[Weekly EdNews Round Up] Nation’s Report Card Out, Math and Reading Scores Drop

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 2019 NAEP scores are out, and government researchers are expressing their concern. It seems that math and reading scores have dropped since 2017, with the average reading score declining for fourth graders by 1 point and for eighth graders by 3. What else do this year’s scores have to tell us? Check out this story and more in this week’s EdNews Round Up.

Across the Board, Scores Drop in Math and Reading for U.S. Students
U.S. News
Math and Reading Scores for fourth- and eighth-graders in the United States dropped since 2017, and the decrease in reading achievement has government researchers particularly concerned.

Minimum Wage Hikes Put Fiscal Squeeze on Districts
EdWeek
As states and cities boost their minimum wage rates, school districts must make up the difference for millions of low-wage workers, from clerical and maintenance staff to aides in the classroom.

50 States of Ed Policy: What could California's decision to delay the morning bell mean for other states?
Education Dive
A law delaying start times signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month will put communities to the test and could inspire other states to follow suit.

Analysis: Rigorous Grade-Level Work or Personalized Learning? Research Shows Closing Student Achievement Gaps Requires Both
The 74
While there is agreement that all students can succeed with the right support, there is a lack of consensus about what that support should look like in the typical classroom with one teacher and 25 students of varying levels, many of whom have significant learning gaps.

Giving Schools — And Students — The Tools They Need In The Fight To Save The Planet
NPR
A recent conference on climate change focused on the ways teachers, scientists and activists can help the next generation shape a comprehensive approach to the fight against global warming.

University of Chicago Projected to Be the First U.S. University to cost $100,000 a year
The Hechinger Report
While rising education costs have played a role in pressing up the cost of college attendance, a great deal of college tuition inflation has been driven by an enrollment strategy that relies heavily on tuition discounting. With it, schools identify families willing and able to pay their advertised tuition or “sticker price” through savings or loans and use them to balance out the costs of students who would be more likely to enroll at other institutions due to financial concerns or academic competitiveness.

Is the school connectivity gap closed?
District Administration
The classroom connectivity gap has been closed. Now, 99% of U.S. schools have adequate internet access, according to EducationSuperhighway, a nonprofit that formed in 2012 to ensure that all students can participate in digital learning. How are they doing it and what's next?

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 at the state and national level.

23 Senators Demand Investigation Into Mismanagement of Student Loan Program
nprED
Twenty-three U.S. senators are calling on the nation's top consumer protection agency to investigate a loan servicer for its role in a troubled student loan forgiveness program. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program aims to help police, military service members, teachers, people who work at nonprofits and others, but the program is rejecting 99% of people who think they have done that when they apply to get their loans forgiven.

Texas Kids Denied Special Ed Supports 52% Less Likely to Graduate HS, 38% Less Likely to Go to College, Shocking New Study Finds
The 74
“Special education is very costly, but the cost of having someone who doesn’t graduate high school or enroll in college is also very high” ---new study finds devastating results from Texas’s illegal special ed cap.

Louisiana Department of Education taking applications for high school fifth-year pilot program
WAFB9 News
The Louisiana Department of Education is working to launch a pilot program aimed at providing career skills and college credit to students. Louisiana businesses, school systems, and colleges interested in applying must outline how they will provide these students with a debt-free one-year opportunity. The priority application deadline for the next school year is Nov. 20.

Dyslexia focus produces results for a Colorado public school
Education Dive
The Academy for Learning, Literacy & Innovation Excellence (ALLIES) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the state's only public school specifically focused on serving students with dyslexia, utilizing interventions like small group sessions with its grades 2-5 population and seeing reading scores jump by their second year.

Arizona Issues Statewide FAFSA Challenge to Boost Completion Rate
EdWeek
For the second straight year, more than 400 public high schools in Arizona are participating in the FAFSA Challenge. The statewide initiative is aiming to raise the completion rate of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) among Arizona high school seniors to 52 percent.