EduClips: How Will Trump’s Rollback of Affirmative Action Guidelines Affect K-12 Schools; Can Philly School Officials Be Trusted With Millions in State Funds to Clean Up Lead Paint? — and More Must-Reads From America’s 15 Biggest School Districts
EduClips is a comprehensive collection of the latest education news headlines from the largest school districts in the United States, where over 4 million students attend classes every day across eight states. You can read previous editions of EduClips here. Stay updated with the top school and policy news by subscribing to the TopSheet Education Newsletter and receive it directly in your inbox.
Top Story
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION — The recent decision by the Trump administration to reduce affirmative action guidelines has caused ripples not only in colleges and universities but also in K-12 schools.
Despite the rollback, federal law still permits schools to consider race as one factor when developing voluntary integration plans. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, in a recent statement, emphasized that schools should follow Supreme Court precedents rather than directives from the executive branch.
However, the administration’s decision to rescind the guidelines indicates its legal standpoint, suggesting that it may investigate complaints or join lawsuits against schools that utilize race in their desegregation plans. (Read the full story at The Wall Street Journal)
National News
SATs — Students on Twitter and Reddit are urging for the #rescoreJuneSAT (Read at The Washington Post)
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES — The Trump team may introduce changes to the rules regarding job opportunities for students with disabilities (Read at Education Week)
CHARTERS — Analysis by the Associated Press reveals that state charter groups are significantly influenced by billionaire philanthropists (Read at Associated Press)
KHAN ACADEMY — Khan Academy has launched an educational app designed for toddlers to support early learning for free (Read at USA Today)
MATH — Overcoming math anxiety: one effective approach (Read at NPR)
District and State News
CALIFORNIA — Educators urge the Trump school safety commission to retain the Obama discipline guidelines (Read at EdSource)
PENNSYLVANIA — Can Philadelphia school officials be trusted to properly allocate state funding for lead paint clean-up? (Read at The Philadelphia Inquirer)
NEW YORK — Private school headmasters in NYC receive substantial salaries (Read at the New York Post)
ILLINOIS — School-funding formula changes demonstrate meaningful reform (Read at The News-Gazette)
TEXAS — Opinions on education: quality should not be sacrificed for cost-cutting (Read at the Longview News-Journal)
CALIFORNIA — The Los Angeles School Board, in collaboration with Elon Musk, field-tested a child-sized submarine to assist in the Thailand cave rescue (Read at The74Million.org)
FLORIDA — Students taking steps towards working for Google and Amazon (Read at The Star Online)
NEVADA — Parents and students will receive more information about Clark County school lunches (Read at the Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Think Pieces
HOWARD FULLER — 74 Interview: Howard Fuller, a longstanding civil rights activist, shares his perspective on Trump, DeVos, and advocating for school choice in an era of "hypocrisy" (Read at The74Million.org)
NEW ORLEANS — An alternative approach to running schools (Read at The New York Times)
SUPREME COURT — STUDENT VOICE: Lost on campus amidst the Supreme Court’s shuffle? (Read at The Hechinger Report)
ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL — Student’s Perspective: Reflections from an online high school valedictorian – taking charge of our futures as adults (Read at The74Million.org)
Quote of the Day
"I believe that parent choice is widespread in America – unless you are poor." – Howard Fuller, advocate for school choice and distinguished professor of education at Marquette University (Read at The74Million.org)
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