Investing in Healthy Living and Learning Communities for Native Children and Youth

The Schott Foundation and Nike’s N7 Fund, in partnership with Native Americans in Philanthropy, convened a group of Native education, health care, and human services experts along with several foundations in Washington, DC. With break-out panels and full-group discussion, they covered:

1. Key education issues facing Native youth, particular systemic and policy issues impacting K-12 youth as well as youth in their early college experiences
2. Impact of the current political climate, both strengths and challenges, to Native youth education
3. Innovations and new ideas about how philanthropy can improve Native education

Read more >

Getting the Best Teachers Where They Are Needed Most

A new report by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families provides an overview of the research on teacher quality, recruitment, and retention in Arkansas and the United States. It also notes many disparities in teacher characteristics and retention across schools and summarizes many of the policies and programs in Arkansas that have tried to address these problems.
Read more >

Efforts to Change Chicago Public High School Applications Draw Concern

This month, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is rolling out a new process of applying for high schools, but under a new system that has some parents and counselors concerned.

Generation All wants more transparency on the formula the district uses to match students with schools. And they stress that CPS should do more to strengthen the neighborhood schools that aren’t high performing and maybe don’t have as many applicants.
Read more >

Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood

A groundbreaking study released by Georgetown Law’s Center on Poverty and Inequality finds that adults view black girls as less innocent and more adult-like than their white peers, especially in the age range of 5-14.

The study is the first of its kind to focus on girls, and builds on previous research on adult perceptions of black boys. That includes a 2014 study led by Dr. Phillip Goff that found that, beginning at age 10, black boys are more likely to be viewed as older and guilty of suspected crimes than white peers.
Read more >

Tuscaloosa City Schools Sees Steep Decline in Disciplinary Incidents

Incidents, suspensions and expulsions in 2016-2017 were the lowest they’ve been in several years for this Alabama district. Administrators credit in-school programs and professional development and training, to improve student discipline, particularly after a spike in incidents, suspensions and expulsions in the 2015-2016 school year. For example, different schools use intervention programs as an alternative to suspension if they can help students in the process.
Read more >

Trump’s Proposed After-school Cuts Could Lead to More Hungry Kids, Lower Test Scores

Good nutrition is vital for kids, who have a high metabolic rate and are growing. The effects of hunger and malnutrition go far beyond a grumbling stomach and daydreams of pepperoni pizza during algebra class, potentially causing lasting physiological damage and reduced brain development. Low levels of iron and long-term food insecurity are linked to cognitive delays.
Read more >

Is School Funding Fair? A Roundtable Debate

With ESSA going into full effect this fall, school funding debates will undoubtedly garner even more attention. Meanwhile, stark disparities remain in how state funding formulas serve (or, in some cases, arguably underserve) their poorest districts. Five experts weighed in, including Education Law Center executive director David Sciarra.
Read more >

New Districts Reignite School Segregation Debate

This spring, after years of battles, a court granted Gardendale, Alabama, a roadmap to having its own schools, though legal appeals have delayed it. Like many of the other area municipalities that have created separate school districts, Gardendale is a mostly white city while the county district is predominantly black.
Read more >