GLOBAL
Hechinger Report. Nepal says students have a right to learn in their native languages —but it still isn’t happening: Like the United States, Nepal has a linguistically diverse population, but it struggles to provide education to students who don’t speak Nepali Despite a provision in the 2015 constitution mandating that all children have the right to education in their first language — as well as a national curriculum plan introduced in 2019 that mandates localized curricula and recommends multilingual instruction to facilitate learning for non-Nepali speakers — all eight municipalities in Banke district have yet to do so.
UNITED STATES
AACTE. STEM, Early Childhood Programs Expand with New Route to Teacher Certification Beginning this summer, the University of Kentucky College of Education is expanding options for those who want to change careers to teach in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and early childhood. The Kentucky Professional Education Standards Board’s university-based alternative pathway to certification, known as Option 6, allows qualified teacher candidates to work in a full-time teaching position within a Kentucky school while enrolled in a participating teacher preparation program.
Chalkbeat.
1) Chicago Public Schools violating state law on use of restraint, timeout in school, state says Chicago Public Schools has put students — especially those with disabilities — at risk by not training staff on the proper use of physical restraint and timeout as required under state law, a nearly-yearlong investigation by the Illinois State Board of Education has found. Documents obtained by Chalkbeat Chicago show that untrained staff restrained or secluded students for long periods of time, used outlawed methods of restraint, and restrained students who were not a threat to themselves or others.
2) Could religious charter schools upend American education? A Chalkbeat explainer. The school’s proposed employee handbook notes: “All employees are expected to adhere to and support the positions and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church in the performance of their duties.”
3) First religious charter school approved in Oklahoma despite state ban If it opens as planned, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School would offer students an explicitly religious curriculum based on the teachings of the Catholic Church.
EdWeek.
1) Social Studies Groups Are Training Teachers to Navigate ‘Divisive Concepts’ Laws “It’s objectively true that it’s harder to walk the line of nonpartisanship today than it was 10 or 15 years ago,” said Jeffrey Henig, a professor of political science and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, about this shift… Teachers shouldn’t have to feel like they’re navigating this landscape without support, said Cuenca. That’s another lesson he tries to impart to his students. Every year, as a class activity, he asks a school administrator to visit his class of future teachers. It’s preparation for a sort of reverse job interview—an opportunity to practice asking school principals the kind of questions that illuminate the culture and environment in different workplaces.
2) The Big Questions Teachers Are Asking Themselves Right Now …if we want our schools to be a culturally responsive environment and want teachers to use culturally responsive pedagogy in their classrooms, why don’t we make the change in the college and university teacher-preparation programs?…create a task force or committee that consists of students, parents, teachers, and college faculty. This committee would be the ones to actually examine college and university practices and help develop curricula for teacher-preparation programs that reflect real-world applications of culturally responsive pedagogy in the classroom and how it can be implemented.
NYTimes. New A.I. Chatbot Tutors Could Upend Student Learning Based on A.I. models underlying chatbots like ChatGPT, these automated study aids could usher in a profound shift in classroom teaching and learning.
Washington Post.
1) Biden vetoes GOP-led effort to strike down student loan forgiveness program Each month of suspended payments has counted toward loan forgiveness for borrowers in public-service jobs, helping many achieve or move closer to debt cancellation.
2) The student loan payment pause will end soon. Here’s what to know: Federal student loan borrowers have not been required to repay their debt since 2020. A provision in the debt ceiling package codified its end. The Education Department offers several programs that can significantly reduce the amount of money you repay on your loans. Chief among them is Public Service Loan Forgiveness for borrowers employed by the government or certain nonprofit organizations. After 10 years of service and qualifying payment, participants can have the remaining balance on their loans forgiven.
NEW YORK CITY
CityLimits. It’s Time to Pay Teachers What They Deserve In areas where there are shortages, uncertified educators fill in the gaps, and students are forced to pick their way through curriculums and textbooks without proper instruction.
Gothamist. New tutoring initiative will combat pandemic learning loss at NYC schools Quintana said the city’s tutoring program aims to support the Adams administration’s overhaul of literacy instruction, and all tutors will be trained in best practices following the science of reading, including a focus on phonics. “The tutoring is going to be very aligned with the curriculum,” Quintana said.
Teachers College.
1) Leading with Evidence in Schools: Data and Research Literacy School administrators and educators employed by the New York City Department of Education are eligible for individual discounts of 25%. Participants receive 20 Clock Hours, 20 NYS CTLEs [July 10, 2023 – August 6, 2023 Online Asynchronous Course]
2) Reimagine Resilience Workshop. Educators Earn FREE CEUs/CTLEs [Wednesday, June 28th 3pm-6pm EST]
The74. Due Process, Undue Delays: Families Trapped in NYC’s Decades-Long Special Ed Bottleneck One outcome, according to Michael Rebell, a professor and the executive director of the Center for Educational Equity at Columbia University’s Teachers College, has been enough demand to fuel the creation of a large number of private schools offering specialized programs for children with disabilities. “Because we have this gargantuan system, for years the department has had problems hiring enough teachers and offering enough programs,” he says.
