The following resources focus on the educational climate and betterment of those serving the K–12 educational community.
With Hundreds of Students, School Counselors Just Try to ‘Stay Afloat’ School counselors like her work with school nurses, school psychologists, and school social workers to make sure that students struggling in and out of school get the help that they need. But all of these staff work with huge caseloads. (NPR)
DC Lawmakers Approve Funding for School Safety Measures Lawmakers in the House and Senate are demanding school safety legislation in the wake of the Parkland massacre to fortify schools with training, reporting and crisis intervention. (New York Post)
State Information Request: School Safety A staff member at a state legislative office asked about state policies related to ensuring school safety. The response included links to resources, as well as information relating to emergency drills and safety plans in schools, relating to school safety officers and about state policies allowing teachers to carry firearms.
ArtScan at a Glance This summary is updated annually to reflect changes in legislation concerning the arts in education. It includes arts education policies for all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia. Complete results from this review are available in an online searchable database on the Arts Education Partnership website.
The State Testing Landscape Continues to Fragment The report—really more a lean set of slides—walks through the complicated last few years of shifts in the testing world. (Education Week)
When Chicago Cut Down on Suspensions, Students Saw Test Scores and Attendance Rise, Study Finds As school districts across the country have cut back on suspensions, critics claimed that the changes have led to chaos in the classroom. But there’s been remarkably little hard evidence either for or against that view. (Chalkbeat)
Making Elementary School an Engine of Scientific Achievement This blog post, by Claus von Zastrow, looks at the importance of science exposure and instruction in the elementary years.
Understanding the Nuances of the School Discipline Debate Alyssa Rafa takes a look at both sides of the debate on school discipline reform, which has grown more heated lately as the federal government re-considers its guidance on the issue.
Decades After Columbine, Preventing School Shootings Still Vexes Security Experts At the time of Columbine, Vanatta said, cops were told to establish a perimeter and wait for a trained SWAT team to arrive. Now, police departments train officers to engage the shooter immediately, Vanatta said, because research shows many mass shooters surrender or commit suicide as soon as police arrive. (WHYY)
