[Weekly EdNews Round Up] Is America’s Next Generation of Voters Ready for the Job?

No one knows better than educators about the importance of staying up-to-date. In Edmentum’s Weekly News Round Up, you’ll find the latest and most interesting education news, all in one place.

Midterm elections are right around the corner, and many first-time voters will be heading to the polls. There is no doubt this year’s elections are important to the nation, and that young voters will have a major impact on the outcome, but is the first-time voter ready for the job? Read all about this and more in this week’s EdNews Round Up!

Is America's Next Generation of Voters Ready for the Job?
EdWeek
Some young voters have high praise for their K-12 civics teachers. But others say their high school government courses didn't give them all the tools they need to make educated choices at the polls—or to understand where people on the other side of the debate are coming from.

Destress The Classroom: Bringing Mindfulness To Students And Teachers
Forbes
When trying to manage the chaos, sometimes the most helpful thing is to just slow down. Instead of turning to quick fixes, many teachers are using mindfulness as a way for students to reset, decrease stress and anxiety, improve self-esteem and self-regulation, and increase calm.

The Important Role Principals Play in Special Education
EdWeek
Few principals have deep experience with special education, but managing it effectively is possible. Some experts offer their ideas for school leaders.

Why Millions of Teens Can't Finish Their Homework
The Atlantic
The push toward technology-focused education overlooks the students who lack the resources needed to complete their assignments.

5 Ways To Make Classrooms More Inclusive
npr
Studies have shown LGBTQ students are more likely to be bullied at school, which can lead to missed classes and a higher risk of suicide. For those kids, a teacher who knows how to be inclusive can make a big difference. But many teachers aren't sure how to do that. Over the years, gender and sexual identity have evolved, and not everyone has kept up.

'How Can I Be Effective?': Teachers Suffering After Michael
U.S. News
Teachers in the Florida school district hit hardest by Hurricane Michael two weeks ago are not necessarily ready to go back to class _ not when some of them are sleeping in their ruined homes or in classrooms, tents, cars or hotels.

How Americans Feel About Affirmative Action In Higher Education
npr
Polls show that Americans broadly support the concept of affirmative action, but oppose preferential treatment for minorities in college admissions.

Education policy is often a topic of conversation in state and federal legislatures. Stay in-the-know with this week’s top stories regarding education reform.

ESSA's New Report Cards Arrive Just In Time For This Year's Election
EdWeek
State education departments over the last two months have been rolling out their newest rankings of schools under the federally mandated ESSA plans and, with all the new indicators, there are inevitably lots of changes to districts' academic performance. The releases come just in time for this year's election season, and gubernatorial and legislative candidates in states including Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas are attempting to exploit the newest results.

Countdown to EDlection2018
The 74
As midterms approach, here’s what the latest polls show in 16 key races with big stakes for schools.

Colorado Ballot Measure Tests Voter Appetite for More K-12 Funding
EdWeek
In the final stretch leading up to this year's midterm elections, hundreds of teachers across Colorado staged a blitz in order to pass Amendment 73, which would annually provide more than $1.6 billion more for schools.