Our team is always seeking the latest news in the field of education. As advocates for a quality education for ALL students, we know we have to stay up-to-date on everything that’s going on in the education spheres of our nation…from the White House to the local public school district, from new legislation to the small acts of bravery and kindness made by a single teacher, from the milestones and celebrations to the hazardous injustices affecting many of our nations students.

Here are the best stories we came across last week…because we believe you should stay up-to-date, too!

Education Issues at Stake as Senate Takes Up Tax Reform: State and Local Deductions, Teacher Supplies, Choice via The 74 Million

Public school supporters are most concerned about Republicans’ efforts to remove federal deductions for state and local taxes. Any increase in federal taxes could put pressure on state and local leaders to cut taxes at that level, imperiling the largest sources of school funding.

Ending the deduction, as the Senate bill proposes, would mean a loss of $370 billion in state and local tax revenue over 10 years, endangering 370,000 education jobs, according to an analysis by the National Education Association, the country’s largest teachers union.

Coping with trauma in the classroom via Stamford Advocate

Studies across the United States reveal that every classroom has at least one student affected by trauma. Almost half of American adolescents have experienced an adverse childhood experience (“ACE”). Almost a quarter have experienced two, and nearly one in 10 have had four or more ACEs.

ACEs are a range of stressful childhood experiences that have long-lasting developmental, cognitive and behavioral effects. They include such things as living with a divorced or separated parent or guardian; living with a parent or guardian who died or is incarcerated; living with someone with mental illness or substance abuse problems; witnessing or being the victim of violence or abuse in the home or neighborhood; experiencing economic hardship or neglect.

The Value of Guardrails in Education via The Center for American Progress

The real estate crash of September 2008 provided a powerful lesson about the nature of government oversight. After federal regulators failed to rigorously manage the real estate industry, a pool of bad loans caused a housing bubble that nearly destroyed the world economy.

While schools are much different than houses, education reformers should take note of the value of government oversight because the core lesson remains the same. Markets function better when government plays a strong role, and education policymakers should help to inform consumer decisions and police bad actors.

One thing to read this week…

Poor Girls Are Leaving Their Brothers Behind via The Atlantic

While women across socioeconomic classes are embracing the idea that education is important and are pursuing postsecondary degrees, many men from lower-income households are not. “The puzzle is—why don’t boys get it? There’s all this talk that we hear constantly, about the benefits of a college degree,” said Buchmann.

Some of the problem is that boys from low-income families appear to struggle more in school than girls do. They lag behind as early as kindergarten even though health tests show that, at the time of birth, they are just as healthy and cognitively able to learn as their sisters, a recent paper found. This is partly because they appear to be more affected by poverty and stress than girls are.

Did any of these articles particularly speak to you? We would love to know your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below: