Politics & Policy

The first day of school is Sept. 7. Spring holidays are spread out next year, with a day off for Good Friday on March 29 and for Eid al-Fitr on April 10, and with a week off for spring break, coinciding with Passover, starting April 22.
“Oftentimes, people think about child care deserts as being somewhere else,” one local provider said. “But the truth is that New York has one of the most significant child care supply-and-demand imbalances in the country.”
Illinois legislature approved a measure giving themselves more time to draw Chicago’s school board districts. Once signed by the governor, the deadline will move from July 1, 2023 to April 1, 2024 — seven months before the first elections on November 5, 2024.
Also known as the “festival of lights,” Diwali is observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and some Buddhists as a celebration of light over darkness and good over evil.
Decrying infighting on the Denver board, Ballenger said he wants ‘to make school board meetings boring again.’
The Illinois governor announced Wednesday that there is a 2024 budget deal with lawmakers. Here’s what it could mean for education.
With just a month until the school year ends, families are scrambling to find alternate summer programs for their children.
Early state results show some progress for the class, but about three-quarters of students fell short of expectations on the state reading assessment.
State policy that cuts off aid has been in effect for at least a decade, even though there’s little evidence it works.
The decision to start the new school year with steady budgets, however, doesn’t mean schools are completely immune from cuts.
Superintendent Tony Watlington has been promising to release a five-year strategic plan since he took office. Almost one year and a $450,000 consulting contract later, that plan is set to go to a vote May 25, but the public knows next to nothing about it.
But up to 60% of third graders could be at risk of being held back as a stricter reading law kicks in.
The first day of school is typically the Thursday after Labor Day, but families want confirmation. Other districts finalized their calendars by March.
The new law — a priority for GOP lawmakers at the start of the 2023 legislative session — creates Career Scholarship Accounts to pay for internships and apprenticeships with local employers for students in grades 10-12.
For future school years, education department officials are bracing for some big expenses to comply with the law.
Illinois legislators passed a bill on Friday that will require the State Board of Education to create a literacy plan for public schools to ensure that schools are teaching evidence-based reading.
Testing do-overs, appeals, summer learning camps come next for struggling readers who want to avoid retention
Districts for the soon-to-be-elected Chicago Board of Education must be drawn by July 1, but lawmakers could finalize a map in the coming days. Those who spoke at the latest public hearing rejected the current proposal, saying it is rushed and does not represent public school families, which are mostly Latino.
Cherelle Parker and Tony Watlington haven’t shared details about how big changes to the academic calendar would work.
Denver Public Schools is the largest school district in the state, and Marrero’s salary will now be among the highest for a superintendent in Colorado.
Lawmakers are scheduled to discuss and potentially vote on the draft at 5 p.m. Thursday. They have until July 1 to solidify the electoral districts for Chicago’s soon-to-be-elected school board.
The move came days after the Adams administration placed them in an elementary school gym, then faced protests.
Some students and advocacy groups are speaking out against permanently reintroducing police in schools. “We want to be students, not prisoners,” one student said.
If the search process suggests board members aren’t on the same page, a leadership expert says, ‘some candidates may back away.’
Parker — who is poised to become the first woman to serve as Philadelphia’s mayor — has big ideas for schools, but the teachers union and other power players will help determine their fate.
Board members have asked the district to present options, including the prospect of bringing the work in-house.
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