Schools brace for an influx of students from Puerto Rico

Nearly a week after Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, students who can't return to school may need to continue their education on the mainland. Some of the largest school districts in Florida, plus major cities like New York City and Chicago are preparing for the possibility of an influx of students from the island. Read more>>

Breaking with its steadily upward trend, California’s annual test scores have stagnated, with fewer than half of students proficient in math and English, and a wide ethnic achievement gap persisting. State scores show just 49 percent of students proficient in English and 37 percent proficient in math. Read more>>

Even as enrollment has grown, the graduation has continued to climb, according to new figures released by the Georgia Department of Education. Last spring’s senior class for the first time topped an 80 percent graduation rate. Read more>>

Swimming has been officially recognized as a sanctioned sport by the Idaho High School Activities Association, leaving only the states of South Dakota and Tennessee still operating swimming as a club sport. This fall marks the first official high school swimming season in Idaho. Read more>>

More school districts with one or more low-performing schools are expected to enter into "partnership" agreements with the Michigan Department of Education later this fall, although no date has been announced. Read more>>

Oregon's largest school district plans to jostle 5,000 students—10 percent of its enrollment—as part of a long-awaited effort to fix education inequities. Portland Public Schools rolled out a proposal last month to open two new middle schools and redraw more than a dozen schools' boundaries. Read more>>

A wave of new GPS systems not only tracks buses in real time, but allows administrators to map routes, films drivers for future training purposes and provides data on how well vehicles are functioning. Read more>>

Learn strategies from Boston Public Schools and Frisco ISD for reaching all students through cutting-edge STEM programs. Register now>>

Are cellphones educational tools, or a scourge on learning? School districts and educators are divided on whether cellphones should be allowed in the country's classrooms. Some cellphone bans have recently been reversed—most notably in New York City. Other districts have instituted new bans. Read more>>

Though elementary-age students learn a great deal through traditional schooling, many valuable lessons are gleaned from recreation time and free play. So children shouldn’t be expected to develop skills like decision-making, creativity and independence if nearly every moment of their time is already shackled by homework. Read more>>

The current state of early care and education in this country falls short of where it should be. Congress should incorporate a workforce investment credit model as part of tax reform to help ensure healthy childhood development and a strong talent pipeline in the future, as was done in Louisiana. Read more>>

Through a partnership with Rosetta Stone now in its second year, students in 17 of Rankin County School District’s 28 schools have access to the digital world language learning program, helping them to develop reading, writing and speaking world language skills at an accelerated pace. Read more>>

In Fayette County, student information systems and learning management systems specialists quadrupled their productivity using Incident IQ to manage reporting and resolution of Blackboard and Infinite Campus help requests. Read more>>

Harrison School District Two's curriculum committee has selected Discovery Education Social Studies Techbook and Science Techbook for use in the district’s middle schools beginning this fall. Read more>>

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The New Jersey district's board of education members have approved a resolution for referendum in which the voters will decide whether to pay $70.42 million in school construction and renovation projects that include adding on over 30 classrooms, media centers, cafeterias and other school spaces. Read more>>

The Jefferson County Commission doled out more than $69 million in surplus funds to 12 area school systems. The surplus was generated by the refinancing of about $385 million in school construction debt, part of a $1.1 billion school construction bond approved in 2004. Read more>>

Fifteen New Jersey school districts are asking voters to approve more than $320 million in school construction and renovation projects that range from fixing ceilings that are raining tiles and debris to realigning schools to upgrading and enhancing facilities. Read more>>