[Weekly EdNews Round Up] Teachers Aren’t Just Running for Office—They’re Winning

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.

With many calling this election year the “year of the teacher,” almost 160 current teachers have been counted as currently running for state legislative seats. Are educators on the ballot in your state? Read all about this story and more in this week’s EdNews Round Up!

Teachers Aren't Just Running for Office—They're Winning
EdWeek
It's a trend noted by the news media, teachers' unions, and educators themselves: Fed up with the state of public education, teachers are running for office. And now, a new Education Week analysis shows that teachers are not only running—they're winning.

Social Media’s Impact on Students’ Mental Health Comes into Focus
neaToday
Research suggests social media is increasing student anxiety and depression, eclipsing any positive role it could potentially play.

North Carolina May Forgive School Days Missed Due to Hurricane Florence
EdWeek
North Carolina legislators are working on a plan to "forgive" districts in areas that bore the brunt of Hurricane Florence's impact for school days they missed because of the storm.

Want to Boost Test Scores and Increase Grad Rates? One Strategy: Look Outside Schools and Help Low-income Families
Chalkbeat
A large and growing body of research has documented not only that poverty hurts students in school, but that specific anti-poverty programs can counteract that harm. These programs — or other methods of increasing family income — boost students’ test scores, make them more likely to finish high school, and raise their chances of enrolling in college.

‘It Was a Shocker’: National Student Survey Shows Bullying on the Rise Over Past Three Years
The 74
Despite the Department of Education's report that bullying rates have been decreasing nationally over the past decade, an organization tracking bullying found a 5-point increase over the past three years.

Why Schools Are Banning Yoga
The Atlantic
Mindfulness programs have become popular on K–12 campuses, but in some parts of the country concerns about religious intrusion keep the trend at bay.

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.

Betsy DeVos Greenlights Florida's ESSA Plan. Now All 50 States Have Been Approved.
EdWeek
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has finally given the stamp of approval to Florida's plan to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act. That means that every single state, plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, has gotten the go-ahead for its plan.

Diane Douglas Proposes Controversial New Arizona K-12 Education Standards
AZ Central
Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas wants to replace Arizona's academic standards with a set linked to a conservative college in Michigan with connections to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

States Are Adopting More Computer Science Policies. Are High Schools Keeping Up?
EdSurge
Rapid tech adoption by schools and a major push from advocacy organizations, explains why nearly every U.S. state has adopted at least one policy requiring, standardizing or funding computer science education in schools. Across individual U.S. schools, however, computer science instruction is still far from ubiquitous, according to a new report.