The following resources focus on the educational climate and betterment of those serving the K–12 educational community.

Project-Based Learning Boosts Student Engagement, Understanding  In this high-performing, wealthy district, project-based learning isn’t seen as a way to engage struggling students or close glaring achievement gaps, as it is in some places. Christopher Chew, Stony Brook’s principal, sees it as a way for kids to practice higher-order thinking skills prized in the 21st-century economy. (Hechinger Report)

Johns Hopkins University to Open New Center That Focuses on School Safety and Health  The Johns Hopkins University announced Monday that it will create a new interdisciplinary center for school safety and health, the first in the nation in higher education. (Baltimore Sun)

Student Outcomes and Parent Year Three Evaluation Teacher Home Visits Parent Teacher Home Visits is a strategy for engaging educators and families as a team to support student achievement. This report presents findings from two separate analyses drawing on data representing over 100,000 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, attending hundreds of schools. On average, schools that systematically implemented home visits experienced decreased rates of student chronic absenteeism and increased rates of student English language arts and math proficiency. Home visits were directly and indirectly associated with a reduction in students’ likelihood of being chronically absent. Students whose families participated in a home visit were less likely to be chronically absent. Additionally, attending a school that was implementing home visits with at least 10 percent of students’ families was associated with a decreased likelihood of being chronically absent as well as an increased likelihood of scoring at or above proficiency on standardized English language arts assessments. (Johns Hopkins University)

How Are States Paying for New School Safety Measures?  School safety continues to be a priority for state education leaders across the nation. It was identified as one of six key education policy issues mentioned by governors in our 2019 recap of State of the State addresses. Legislatively, policymakers in 47 states have introduced at least 376 bills related to school safety so far.

Born to Win, Schooled to Lose – Why Equally Talented Students Don’t Get Equal Chances to Be All They Can Be All individuals, regardless of where they come from or who their parents are, should have the opportunity to reach their full potential.  However, many poor children, particularly those who are Black or Latino, find the gates of opportunity barred—and not because they lack the talent to succeed.