Hidden horror of school assaults revealed

Thousands of students have been sexually assaulted, by other students, in high schools, junior highs and even elementary schools. Relying on state education records, supplemented by federal crime data, a yearlong investigation by The Associated Press uncovered roughly 17,000 official reports of sex assaults by students over a four-year period. Read more>>

President Donald Trump advocated expanding the school choice voucher program nationwide and using federal money to allow parents to send their children to private schools. He called on Congress to expand the program during remarks at the White House, which was also attended by Vice President Mike Pence and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Read more>>

Summer school is getting an update at several elementary and middle schools this year through virtual programs designed to allow students to complete lessons from home, the beach or anywhere else. But some education experts worry that online learning programs are not the best approach for younger students. Read more>>

There’s no chance that a state law prohibiting public schools from starting classes before September 1 will be repealed this legislative session, Gov. Scott Walker said. Read more>>

The California city is bracing for additional criticism from the federal government as it prepares to become the first city in the state and one of the first in the country to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. Supporters want to give immigrant parents more of a voice in how the city's public schools are run. Read more>>

Dozens of Hartford-area students won seats in the region's prized magnet schools over the past two years without going through the normal lottery process, a breach in protocols that will lead to thousands in lost funding, the state Department of Education said. Read more>>

If we’re serious about wanting to reduce the number of Americans dependent upon government assistance, we should continue to fund after-school programs that have been shown to improve children’s performance in school. The better educated a child is, the more likely it is that he or she will grow up to be a productive member of society. Read more>>

Certainly the potential for less nutritious school lunches has grown with Secretary Perdue’s changes, and that is discouraging. But parents in local school districts across the country have a big say in the quality of their children’s lunches. If they demand nutritious lunches for their children and are willing to pay for them, they’ll get them. Read more>>

It’s not about not feeling hopeless, defeated and powerless in the face of challenging student behaviors. These are normal responses we can expect to have as humans in relationship with other humans who are struggling with poverty, trauma and chronic stress. Instead, we as educators need to own the emotions and work to make meaning of them. Read more>>

The Virtual High School is launching a new certificate program consisting of combinations of courses that allow students to explore different aspects of the computer science field and earn a computing certificate by completing three or four semesters of study in computer science. Read more>>

Microsoft is designing high-tech experiments that require mostly low-cost parts after talking to thousands of teachers. It will give the designs to schools for free so teachers can use them in their lesson plans. To reach out to the education market, Microsoft is offering a new Windows operating system for classrooms, Office application adaptations and a new Surface laptop for students. Read more>>

The Teach-the-Teacher Financial Education Program is designed to help educators master skills they need to facilitate financial literacy education. The program helps educators preparing to use c21's new personal finance and money management curriculum by offering podcasts, flashcards, slides and other resources, Read more>>

One of the issues Arizona lawmakers may have to consider in the budget, if not this year then over the next couple, is funding for school construction and maintenance. A coalition of education groups is filing a lawsuit against the state, arguing the Legislature and governor have essentially created an illegal system for paying for school construction. Read more>>

The state Senate has cleared a bill that would help save Texas charter schools money by allowing them more state-backed construction bonds. The bill would allocate an additional $3 billion of the $30 billion Permanent School Fund to back charter school bonds. Read more>>

The operating budget put forward is $1.5 billion for Anne Arundel's county government and $1.2 billion for county schools. The capital budget is a total $350 million, with the vast majority $300 million slated for school construction. Read more>>