Michelle Medintz spent at least $5,000 in 2022 alone, largely on books. She created a 'cozy corner' in her classroom with shelves filled with books, cushions on the floor, and stuffed animals. 'That doesn't make me a better teacher than my colleagues,' Medintz said.
President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle the Department of Education has created a crisis that critics long feared: leaving marginalized students vulnerable to misconduct with little federal intervention. A new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a nonpartisan arm of Congress, paints a damning picture of how mass layoffs and the slashing of resources at the agency have significantly impacted the civil rights of students.
What makes the program tricky is that it blurs the party lines on school choice. It's not a traditional voucher. But opposition to any school choice policy is deeply ingrained for many Democrats. If governors opt in to the program, tax dollars will go toward private school tuition for children in their states, something many Democrats are uncomfortable with.
Supporters of the legislation argue that it is designed to protect prospective applicants for executive positions at universities by keeping private all application records until finalists are named. This confidentiality is crucial for individuals who wish to apply without alerting their current employers.
The Palo Alto Unified School District is in the middle of at least 11 different lawsuits, including cases that allege unchecked bullying, racist attacks, injured students, inadequate special education and retaliation by district leadership.
The investigations will determine if LGBTQ+ content, which the department describes as 'sexual orientation and gender ideology (SOGI) content', is included in any classes for grades pre-K-12 and if the schools have notified parents of their right to opt their children out. Further to this, the DOJ investigation will assess whether the three school districts restrict access to single-sex spaces based on 'biological sex'.
Institutions want to be recognized for the great work they're doing. What [the recognition] would say to the public, to the students, to our community, is that we don't just enroll a certain percentage of students. We also produce successful outcomes for those students.
The mother of a transgender child has said she was forced to home-school him after the government's controversial sex education guidance posed "safeguarding concerns". The seven-year-old trans boy was reportedly removed from public education after being subjected to "inhuman" statements about his gender identity during lessons. Speaking exclusively to PinkNews, the parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said she received "zero support" from staff at the school despite making numerous complaints about safeguarding concerns.
"Here's the reality: When you come to the table prepared with smart and dedicated people that are focused on a clear goal, you can move quickly and intentionally without sacrificing the thoroughness and the careful deliberation that this process deserves,"
On a chilly day before Christmas, Teresa Rivas helped a tween boy pick out a new winter coat. "Get the bigger one, the one with the waterproof layer, mijo," she said, before helping him pull it onto his string-bean frame. Rivas provides guidance counseling at Owen Goodnight Middle School in San Marcos, Texas. She talks with students about their goals and helps if they're struggling in class. She's also a trained navigator placed there by a nonprofit called Communities in Schools.
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Whenever I made my initial rounds at a school, a quick peek at its technological resources was often a reliable predictor of its ability to meet students' broad needs. The differences in the quality and volume of computing labs at a school like Lincoln Park High School on Chicago's wealthy north side, where the local population is 75% white, versus Raby High School, located in economically distressed East Garfield Park which is 83% Black, were stark.
The 13-member panel, comprised largely of state officials, think tank researchers and higher ed lawyers, spent the last four days negotiating the rules of a new college earnings test called Do No Harm-which applies to all degree programs-as well as changes to the existing gainful-employment rule, an accountability metric that only applies to certificate programs and for-profits. The department's proposal, which aligns the two accountability
These numbers look stark, but in context they reveal far more about the conditions California children are growing up in than the quality of classroom instruction. California educates a disproportionate share of children experiencing housing insecurity. A 2024 analysis found that 4% of California students were homeless, with some counties reaching 16%. The California Department of Education reports 230,443 homeless students statewide, a 26% increase over five years that mirrors broader trends in affordability, overcrowding and displacement.
Parents of students at the TIDE Academy magnet school are asking a judge to stop the Sequoia Union High School District from closing the school at 150 Jefferson Drive in Menlo Park. Parents allege in the federal court suit that the district is discriminating against children with disabilities by closing TIDE. The district's school board voted unanimously Feb. 4 to close TIDE due to a tight budget. "Closing TIDE disproportionately burdens the disabled community," the suit states.
Teachers have almost no authority over student behaviors or academic grading, and are given little, if any, respect from administrators, parents or even students. Instead, students have all the authority but no responsibility for their success. Students do (or don't do) whatever they wish, while empty-handed teachers are left to take the blame. Teachers no longer have the ultimate tool of flunking students.
