Georgia lawmakers introduce school takeover replacement plan

Georgia voters said ‘no’ in November to a constitutional amendment that would’ve let the state takeover some low-performing schools. The Opportunity School District plan was championed by Gov. Nathan Deal, who promised to come up with a replacement after the vote failed. Now, he has. Read more>>

The Chicago school system is overpaying by as much as $10 million for its new fleet of for-profit alternative schools for dropouts, according to an audit analysis. The school system pays these half-day schools based on enrollment, but a recent audit found that just 44 percent of their 3,000 enrolled students are coming to class. Read more>>

The Cleveland school district and its teachers union have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. This is the second attempt to strike a deal that both the school board and teachers will accept in the last five months. Read more>>

DA Special Report: Makerspaces

Students in Missouri school experiment with prototyping and develop problem-solving skills with Dremel 3D printer. Read more>>

School officials need voter approval to continue collecting more than $100 million in local property taxes that help fund academic programs, facility upgrades and other education needs not covered by state or federal funding. The vote is required because two countywide taxes expire in 2020. The taxes will be extended to 2046 if approved by voters in March. Read more>>

Low-performing schools should be exempt from the state's academic calendar laws, a new report from the General Assembly's Program Evaluation Division says. The report acknowledges the long-running conflicts over when school should start and end between those seeking to preserve summer vacations and education leaders seeking flexibility. Read more>>

SafeOregon, a new school safety tip line, has been launched by the Oregon State Police to provide free, confidential reporting of threats to student safety. Tips can be submitted via email, phone call, text message, mobile application or the website 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. Read more>>

Steven Wyman-Blackburn

Schools are increasingly adding agriculture education, or “ag ed”—about 12,000 agriculture educators teach programs in the U.S., says a National Association of Agricultural Educators survey. Read more>>

In terms of physical health, kids will obviously get more activity when they play outside, but there are some other surprising benefits. Outdoor time prevents nearsightedness that stems from deprivation of bright sunlight. Intangible social benefits can also translate to better classroom behavior. When kids are doing outdoor activities, they tend to do more group work in a collaborative sort of way. Read more>>

As the ultimate authority for ensuring school safety and setting standards for student discipline, school boards must effectively balance the choice between “removal” and “restoration”; they must do so when it comes to addressing students whose behaviors compromise the learning environment and pose a threat to the physical safety and well-being of others. Read more>>

Harmless “hazing” does not need to be eradicated, but school districts, parents and students need to be made aware of the distinct line between a dare and hazing if any improvement is to be made. While society cannot prevent hazing altogether, it can denounce the tradition and reverence attached to it. Read more>>

Join a young pirate in his swashbuckling adventures, follow a boy’s journey of self-expression through art, and more in six new picture books and middle-grade novels titles from Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group. Read more>>

National Geographic Learning has partnered with Precision Exams to offer industry-recognized certifications for high school students in career and technical education programs. They can now earn credentials in more than 170 courses, including health science, building, agriscience, nutrition, welding, travel and more. Read more>>

Curriculum Associates recently launched i-Ready Ideas to provide teachers with an online, community-driven forum where they can view and share best-practice tips and resources for using i-Ready. The new forum will include images, videos and downloadable resources to help teachers engage students and explore the use of data. Read more>>

Former Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125 Superintendent Richard DuFour has passed away after a long battle with cancer. Throughout his 40-year career, DuFour worked as a public school teacher, principal and superintendent. DuFour also was recognized as one of the leading authorities on helping schools implement the Professional Learning Communities at Work process. Read more>>

The Lakota Local school board chose Matt Miller, the superintendent of Mentor Schools, as its next superintendent. He will take over from Acting Superintendent Robb Vogelmann, who took on the role after former Superintendent Karen Mantia was granted medical leave by the board. Read more>>

The Dougherty County School Board has voted to hire Kenneth Dyer as the new school superintendent after Superintendent David Mosely announced that he would be retiring at the end of this school year. Dyer is the district's current CFO and associate superintendent. Read more>>