BY: FREEDOM IN EDUCATION
Every week our newsroom monitors the news for the top stories in education from a variety of sources ranging from the mainstream media to blogs and other analysis, and compile them for you. Here’s the latest in education:
A third of K-12 students are behind grade level
Axios
Due to the pandemics disruptions with learning more than one-third of US K-12 students are at least a grade level behind. In western areas of the United States there has been significant performance gaps, especially among students of color. Schools are trying to recover by hiring new teachers and making targeted curriculums. Although urban schools and ones with high minority populations, face several challenges and have seen little progress.
Fox News
After a Virginia school board agreed to pay $575,000 in a settlement to a former high school teacher who was fired after he refused to use a transgender student’s pronouns, Alliance Defending Freedom who filed suit stated: ‘We’re grateful that, because of this decision, tolerance is now a two‐way street, not a one‐way ratchet for totalitarian ideology.’ This decision will have far-reaching impacts in the heated debate over gender ideology and the implications it has on freedom of speech. In fact, Principal Jonathan Hochman told the school board in 2018 that Vlaming allegedly refused to call a ninth-grade student by the male pronouns “he” and “him” because he considered it a “lie.” The student had transitioned and used male pronouns. Vlaming said he would refer to the student by his new name but wouldn’t use pronouns, citing his devout Christian faith.
Where are All the Special Educators?
Education Next
There is a shortage of special education teachers in America’s public schools. In 2023–24, over half of districts and 80% of states reported shortages. The issue is driven largely by rapidly rising demand for special education services, outpacing the supply of teachers. While about 46,000 special education teachers leave public schools annually, fewer than 30,000 new ones are trained to replace them. Policymakers can address this by offering financial incentives, such as Hawaii’s $10,000 stipend for special educators, and adopting team-based staffing models to alleviate workload and improve support for these teachers.
Majority of Illinois School Teachers Considering Leaving Education, Survey Finds. Why?
Belleville News Democrat
A recent survey given to teachers in the Illinois Education Association revealed that nearly 60% of them are contemplating leaving teaching. The survey, given by the state’s largest teacher’s union, saw that the majority of the teachers leaving do not feel that they make enough money. In addition to the lack of money, teachers also revealed that there was an increasing workload for them as well as a lack of respect for the teaching profession. Lastly, Illinois mandated a Tier 2 Pension system in 2011, which means that all new employees and teachers in the last 13 years are required to use it. This means that they are putting more money into their pension than they will get back when they retire, and they are dealing with a problem that long-tenured employees do not have to deal with.
It’s a Crisis! It’s Nonsense! How Political Are K–12 Classrooms?
Education Next
Recently there has been debate on whether or not K through 12 classrooms have become overly political. Some claim that pride, flags and anti-crt have become widespread in classrooms, while others provide evidence that it is rare. Parents say that they would rather schools teach history rather than imposing their own political views on their children. People are continuing to do research to determine whether or not these political incidents are common in classrooms.
