[Weekly EdNews Round Up] State of the Union Addresses School Choice

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.

Earlier this week, the President delivered the State of the Union Speech, calling on Congress to pass new school choice legislation. But what else did he have to say about K-12 education in America? Read all about this story and more in this week’s EdNews Round Up.

Trump in State of the Union Speech: 'Pass School Choice,' Fund Family Leave
EdWeek
President Donald Trump used his second State of the Union address to call on Congress to pass new school choice legislation and paid family leave for new parents.

Snow days are being transformed into online learning days in some schools across the US
AccuWeather
More schools are experimenting with e-learning for at-home instruction. From fires and mudslides on the West Coast to winter storms and hurricanes on the East Coast, many schools have lost valuable class days, putting students behind.

3 Takeaways From the 2018 AP Results and a Heads Up: Register Early Next Year
EdWeek
The annual data dump isn't just a check-in on the venerable advanced-coursework program. It's also where the AP highlights certain initiatives or announces new changes in approach, and this year is no exception. Let's take a look at what's new, and what we can learn from this year's data.

Tracker: teachers on strike
Education Dive
With another strike underway in Chicago, and Denver and Oakland, California, teachers close to striking, Education Dive's tracker has key details of strikes since the 2018 strike in West Virginia.

Six Ways to Teach Social and Emotional Skills All Day
MindShift
States with low test scores don’t necessarily have low graduation rates, and vice versa, data released last week for the class of 2017 shows. And state test scores are less pegged to graduation rates than they were several years ago, according to a Chalkbeat analysis.

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 policy.

Denver teachers set to strike over pay dispute after Gov. Polis declines to step in
Chalkbeat
Teachers in Colorado’s largest school district are preparing to strike on Monday after Gov. Jared Polis announced he would not intervene in a pay dispute between the Denver school district and the teachers union.

Florida Eliminates the Common Core, Once and for All
U.S. News
The education standards sparked controversy across the country, but 35 states still use them.

New Jersey becomes second state in nation to require that schools teach LGBT history
North Jersey Record
New Jersey has become the second state in the nation after California to adopt a law that requires schools to teach about LGBT history in a move hailed by civil rights groups as a step toward inclusion and fairness.

Gov. Greg Abbott names school finance, property tax reform emergency items
Texas Tribune
Gov. Greg Abbott, in his biennial State of the State address, named as emergency items the consensus priorities of school finance reform, teacher pay raises and property tax relief. Also topping the governor’s priority list: school safety, disaster response and mental health programs

Michigan Aims To Create New K-12 Computer Science Standards
WKAR
The Michigan Department of Education is gathering public input on a proposed set of K12 computer science standards, and is holding a series of hearings to learn what teachers and parents think should be included in them.