[Weekly EdNews Round Up] Trump Signs Executive Order Tying Research Funds to Campus Free Speech

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.

In what is being contended as a symbolic gesture, President Trump signed an executive order this week tying research fund to campus free speech. Critics are noting public colleges are already required to uphold the First Amendment. In other news, drones find their way into K-12 classrooms, more states are requiring recess, and more in this week’s EdNews Round Up!

Trump signs executive order tying research funds to campus free speech
Education Drive
Critics of the measure note public colleges are already required to uphold the First Amendment and contend the order is largely symbolic.

Survey: What School District Tech Leaders Are Saying About Cybersecurity
Education Dive
A survey by Education Week and the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) shows big-city district leaders are more likely than their rural counterparts to say cybersecurity worries are on the rise.

Drones Take Their Place in the K–12 Classroom
EdTech Insider
These small but mighty aircraft advance learning in computer programming and photography, and prep students for careers in this burgeoning field.

More State Laws Require Recess
Edutopia
Against a backdrop of teacher strikes aimed at systems that feel unresponsive to teachers and students, an effort to pass laws mandating recess for elementary-age children has picked up steam.

Why Schools Should Be Organized To Prioritize Relationships
MindShift
Research shows that when teachers forge strong relationships with students they learn better.

SAT, ACT grades increase when K-12 districts pay for exams
District Administration
Just by giving more students access to pre-college exams such as the SAT could lead to better average scores on those exams.

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.

Catching Up on a Federal Rule Involving Bias in Special Education
Education Dive
A federal district judge in Washington ruled this month that the U.S. Department of cannot delay implementation of a policy intended to draw closer attention to minority over-representation in special under the Individuals with Disabilities Act.

Texas committee backs budget plan with extra $9 billion
The Texas Tribune
A panel of House budget writers gave initial approval Monday to a budget that would spend $115 billion in state funds, including a $9 billion infusion of new funds for Texas public schools and property tax relief.

Denver school district commits to $15 minimum wage by 2023
Chalkbeat
In response to rising rents and living expenses in the gentrifying city, the Denver school board unanimously passed a resolution Thursday to raise the district’s minimum wage to $15 by 2023.

S.C. budget includes funding for more school mental health counselors
WCIV
As part of South Carolina’s $9 billion state budget, $2.2 million will be allocated to hire 90 mental health counselors to travel from school to school statewide.

Tennessee governor reveals details about his ‘parent choice’ proposal
Chalkbeat TN
Gov. Bill Lee’s administration is backing off of its proposal to bypass local school boards by creating a new state commission to authorize charter schools. Instead, a new charter entity may instead have its power limited to hearing charter school appeals that could lead to state authorization.