches to Student Discipline (Read at the Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Think Pieces
TEACHER STRIKES – Understanding the Unique Nature of Teacher Strikes (Hint: Teachers Often Still Receive Pay) (Read at The74Million.org)
STEM – Eight Strategies for Introducing STEM to Children at an Early Age (Read at The Hechinger Report)
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH – Meet Ella Flagg Young, the First Female Superintendent of a Major U.S. City, and Forgotten Education Pioneer (Read at The74Million.org)
READING – The Importance of Reading and Its Impact Beyond Simply Absorbing Text (Read at The Hechinger Report)
Quote of the Day
"Historically, strikes in the public sector often occur in succession. Teacher strikes tend to inspire more teacher strikes." – Georgetown University historian Joseph McCartin, commenting on the recent conclusion of the West Virginia teachers’ strike and the potential for an Oklahoma strike. (Read at Bloomberg)
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