K-12

The U.S. House of Representatives this week approved a bill by Rep. Frank Lucas of Oklahoma that directs the National Science Foundation to award grants for new ideas to improve STEM education in rural schools.

Instead of setting uniform class schedules under the assumption that all students will learn at the same pace and in the same way, schools might serve kids better by making time the variable and learning the constant.

Rockland Public Schools in Massachusetts is working with the Department of Homeland Security to assess the damage from a ransomware attack this week that affected desktop computers and servers.

Some lawmakers and advocates for career and technical education are pushing for a budget amendment in Massachusetts to boost funding for the state’s Career Technical Initiative from $4 million to $16.9 million.

Between January and March at Eau Claire Area School District in Wisconsin, less than 20 percent of middle school students took all-virtual classes instead of hybrid, but they accounted for 39 percent of F letter grades.

After a lawsuit alleged the state of New Mexico failed to provide necessary devices and connectivity for students to participate in remote learning, a judge has ordered the state to assess the cost and get it done.

Stopping by Oak Ridge High School last week, Gov. Bill Lee and other state leaders got an overview of the school’s aviation program and discussed grant funding for career and technical education programs.

The year-over-year increase in per-pupil spending in U.S. K-12 schools, by 2019, was at its highest in more than a decade, prior to recent investments from federal sources to meet the challenges of remote learning.

Investigators have confirmed that a ransomware attack targeting Buffalo Public Schools in March exposed personal information about students, parents and employees, as well as bank account information of vendors.

Though it already had enough devices for each student prior to the pandemic, the East Baton Rouge Parish school district now has 60,000 computers for 40,000 students as newer technologies are integrated into lessons.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed an appropriations bill that will provide $206 million for K-12 and $76 million for colleges and universities for the coming year, including for classroom technology and deferred maintenance.

Officials in Lubbock Independent School District already had a system in place to provide devices to all of its students last year when COVID-19 school closures kicked the program into overdrive.

Few unbiased evaluations have been available for schools purchasing tech-based tools and curricula. That may change, but the challenge remains in getting these resources used effectively in classrooms.

For years, the Dougherty County School System has been staffing classrooms virtually with teachers from other locations through Elevate K-12. Nationwide teacher shortages bode well for the longevity of the program.

The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is revisiting admissions practices to vocational schools as enrollment continues to grow faster than the number of available placements.

The Federal Communications Commission has announced rules for its new Emergency Connectivity Fund, which will distribute $7.17 billion announced earlier this year for school broadband and devices.

Counting on schools resuming in-person this fall, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal aims to hire teachers and counselors, fund transitional kindergarten and set up a college-savings program for low-income students.

The popularity of educational video games may warrant a committee to grade them for merit and usefulness, like the Entertainment Software Rating Board does for objectionable material like sex and violence.