News From the Field
Catch top headlines sharing relevant news and stories about Linked Learning practices, schools, and students.
School psychologist, counselor hiring lags nationwide even as student mental health needs soar
Despite an influx of COVID-19 relief money, school districts across the country have struggled to staff up to address students’ mental health needs that have only grown since the pandemic hit.
Short on teachers, Michigan schools try to grow their own
State Superintendent Michael Rice sees grow-your-own recruitment programs as an important part of his multi-pronged strategy to expand the teaching pool in Michigan.
Dubious research, vexing guidance: CDC struggles to help schools during pandemic
A Chalkbeat review suggests that over two years, the CDC fell short at a more straightforward task: to communicate clearly and accurately with schools about its guidance and research.
Has the federal government underestimated the progress of high school students for decades?
A growing number of researchers say it's a real possibility that we've been misunderstanding high school achievement for decades. High school dropout rates have fallen substantially since the 1970s, which means more students who would have left high school altogether are now taking these tests, known as NAEP. Comparing scores across decades without acknowledging that, these researchers say, paints a misleadingly grim picture of the country’s progress.
As schools try to recover, COVID’s toll lingers: ‘We haven’t seen fine, ever’
Just as the pandemic’s emotional and academic toll on students grew clearer last fall, staff shortages hobbled schools. When the virus seemed like it was under control, the omicron wave of cases brought half-empty classrooms or temporary returns to virtual learning. It’s been a year of survival and triage for teachers, school leaders, students, and their families.
High school grades are up, but test scores aren’t. Why?
The new analysis, released Wednesday by an arm of the U.S. Department of Education, tracks transcripts of a representative sample of high school graduates in 1990, 2000, 2009, and 2019. The trends it finds are at once striking and puzzling, suggesting that teachers are adopting more lenient grading policies or that students’ improved skills aren’t being well measured by standardized tests.
Uptick but no exodus: Despite stress, most teachers stay put
Teacher resignation rates actually dipped after COVID first hit schools. As this school year approached, the data show, departures generally returned to pre-pandemic levels.
More high schoolers are off track to graduate. Here’s how schools can help.
More ninth graders fell off track to graduate last year as failing grades and absences stacked up, new data from a handful of states show. The data provide more evidence of the difficulties high schoolers have faced while learning during a pandemic. After the first full school year disrupted by COVID, many states saw lower graduation rates for the class of 2021.
Graduation rates dip across U.S. as pandemic stalls progress
High school graduation rates dipped in at least 20 states after the first full school year disrupted by the pandemic, suggesting the coronavirus may have ended nearly two decades of nationwide progress toward getting more students diplomas.