Category: school

California School Board VP Compares School Reopening to Slavery, White Supremacism

A school board member in California this week said reopening proponents seem to have a mindsight similar to a “white supremacist ideology” and compared the prospect to slavery. Chardá Bell-Fontenot, vice president of the La Mesa-Spring Valley School Board, railed on Tuesday against parents who want children to return to classrooms after nearly a year….


Gunmen Kill Student, Abduct More Than 40 People in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria—Gunmen attacked a school in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State early Wednesday, killing at least one student and abducting more than 40 people including students and teachers, according to officials. The gunmen, thought to be bandits, fatally shot one student during the attack at Government Science College, Kagara. They also abducted 27 students, three staff…


Los Angeles Slashes School Police Budget, Replaces Officers With ‘Climate Coaches’

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Education on Tuesday approved a plan to cut one-third of its police budget and divert the money to a program that focuses on black students achievement. The board voted to cut 133 school police positions from the Los Angeles School Police Department, including 70 sworn officers,…


Fast Track to Principal for NSW Teachers

Excellent teachers will be able to become principals in NSW within a decade under a new program to entice more people to the profession. Teachers who excel will be able to fast-track to the position of principal under a new program designed to lure the best and brightest into education. At least 30 excellent teachers…


Retirement Funding Comes Before College Savings

Dear Dave, A friend told me about your Baby Steps program. I have one question, though. I noticed that according to your plan, saving for retirement should come before saving up a college fund for your kids. Why is this? Natalie   Dear Natalie, In short, college funding is not a necessity. Being able to…


The Kids Aren’t All Right

Commentary PITTSBURGH—One year ago, Lena Carson was pulling straight A’s at the city’s Creative and Performing Arts Magnet school, located across the river from her parents’ home. She also swam at the local YMCA every day in preparation for the annual state competition and enjoyed the everyday social life of a teenager. Today, she is…


Virginia Governor Calls on Schools to Offer In-person Learning by Mid-March

Schools in Virginia should provide some form of in-person learning by March 15, Gov. Ralph Northam said Friday. “By that date, I expect every school division to make in-person learning options available in accordance with the guidance,” the Democratic governor said at a press conference. “They also need to plan for summer school options. This…


LA City Councilman Plans Motion To Explore Legal Options To Reopen Schools

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino plans to introduce a motion next week asking the city attorney to explore legal options for forcing the L.A. Unified School District (LAUSD) to reopen its campuses for in- person learning, despite the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. “I stand with the 1,500 pediatricians in Southern California as well as…


San Francisco Considering Scrapping Merit-Based Admissions at Elite High School to Promote Diversity

The San Francisco Board of Education is working to end the merit-based admissions system at Lowell High School, one of the best-performing public schools in the West Coast, in an effort to address the lack of diversity in its student population. Lowell is the only school in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) where…


Extended School Closures Are Harmful to Students

Commentary It’s been just over a year since the first COVID-19 case was identified in Canada. Since that time, the federal and provincial governments have struggled to contain this virus through a series of rotating lockdowns. Last spring, virtually every school in the country was closed, and most closures lasted for the remainder of the…