Students at 21st Century Charter High School in Gary started their school year with clear backpacks and the familiar sounds of rap music welcoming them. As they entered, they faced metal detectors and security staff ready to collect their cell phones, headphones, and other wireless devices in plastic bags marked with their names. This marked...
Illinois has taken a significant step by passing Senate Bill 2909, which prevents the use of AI in evaluating teachers. Senator Christopher Belt of Swansea emphasizes the need for evaluations based on human observation and professional judgment, rather than relying on AI systems. This decision supports educators by ensuring fair and clear evaluations, highlighting their...
Republican Initiative for Patriotism in Schools Florida Republican Sen. Ashley Moody has introduced legislation aimed at emphasizing patriotism in Washington, D.C. schools. The proposal, known as the PLEDGE Act, seeks to mandate the display of the American flag in classrooms and require daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance by students. Moody argues that this...
With the new school year starting soon, students in Indian Prairie School District 204 will return to classrooms that may look different from last spring. Extensive renovations are taking place thanks to a 2024 referendum that allowed the district to sell up to $420 million in bonds for a complete facility overhaul. The sale is...
Oregon Social Worker Dismissed Over Gender Identity Books Rod Theis, a social worker in Oregon, lost his First Amendment case after being fired for promoting gender identity books aimed at affirming biological gender. The school district ruled against him, and Judge John Owens supported the decision by stating that schools have the authority to monitor...
School board members aligned with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) are considering an amendment to increase Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) assumed state revenue. The goal is to reverse cuts at the school level. However, CPS CEO Macquline King criticized this plan in a statement. She warned that relying on unconfirmed state revenue could leave CPS...
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson expressed agreement with Michelle Obama on the topic of isolating students of color at elite colleges. During an episode of Obama’s podcast, they discussed how these institutions sometimes fail minority students by dispersing them across campuses. Both Jackson and Obama have connections to Harvard University, where Jackson felt a...
The U.S. Department of Education announced on Tuesday that it is investigating claims about a high school teacher in the Denver school district. The allegations involve the teacher requiring students of the same sex to kiss in front of a class. Additionally, a school district in Washington is under investigation for displaying testosterone samples during...
After the Civil War, a Union soldier and Baptist minister established a school in Raleigh, North Carolina, to teach formerly enslaved individuals religious literacy. Today, that institution, Shaw University, focuses on a different form of literacy: AI literacy. Starting next year, Shaw’s divinity school plans to introduce a new degree track: Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)...
The United States Military Academy at West Point chose not to challenge a court ruling, allowing its professors to express their views without needing prior approval. This decision followed a legal victory by Tim Bakken, a long-serving professor at the institution. Bakken, who joined West Point in 2000 as one of its first civilian professors,...