SBOE Weekly Ed Links: 08-17-2018

By: Paul Negron, Public Affairs Specialist

Check out our rundown of this week’s top education news and events in the District and around the country!

SBOE IN THE NEWS
Back to School: Time for All of Us to Get to Work! | Hill Rag

NATIONAL
Beyond Equality: Considerations for Equity in Schools | Eduwonk
Today, it’s become popular to extol the benefits of equity and to talk about virtually everything a school or district does as an equity activity. But in a world where almost everything is equity, how can we know if our individual efforts are working?

Closing the ‘Perception Gap’: With 3 in 5 Teachers Saying Students Are Not at Grade Level on First Day of School, New Digital Tool Offers Parents a ‘Readiness Check’ | 74
Most parents think their kids are ready for the next grade. In fact, 90 percent believe their child is academically on par with or above their peers in their grade.

Tennessee Department of Education Releases Report on Educator Diversity | TN DOE
Education Commissioner Candice McQueen today released a new report to provide insight on the racial and ethnic makeup of Tennessee’s student body and educator workforce, as well as outline where the department and districts across the state go from here. Additionally, for the first time, the department is releasing detailed demographic information by district to increase awareness and prompt further conversations.

Why Diversity Matters: Five Things We Know About How Black Students Benefit From Having Black Teachers | 74
Can an education profession overwhelmingly comprising whites and women effectively instruct surging numbers of pupils who do not resemble them? And if not, what can be done to introduce more diversity into the teaching ranks?

A Well-Rounded Education | CAP
Not that long ago, a high school diploma was a ticket to a middle-class job. Today, however, in too many states, earning a high school diploma might not even mean that students are eligible for college—let alone ready to succeed there.

The State of America’s Student-Teacher Racial Gap: Our Public School System Has Been Majority-Minority for Years, but 80 Percent of Teachers Are Still White | 74
Although America is becoming more diverse each year, and is expected to have a majority-minority population by 2044, the teaching force is not keeping up with the changing racial makeup of America’s children.

Teachers in the US are even more segregated than students | Brookings
An increasing amount of evidence shows that alignment in the racial or ethnic identity of teachers and students is associated with a range of positive student outcomes, from test scores to disciplinary actions to teacher expectations. Due to the underrepresentation of teachers of color in the current workforce, minority students stand to disproportionally benefit from efforts to increase teacher diversity.

ESSA
What’s the Toughest Part of ESSA For District Leaders? | EdWeek
It’s (almost) the end of the summer and educators are preparing to go back to school. Nearly every state has an approved Every Students Succeeds Act plan ready to implement.

NY District Uses ESSA to Create “Academy of Excellence” | Understanding ESSA
According to Tom Dinki at the Olean Times Herald, the Olean City School District in New York wants more of its students to be “halfway toward earning their college diploma by the time they graduate high school,” so the district is developing an “Academy of Excellence,” which “would formalize the pathways already available for Olean High School students to earn college credit but also add additional support and resources.”

PARCC
D.C. Test Scores Show Improvement, But Achievement Gaps Continue | WAMU
In spite of a rocky year in the central office, students in D.C. Public Schools showed steady gains on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), the exam that measures college and career readiness. But despite improvements, the tests also showed that achievement gaps persist between demographic groups in the city’s schools.

D.C. inches toward closing achievement gap in English, test scores show | WAPO
The District’s public schools are making modest strides closing the vast achievement gap between white students and students of color, according to test results released Thursday that show the chasm narrowing on the English language arts exam.

PARCC scores show incremental progress, persistent gaps | Councilmember Grosso
The PARCC results released today demonstrate that the District of Columbia continues to improve educational outcomes for its students. However, the results also illuminate that work remains. Though racial groups and at-risk students saw gains overall, the gap between their achievement and that of their peers continues.

Mayor Bowser Celebrates Third Consecutive Year of Improvement on PARCC Scores | OSSE“Three years of steady improvement on the PARCC assessment shows we are making real, meaningful advances and that our students are rising to meet the high expectations we’ve set for them,” said Mayor Bowser. “These results are good news and we are moving in the right direction, even as we still have more work to do.”

DC Public Schools Releases 2018 PARCC Scores, Showing Steady Gains Across All Grade Levels | DCPS
The number of DCPS students scoring at a Level 4 or Level 5 increased by 3.2 percentage points in English language arts (ELA) and 3.1 percentage points in math in 2018, outpacing the state average. Thirty-five percent of DCPS students met or exceeded expectations on the grades 3-8 and high school ELA assessments, while 30 percent met or exceeded expectations on the grades 3-8 and high school math assessments.

Public Charter School Students Continue to Improve Districtwide, New PARCC Scores Show | PCSB
Students at DC public charter schools are continuing to improve on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness in College and Careers (PARCC) test. According to data released today by the DC Public Charter School Board, public charter students earning career and college ready scores (Level 4 or 5) increased by 2.7 percentage points on the English language arts (ELA) assessment and by 1.8 percentage points on the math assessment.

2017-2018 PARCC data show modest gains in DC education | FOCUS
Mayor Muriel Bowser and her administration released annual data on the state of DC’s public schools on Thursday evening, showing modest growth across the city among both traditional and public charter schools. The 2017-2018 Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) data show public charter schools remain a vital and successful part of DC public education for families, across wards and student groups.

DC
D.C. Residents Say They Want A Schools Chancellor With A ‘Deep Moral Compass’ | WAMU
Public forums have begun in the run-up to the search for a new chancellor for D.C. Public Schools. This is the second chancellor search the District has conducted in two years, and the outcome of the last search is on the minds of many parents and community members.

Parent files lawsuit against DC over schools chancellor search process | WUSA9
It’s been six months since Antwan Wilson was forced to resign as Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools, after it became clear that he had gamed the lottery system. The search for his replacement is now underway, but the process could be stalled by a lawsuit filed Tuesday. It’s all happening with just days left in summer break for many D.C. students.

Pepco is building a substation next to a school. Residents want to know: Why here? | WAPO
K Street Farm is living on Pepco-owned land, and the utility is preparing to bring a $143 million electrical substation to the property in Washington’s Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood. Community activists are attempting to thwart the plans, saying an industrial facility does not belong so close to a school.

Do metal detectors and X-ray machines belong in schools? | WAPO
Justin Rydstrom, the head of IDEA, said the school banished metal detectors five years ago, believing that staff members who have built a rapport with students are better equipped than any machine to detect if a teenager seems off one day.

Advocates File Suit Saying D.C. Is Failing To Help Kids With Serious Mental Health Needs | DCist
A number of disability advocacy organizations, along with the law firm Schulte Roth & Zabel, have filed suit against the District of Columbia for what they say is a failure to adequately address the needs of young people struggling with serious mental health disorders.

Helping Kids–And Parents– Cope With Back-To-School Anxiety | Kojo Show
The start of the school year presents a range of challenges for kids and parents, from worries about a new school or teachers to bigger challenges of academic pressure, fears of bullying or even violence, and social anxiety. What can you do to help kids navigate the new school year, whether they are entering preschool or high school?

Friendship Public Charter School Online Begins 2018-2019 School Year on August 20 | K12 Inc.
Students at Friendship Public Charter School Online (Friendship PCS Online) will start classes for the 2018-2019 school year on August 20, by simply turning on their computers. A full-time, online public charter school authorized by the DC Public Charter School Board, Friendship PCS Online serves DC students in Kindergarten through 8th grade.

Mary Cheh on Education – Kojo Show | Kojo Show
Councilmember Mary Cheh is proposing a new way for the District to approach oversight and data collection for D.C. Public Schools.

RESEARCH
Colleges of Education: A National Portrait | AACTE

ESSA and State Report Cards (Rebroadcast) Webinar | EdWeek

The Impact of Intensifying State Accountability Pressures on Student Achievement under No Child Left Behind | EdPolicy Works

Closing Achievement Gaps in Diverse and Low-Poverty Schools: An Action Guide for District Leaders | Public Impact

High-Quality Curricula and Team-Based Professional Learning- A Perfect Partnership for Equity | Leaning Forward

EVENTS
Upcoming School Open Houses

AUGUST
8/20: Launch of Excel Academy
8/22: How Big Data Can Help You Personalize Learning
8/23: Winners’ Showcase: 2nd SEL Assessment Design Challenge
8/23: Elements of Effective Practice for Youth Mentoring Programs
8/28: DCPS Chancellor Public Engagement @ Savoy Elementary
8/28: Fit for Purpose: Taking the Long View on Systems Change and Policy to Support Competency Education