Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

Tennessee

Diversity & Equity

Immigration

Tennessee
July 23, 2019

Group withdraws request to house migrant children in vacant Memphis school

Under a $3.7 million federal grant, the group had proposed operating a residential facility until 2025 at the former South Side Middle School.

Job hunt

Chicago
July 23, 2019

At Chicago job fair, hundreds line up for a chance at support-staff jobs

People lined up outside of the gymnasium at Richard J. Daley College, seeking to fill many of the crucial positions that support teaching and learning.

Black boys

Tennessee
July 22, 2019

Memphis black boys, ‘the foremost vulnerable … population in our system,’ are the focus of Ray’s new initiative

Black boys make up about 38% of Shelby County Schools students, but bear the brunt of the negative statistics Joris Ray presented to a crowd of about 200 people Monday.

drawing lines

New York
July 19, 2019

An integration push meets long-standing efforts to improve Brooklyn’s P.S. 676, bringing hope and fresh worries

Advocates who have been fighting to improve P.S. 676 the Red Hook Neighborhood School, which could prove crucial to making new integration plans work.

Community & Wraparound Programs

Chicago
July 16, 2019

Are there alternatives to closing schools? Chicago parents consider options.

In a district with more than 200 under-enrolled schools, what options do parents and community leaders have besides school closings? 

pride parade

New York
July 14, 2019

NYC parents march for disability pride to bring ‘a face to the journey’

As they marched from Madison Square Park to Union Square, Chalkbeat caught up with parents, teachers, and students to ask what disability pride means to them.

Air pollution awareness

Colorado
July 12, 2019

Many Denver schools with high asthma rates aren’t participating in a new air quality monitoring program

One goal of this program is to help school nurses identify asthma triggers and then develop individual health plans for students who have the chronic breathing condition.

Air pollution awareness

Colorado
July 12, 2019

Will a new program monitoring air quality at Denver schools make a difference for students?

Ten Denver schools are getting highly localized air quality sensors. The data goes live this fall.

District management

New York
July 11, 2019

NYC parent leaders seek — and receive — new assurance about Chancellor Carranza’s future

Asked whether the chancellor was resigning, a spokeswoman for the education department press office said, “It’s not true.”

School desegregation

National
July 11, 2019

What it means when Democratic frontrunners say they support the Strength in Diversity Act

Candidates who support the bill are signaling that they believe school segregation is a problem and that the federal government should play a role in fixing it.

research

Tennessee
July 10, 2019

Tell us about your experience with busing in Memphis schools

Memphis schools used busing in an attempt to create integrated schools under a court-ordered desegregation plan that went into effect in 1973.

Gifted Education

Detroit
July 9, 2019

Detroit officials hope their new initiative for gifted children avoids equity issues that plague other cities

The Detroit school district is working to change its approach to identifying and teaching gifted children.

back and forth

New York
July 9, 2019

NYC vows to address special education failures detailed in state review. But will their reforms go far enough?

“These children only have one shot at education; whether we get it right or wrong today impacts their life chances."

English learners

Chicago
July 9, 2019

How to get more English learners prepared to enter kindergarten? Illinois wrestles with answer.

The state found that only 26% of kindergarteners statewide met requirements to be considered “on track.” For English learners, that proportion dropped to 17%.

data-driven decisionmaking

National
July 9, 2019

Can ‘growth’ data push parents to more integrated schools? A new study says maybe

New research suggests that providing parents with a different menu of information could nudge them to choose schools or districts they otherwise might not.