Texas Association for the Education of Young Children’s Post

📚 What’s Happening in Texas Education? A new legislative session will be exploring the possibility of a school choice plan for Texas. Key stakeholders—including lawmakers, educators, and advocates—are sharing their perspectives on how such a plan might impact students, families, and public schools across the state. This discussion could shape the future of Texas education, and it’s vital for all advocates to stay informed. Learn more about what’s being said and consider how these decisions might influence public education. Read more: https://zurl.co/hWPJi #TXed #TexasPublicSchools #TexasStudents #TexasTeachers

Starting in the upcoming 2024-25 school year, new requirements are going into effect for elementary school recess in California, including at charter schools. Greta Proctor and Julia C. note schools are not required to provide recess, but the law will impose new requirements for any elementary schools that do offer recess. The term “recess” is defined broadly in the new law to include any supervised and unstructured time for physical activity, play, organized games, or peer social engagement. If your school serves grades TK-6 and offers this kind of break time, whether or not you call it recess, now is the time to make sure you’re ready for the new rules starting this fall. The changes going into effect for the 2024-25 school year were made last year when the Legislature passed Senate Bill 291. The new education budget trailer bill, Senate Bill 153, made further changes and added some nuances for schools serving grade 6. SB 291 went through several versions before it passed in 2023, and there has been some confusing and conflicting information circulating as a result of the various versions of the law. This article is intended to help schools understand the final changes that were made, to make sure their recess time is legally compliant ahead of the upcoming school year. https://lnkd.in/gy6cC9sT

School choice Trump also backs nationwide universal school choice programs, which allow a student's allotment of public education funds to be transferred to nonpublic schooling options -- including private schools or homeschooling. This comes as voters in three states -- Nebraska, Kentucky and Colorado -- have rejected efforts to codify or expand this kind of school choice. https://lnkd.in/eT-Da4nY

As lawmakers prepare for the 89th Texas Legislature, public education funding and accountability are in focus. Explore how Texas funds its schools, recent legislative efforts and what’s next for policies impacting students and teachers statewide. 📖 Learn more: https://ow.ly/1TA250UEwCU #txlege

Trump's plan to dismantle the Department of Education focuses on shifting control of education to states and promoting private school options through universal school choice. He aims to eliminate federal oversight and funding for programs like Title I, which supports low-income schools, reallocating these responsibilities to state governments instead. Trump's administration would likely prioritize tax breaks for families choosing private education and cut federal funding for schools that promote certain curricula deemed inappropriate by his standards. However, achieving these goals will require significant congressional support, which may be challenging. Don't let him. We need public schools and free college

School choice is not a republican vs democratic parent issue; it looks the same for everyone across the board, with democrats at 77% and republicans at 72% likely to support Education Savings Accounts, in Missouri also known as MOScholars (Ritter & Aldis, 2024). To help us understand the current support of school choice, we can turn to Indianapolis-based EdChoice Foundation. Each year EdChoice releases their national survey results “Schooling in America” (SIA) that looks at the opinions surrounding K-12 education in America. https://lnkd.in/g_vtnfGT

Statement on the December 20th Special Meeting of the Chicago Board of Education by Dr. Janice K. Jackson, CEO of Hope Chicago: “The planned special session by the Board of Education to fire CEO Pedro Martinez is dirty Chicago politics at its worst. Chicagoans were promised a new way, but this is anything but. By attempting to fire a hard-working education leader, the interim Board and Mayor Johnson are trying to ram through an irresponsible teachers’ contract they know Chicago cannot afford and which will further destabilize the school district. Beyond the finances, the contract proposal at hand threatens the most basic elements of Chicago’s school improvement efforts today and for the future: elected local school councils’ authority over their schools, the ability of principals to make curriculum decisions and lead improvement efforts, and a citywide focus on student performance. Stripping away these elements serves only political purposes, and we will lose ground on the academic progress we have made and can continue to make as a city. The people of Chicago should pay close attention. These shameful and drastic actions will sacrifice our future instead of investing in it. But there is still time to avoid it. Today, we join the growing chorus of principals, newly elected board members, City Council members, and parent groups fighting to stop this power grab, because it is our children and families who will pay the price. Our entire city will pay the price.”

Gov. Kemp Signs Education Bills: Impact on Georgia Schools Explained Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s proactive stance towards education reform took center stage this week as he signed a series of pivotal bills aimed at enhancing opportunities, safety, and resources for schools across the state. The signing ceremony, held at 1 p.m. in Liberty Plaza at the Georgia State Capitol, marked a significant milestone in Georgia’s education landscape. Read More: https://lnkd.in/gG9bDXpa #GeorgiaEducation #EducationReform #KempEducationBills #SchoolImprovement #EducationLegislation #GeorgiaSchools #EducationalPolicy #GovernanceChanges #EducationUpdates #GeorgiaEducationImpact

ITS BACK TO SCHOOL TIME: Why are Later School Times Being Proposed and How does this Affect our Students? As the new school year approaches, it's time to consider your family's sleep schedule with consistent wake and bed-times. Many school districts and state legislators in the US are beginning to take notice of this imperative discussion of later start times of our schools throughout the nation. Currently California and Florida are the only states with laws on the books, with California beginning in 2022, and Florida requirements being enacted by July 2026. In fact, lawmakers in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Texas all had bills up this year, according to Start School Later, an advocacy group that tracks the bills. There has been legislation proposed in 25 states, including Idaho where legislators are beginning to review the benefits of later school times. What are the pros and cons of later school start times? https://lnkd.in/dEc2yQQ3