[Weekly EdNews Round Up] College Acceptance Scandal Exposes Flaws in Admissions

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.

The college admissions scandal has dominated headlines since it broke earlier this week, turning the spotlight on the flaws of the college admissions process. But this week, President Trump also proposed a 10 percent budget cut to the Department of Education, which could cut funding for teacher development under Title II, academic supports and enrichment, and 29 other programs. Read all about this story and more in this week’s EdNews Round Up!

National College Fraud Scheme Highlights Flaws in Admissions Process
EdWeek
Federal prosecutors charged 33 parents, along with two SAT/ACT administrators, an exam proctor, nine coaches and three organizers with involvement in a college admissions fraud scheme on Tuesday.

Education Dept. faces 10% funding cut under Trump's 2020 budget proposal
CNBC
President Donald Trump's budget proposal unveiled on Monday would slash funding for the U.S. Education Department by more than 10 percent. The plan, titled "A Budget for a Better America," requests $62 billion for the Department of Education, or $7.1 billion less than the agency's allowance in 2019.

DeVos: Feds Can Give Funds to Religious Education Groups
U.S. News
The education secretary says a recent Supreme Court ruling undercuts a department policy of denying funds and grants to religious schools and organizations.

Why Elementary Schools Should Teach Kids to Play Poker
EdSurge
Maria Konnikova doesn’t buy the "10,000 hour rule"—that theory popularized by Malcolm Gladwell that it takes at least 10,000 hours of serious practice to become a world-class expert at an activity. She believes she’s found a way to short-circuit it, and it involves marshmallows and poker.

Spicing Up School Lunch Nutrition
District Administration
Some school dining directors have responded to student demand by bringing in their own food trucks and offering customizable meals with healthier ingredients to school lunch the feel of students’ favorite food courts.

Could a regulatory overhaul open up the gates for competency-based education?
Education Dive
The Ed Department's push to redefine the credit hour could make launching alternative programs easier, but stakeholders say safeguards are still needed.

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.

Federal judge: Ed Dept illegally delayed Obama-era special education rule
Education Dive
A federal judge ruled last Thursday that U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos violated the law in delaying for two years an Obama-era regulation that mandated states to examine and address any racial disparities in special education.

Here’s What Trump’s 2020 Budget Proposal Means for Higher Ed
The Chronical for Higher Education
President Trump's proposed federal budget for the 2020 fiscal year, unveiled on Monday, includes a $7-billion cut for the Department of Education, a streamlined repayment process for student loans, and the elimination of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

Teacher pay raises, school finance plans are fracturing Texas House and Senate
The Dallas Morning News
A Senate plan to give every Texas teacher a $5,000 raise is laying bare disagreements over how best to fix the state’s public schools. One day later, House members unveiled a plan that offers merit pay salary increases that are decided at the local level. The opposing plans might mean Gov. Greg Abbott may have to choose sides.

School voucher plan could be test for Florida Supreme Court
The Daily Commercial
Florida lawmakers are racing ahead with another private-school voucher plan that could soon emerge as a critical test for a state Supreme Court recently recast by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The proposal is aimed at covering a 14,000-student waiting list for the state’s tax credit scholarship program.

Ohio school board looking at long-term graduation rules
Dayton Daily
The state school board is expected to make its final recommendation on long-term high school graduation requirement changes, including several accountability steps aimed at making sure non-test graduation options are evaluated consistently across the state.

Charter school cap efforts gain momentum
The Conversation
Financial issues lie at the core of efforts to stop charter school growth. However, a moratorium on charter schools will not fix the issue by itself. Public schools need more revenue to deal with the problems created by the money they lose to charter schools.