[Weekly EdNews Round Up] Educators in Paradise Flee California Wildfire

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.

Wildfires raging across the landscape of Northern California have driven thousands from their homes, including students and teachers in Paradise, where teachers and bus drivers helped dozens of students and staff escape to safety. Read all about this, more takeaways from the midterms, and other stories in this week’s EdNews Round Up.

As They Fled Fire, Teachers Feared For Their Lives
EdWeek
As a raging fire closed in on their school, teachers and bus drivers helped dozens of students and staff from Paradise Unified School District escape to evacuation centers last week in an impromptu caravan of school buses and cars.

“We Changed the Conversation”: How Public Education Shaped Election 2018
neaToday
Thanks to the historic level of educator activism, the majority of the American population now lives in a state with a pro-public education governor.

'We're Bringing Education Back': Takeaways From The Election
npr
In case you missed it: check out this breakdown of key takeaways from the midterm elections.

Why the Arts are Good for Young Children
Education Drive
Early exposure to the arts is key, researchers say — and may be especially crucial for children with the greatest needs — because students’ participation has been associated with higher achievement

Peers Are Powerful: Using Positive Social Norms to Tackle Unhealthy Behaviors
Mindshift
Teaching teens what their peers are really up to is a new evidence-based way to promote less risky behavior around sex and alcohol.

International Student Enrollment Falls
U.S. News
A new report found that new foreign student enrollment in American universities fell by 6.6 percent.

Kindergarten Homework: Too Much Too Early?
EdWeek
Studies by researchers including Harris Cooper, a Duke University psychology and neuroscience professor who wrote The Battle Over Homework, have consistently shown that homework has minimal academic benefits for children in the early-elementary years. But where does Kindergarten fit in?

No Longer Just Male or Female: D.C. Schools to Give Families a Third Option with ‘Non-Binary’
The Washington Post
The district’s public school system is slated to become among the first in the nation to let families select “non-binary”—rather than male or female—when indicating the gender of their child on enrollment forms. The option is scheduled to go into effect for the next school year.

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.

Virginia is Investing Millions in Education Due to Amazon HQ2
Local DVM
With Amazon HQ2 on the horizon, the Commonwealth is investing millions in education.

Schools Are Spending Millions on Safety. How Will They Know It's Working?
EdWeek
Researchers who study school security worry that K-12 leaders don’t have good data to back up their decision-making on school safety investments. They want to help.

U.S. School Safety Grants on the Rise: Minnesota, Rhode Island, & Georgia
The Battalion
Many states are disbursing millions in awards for much-needed safety improvements. Here’s a look at some of the $500k+ grants being awarded across the country.

Millennials Must Lead the Way in Advocating for Equitable Education
The Baltimore Sun
Millennials, whose children are now school age, are projected to surpass Baby Boomers as the largest voting bloc next year. That means this key generation of voices holds a unique position to provide insight into the health of our public school system, suggest new ways to improve our schools and advocate for the future of minority.

Texas Board Votes to Keep Hillary Clinton, Moses in Social Studies Curriculum
The Dallas Morning News
The State Board of Education has voted to keep Hillary Clinton, Helen Keller and several other historical figures in the Texas social studies curriculum.

Louisiana Releases Latest School Performance Data
EdWeek
More of Louisiana's publicly funded early childhood education programs provided care and instruction last school year that promotes kindergarten readiness, state education officials said Thursday as they rolled out the latest data aimed at demonstrating how well schools and pre-school programs are preparing children for their next level of education.

Tennessee has a Strong Plan to Help its Struggling Schools, National Report Says
The Tennessean
Tennessee is listed as a leader in its plan for struggling schools in a report that reviews 17 states' plans to better its lowest-performing schools.

Indiana Dept. of Ed Releases School Accountability Grades
Inside Indiana Business
The Indiana Department of Education has unveiled the school accountability grades for the 2017-2018 academic year. The department says about 22 percent of schools improved one or more letter grades, with 64 percent receiving an A or B.