[Weekly EdNews Round Up] The Fleeting Magic of Scholastic Book Fairs

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.

Reminisce about the wonder and awe of the scholastic book fair in this week’s EdNews Round Up. You’ll also find stories on how midterm elections could shake up education policy, how immigration policies are impacting school attendance, how dual-language programs can boost ELL academic success, and more!

The Fleeting Magic of Scholastic Book Fairs
The Atlantic
Years later, many adults still pine for the days their school libraries, auditoriums, and gyms transformed into pop-up bookstores.

How Election Results Will Shake Up State Education Policy
EdWeek
The new crop of governors and state legislators—many of them Democrats—will be looking to deliver on campaign promises, and there’s a turnover of appointed state superintendents on the horizon.

DeVos Decries Student-loan Program as a ‘Looming Crisis’
The Washington Post
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday warned that the federal student aid program is a “looming crisis in higher education,” in a speech that some education experts say lacked an understanding of the problem or solutions.

Dual-Language Immersion Programs Boost Student Success
neaToday
When we encourage students to use their language while learning English, academic success follows.

Immigration Policies, Deportation Threats Keep Kids Out of School, Report States
NBC News
A new study concludes that deportation fears are having an impact on school attendance, whether students are afraid of their own deportation or of a loved one's.

Fortnite, Video Game Popular Among Students, Now Has 200 Million Players
EdWeek
The popular video game has stirred some debate among classroom teachers, some of whom want to ban the game from their classrooms, while others try and weave it into lessons in an effort to connect students to learning.

Here's What College Freshmen Are Reading
npr
Colleges across the U.S. assign books to introduce new ideas to incoming students. This year, colleges selcted books on topics that ranged from climate change to race, fiction and non-fiction.

School Climate Matters for Employees, Too
Education Dive
Reducing negativity in schools and creating warm, welcoming school environments — not just for parents and students, but also for educators — is an increasingly popular focus for districts across the nation.

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.

What Has This Congress Actually Gotten Done on Education?
EdWeek
When the current Congress kicked off at the start of last year, there were a lot of education issues to tackle. So as the first two years of Congress during the Trump administration come to a close, what did the lawmakers accomplish and where did they come up empty?

In California, A County Of Children Without Schools
Huffington Post
After the fires destroyed or damaged eight Butte County schools, many students will never be able to return to their classrooms. County officials hope to start school again December 3 but it’s unclear where classrooms will be housed and how many students will be coming back to the area.

Teacher Pay Takes Political Spotlight in Louisiana
houmatoday.com
Louisiana’s public school teachers could benefit from next year’s statewide election and the state’s improved financial outlook, as widespread support seems to be coalescing around a proposal for a teacher pay hike.

Why it Might Take You a While to Get the SC Report Card on Your Child’s School
The Charlotte Observer
South Carolina State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced on Tuesday that the release of the new school report cards, originally scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 15, has been postponed.

How are States Improving Their Struggling Schools?
The 74
A new review examines 17 states' efforts in boosting struggling schools. So what do (and don't) we know about the dozens of other missing school improvement plans?

Student Loan Servicer Steered Some Borrowers To Higher-Cost Plans, Government Says
npr
One of the companies that handles federal student loans, Navient, has been steering some borrowers toward repayment plans that cost them more money over time, according to the finding of a report that the Department of Education's Office of Federal Student Aid did on Navient. But while FSA offered suggestions for improving some of Navient's practices, it says the company didn't necessarily do anything wrong.