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.

How Unequal Discipline Hurts Black Students via Greater Good Magazine

Students of color are suspended at disproportionately higher rates than white students and, on average, perform more poorly on standardized tests. But no peer-reviewed nationwide research has documented a link between the two disparities—until now.

A new Stanford-led study published in AERA Open finds that an increase in either the discipline gap or the academic achievement gap between black and white students in the United States predicts a jump in the other. Similarly, as one gap narrows, so does the other. 

High school ratings can mask groups of students who struggle via The Hechinger Report

Proponents for giving schools grades say they’re a straight-forward way for parents to evaluate school quality. But a new analysis from the Alliance for Excellent Education reveals that ratings can mask the outcomes for low-performing student groups.

In more than 40 schools in Mississippi that received an A or B rating in 2018-19, students with disabilities performed as poorly, and sometimes even worse, than students, overall, at the state’s lowest-performing schools.

As public schools grow more diverse, school board elections are largely determined by white voters via Chalkbeat

It’s well known that America’s teachers don’t look much like the country’s students. It turns out that the voters who elect America’s school boards don’t, either.

A new study appears to be the first of its kind to quantify the demographic mismatch, and it’s sizable. Across four states, including California, researchers estimate that school board voters are much whiter and more affluent than the public school student body.

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One thing to read this weekend

After 7 School Integration Strikes, NYC Students Get Rare Public Meeting With Ed Department Officials, Asking ‘How Much Longer Will We Have to Wait?’ via The 74 Million

After weeks of Monday strikes demanding school desegregation, several hundred New York City teens turned out to quiz education department officials directly about what is being done to make schools more integrated and equitable.

“Segregation is a citywide issue which requires a citywide solution,” student panelist Toby Paperno told three Department of Education officials in front of more than 300 attendees at the Bayard Rustin Educational Complex in Chelsea.

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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: