A 'finger-in-the-eye' strike
Education | West Virginia teachers unions may have won a battle against the state legislature, but critics argue it is parents and students who are losing the war
West Virginia teachers unions celebrated a dubious win last week, returning educators and students to their classrooms after a two-day strike that temporarily shuttered 54 of the 55 public school districts in the state.
Covington Catholic in the clear
Education | Independent report exonerates students accused of racism
An independent report released last week appears to clear Covington Catholic High School students of any wrongdoing in a widely publicized confrontation with a Native American protester after last month's March for Life in Washington, D.C.
The lowdown on lockdowns
Education | Examining active shooter drills a year after Parkland
In the year since the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., schools across the country have revisited their active shooter protocols, trying to come up with the best way to prepare for the worst. Seventeen people were killed in the Feb. 14, 2018, rampage, the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history. Shooting suspect and former student Nikolas Cruz remains in jail awaiting trial.
Teachers unions battle school choice
Education | West Virginia educators threaten to strike again over charter schools, vouchers proposals
West Virginia teachers are threatening to strike again in opposition to school choice proposals included in legislation to give them a promised pay raise. A nine-day strike in February 2018 ended with a 5 percent pay raise for teachers and some other public employees. Republican Gov. Jim Justice promised an additional 5 percent in October, but the legislation to do so includes reforms the teachers unions oppose.
Christian schools 'exposed' as caring, supportive
Education | The Twitter protest #ExposeChristianSchools backfires
A New York Times reporter's effort to collect stories of students' negative experiences at Christian schools backfired last week. On Jan. 24, Dan Levin tweeted, "I'm a New York Times reporter writing about #exposechristianschools. Are you in your 20s or younger who went to a Christian school? I'd like to hear about your experience and its impact on your life. Please DM me."
Restorative justice in the classroom
Education | A study to reduce out-of-school suspension gets mixed results
Pittsburgh Public Schools reduced suspensions but reported troubling racial disparities in test scores following the recent implementation of a sweeping restorative justice initiative. A study of the program by the Rand Corporation, funded by a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, found that "proactively improving relationships among students and staff and building a sense of community in classrooms and schools may make students less inclined to misbehave."
LA teachers strike ends with salary deal
Tens of thousands of Los Angeles teachers returned to their classrooms Wednesday after voting to ratify a proposed contract deal. The vote ended a six-day strike by the United Teachers Los Angeles union in the nation's second-largest school district. The agreement includes a 6 percent pay raise for teachers and a commitment by the district to reduce class sizes over the next four years. It also provides for an additional 600 nurses and numerous other support positions, such as counselors and librarians, over the next three years.
Court upholds German homeschooling ban
Education | A Christian family might appeal the ruling
A homeschooling family in Germany plans to appeal for an extraordinary judgment from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after suffering a significant setback last week. A seven-judge panel of the ECHR ruled Thursday that a German law against homeschooling did not violate the fundamental rights of the Wunderlich family.
A reckoning in Parkland
Education | Panel releases report on systemic security failures in school massacre
A report released last week by the investigative panel tasked with analyzing last year's horrific shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., cited systemic failures in the school's security and local law enforcement procedures. It particularly called out the school resource officer (SRO) at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for failing to enter the building during the Feb.
Another teacher strike on the way
Education | Los Angeles educators set to walk out next week
As students across the country return from Christmas break, those in the nation's second-largest public school district may have to wait a little longer. Teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District plan to go on strike starting Jan. 10—their first walkout in nearly 30 years.