Weekly News Round-Up for June 22nd

posted by: Melissa | June 22, 2018, 06:30 PM

Each week, KANAAE brings its members a round-up of what’s happening in education. From big, eye-catching headlines to the stories most papers overlook, we find the news our members really want to see. This week, a combined education and labor department, a report on teacher evaluations, new numbers on teachers with second jobs, and more!

Plans to Combine Education and Labor Departments Floated: On Thursday, the White House unveiled a proposal that would dramatically restructure the federal government. Among the actions in the plan was one that would combine the Education Department and the Department of Labor into a new Cabinet agency: the Department of Education and the Workforce. The goal is to eliminate overlap between the two agencies especially when it comes to vocational education, rehabilitation, and higher education. The proposal is far from a done deal as it must be approved by Congress.

Report on Gates Era Teacher Evaluations: Over the past decade, the Gates Foundation poured millions of dollars into developing and promoting more rigorous teacher evaluations. Now they’ve released a report evaluating the outcomes of that work. The report finds that the efforts have had little effect, if any. According to the report, the new evaluation systems were costly and time intensive, while being met with opposition from teachers and unions.

Nearly 1 in 5 Teachers Work Second Job: The National Center for Education Statistics released a report on Wednesday that revealed 18% of all teachers hold a second job. The National Center for Education Statistics collects, analyzes, and releases federal data on education. The data comes from the National Teacher and Principal Survey conducted during the 2015-2016 school year. The data was released after a school year that saw teachers in numerous states protesting low wages.

Happening Elsewhere:

School districts buy new kind of insurance

GitHub Education is now Free for schools

Only teachers who carry guns should get hired, N.J. politician suggests

More than 200 Texas school districts let staff carry guns

Virginia first lady to focus on early education

Unlikely allies unite in bid to improve Michigan education

Teachers Need More Training than Rules Allowed, Judge Says

South Florida school districts scrambling to hire police officers

Miami schools chief: Why didn't feds tell us about immigrant children in Homestead?

Virginia School Drops Confederate General’s Name in Favor of Obama’s

Angry teachers turning into candidates