From lead poisoning to school turnarounds, there’s rarely a dull moment when it comes to the nation’s school districts. Here’s a look at some of the biggest issues in school systems across the country.
- A trio of Denver principals received a legal opinion saying the district is violating a school innovation law it championed by not giving the principals at schools with “innovation” status more control over how funding is allocated.
- D.C. charter schools seem to not like the competition the school system is providing in attracting and attaining top teacher talent, The Washington Post reports. The proposed new teacher contract, with its big raises, only perpetuates funding inequities between traditional and charter schools, they say.
- In Jefferson County, Ky., 120 teachers at six schools are being transferred in an effort to improve the fortunes of the low-performing schools.
- A former Pennsylvania high school student is suing her district for what she says an illegal search and invasion of privacy after a principal confiscated her phone and turned over “sexting” pictures to prosecutors. If you aren’t up on what “sexting” is, you should check out this excellent story my former colleague Kathleen Manzo wrote on the topic.
- California schools are looking to outside money to shore up their budgets, which have been cut severely because of the state’s mammoth economic crisis. But finding a perfect match between grants and school needs is often elusive, says Emily Alpert of VoiceofSanDiego.org.
- High lead levels are having a real impact on the educational outcomes of Detroit schoolchildren, the Detroit Free Press reports. About 60 percent of DPS students who performed below their grade level on 2008 standardized tests had elevated lead levels, according to the research performed by the school district in conjunction with Detroit’s health department.
- How do students today view each other through the lens of race? The Miami Herald took a look at schools and race in a three-part series. In South Florida, many schools are racially mixed at a time where much of the country sees increasing resegregation of its school populations.