Our team is always seeking the latest news in the field of education. As advocates for a high-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 nation’s students.

Here are the stories that we’ve been talking about this week.

Trump’s K-12 Education Budget via Center for American Progress

For the fourth consecutive year, the Trump administration and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos have proposed substantial cuts to the U.S. Department of Education’s budget. If Congress enacts their proposed budget for the fiscal year 2021, it would reduce the department’s total funding by $5.6 billion—a cut of nearly 8 percent from last year’s funding level—while dedicating $5 billion in tax credits to the administration’s private school voucher scheme.

Bringing a New Vibe to the Classroom via The New York Times

Students understand there are big problems in the world. “They want to be able to have an informed conversation,” Ms. Ebarvia said. “School is a place we can have these conversations and establish a habit of seeking multiple perspectives.”

The cultural classroom change is happening, but it is far from mainstream. Ms. Ebarvia said that there could be pushback among teachers but that was also encouraged by the growing number of those willing to engage in conversations about how to educate a new diverse generation.

‘It’s just easier to kick a kid out’: Progress is elusive three years after school discipline reforms in Michigan via Chalkbeat

“We’re hearing some of the same stories that we were hearing before about being suspended for not having your shirt tucked in, or being suspended because you don’t have a parking pass and you park in the school lot,” said Angela Cole, Director of the Michigan School-Justice Partnership Initiative, a group that supported the discipline reforms. “There’s room to improve still.”

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One thing to read this weekend

‘You can’t help but wonder’: Crumbling schools, less money, and dismal outcomes in the county that was supposed to change everything for black children in the South via The Hechinger Report

A troubled school system is nothing new in a state that has long failed to provide all of its children with an equal, integrated education. For almost as long, over a half-century, black families in Holmes County have taken to the courts and organized to challenge the conditions in their children’s schools. In Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education, a federal lawsuit filed in 1965, black parents protested that their children were taught by teachers who were lower-paid and less trained than those assigned to white students, in schools “inadequate in size and facilities.” They argued the all-white school board spent more money on white students. While the black families had some legal victories, little changed.

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