COVID & School Recovery: Critics Warn Washington Bill Would Reduce Classroom Learning Time By 4 Hours a Week
Cross-country updates on how states & schools are confronting challenges posed by COVID-19 鈥� and struggling to preserve student progress
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Curriculum publisher Amplify released mid-year data from over 300,000 students in 43 states showing that more K-2 grade students are reading on grade level than last year, but the progress of third graders, dubbed 鈥淐OVID kids鈥�, has remained stagnant.
Researchers, for their part, believe stagnancy among third graders is preferable to steep declines and proves learning loss interventions like tutoring and additional group instruction have been effective measures. Tennessee is cited as an example of a state taking the lead, with state leaders investing in high-quality instructional materials backed in the science of reading and aligned teacher training to narrow literacy gaps among students.
Elsewhere, data released from separate reports by Chalkbeat and the RAND Corporation, are that are bucking hopes that staffing challenges would mitigate years after the worst of the pandemic.
Teacher turnover was estimated at 10% nationally at the end of the 2022 school year, at least 4% higher than pre-pandemic 鈥� though the rate appears to spike when compared state-to-state, with turnover as high as 15% in places like South Carolina and Louisiana. The RAND data suggests that is around 16% nationally, climbing nearly 13% percentage points through the pandemic. Staff turnover remains high despite nearly 90% of districts reporting they鈥檝e implemented new policies and initiatives aimed at mitigating recruitment and retention woes.
Looking beyond literacy scores and teacher turnover, below is our latest roundup of updates from 10 states about how school systems are confronting the challenges posed by COVID-19 and its variants 鈥� and working to preserve student progress amid the pandemic:
WASHINGTON STATE 鈥� New Bill Would Reduce Classroom Learning By Four Hours a Week, Prioritizing Teacher Development
A bill proposed in Washington state is raising concerns for allocating up to four hours per week during the school day for teacher professional collaboration and development. Proponents say greater collaboration between teachers will allow for improved instruction and interventions for students, while critics say the measure would result in students instead of 30.
NORTH CAROLINA 鈥� Board of Education Aims to Increase Teacher Pay
The North Carolina Board of Education has submitted a teacher pay plan to the state legislature . The proposal is receiving pushback from the state teachers union, which says increases should not be tied to student performance as measured by test scores. If approved by the legislature, a teacher鈥檚 starting annual salary in the state would be raised to $38,000.
ILLINOIS 鈥� Chicago鈥檚 Next Mayor Will Be a Former Educator
After Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot鈥檚 stunning defeat in the city鈥檚 recent mayoral election, will proceed to a runoff election on April 4th. Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, a former public school teacher and Chicago Teachers Union organizer, will face off against Paul Vallas, who served as CEO of Chicago Public Schools from 1995 to 2001.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 鈥� DC School Aims to Make CTE More Attractive & Accessible
District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) are t for an increasing number of students. The district says six high schools now boast 30 industry certifications and 24 career pathways, from computer engineering and hospitality to culinary service and biomedical sciences. 鈥淭here鈥檚 two things we know about our students,鈥� said DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee. 鈥淪tudents who participate in extracurriculars and students who participate in our career and technical education programs are the most successful after graduation in DCPS, and, in fact, that is actually true nationally as you look at outcomes.鈥�
MONTANA 鈥� Gov. Gianforte Signs K-12 School Funding Increases Into Law
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a measure into law , resulting in an additional $85 million in funding for schools in the Treasure State. The budget increases come as lawmakers in the state legislature consider a range of education bills focused on topics like teacher recruitment and retention, early childhood literacy, and the expansion of public charter schools.
KANSAS 鈥� As Governor Emphasizes Funding for Special Education, Lawmakers Focus on Private Schools
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is continuing her push for a fully funded special education system as the state鈥檚 lawmakers convene their legislative session. Kelly鈥檚 proposed budget would see an increase in state special education funding of about $75 million a year over the next five years while the governor鈥檚 office also increases pressure on the federal government to shoulder a larger share of the funding that it currently is, at 13%. Lawmakers, however, that would allow state funding to be used by families for attendance at private schools.
ILLINOIS 鈥� Governor Proposes $70 Million Program to Hire and Retain Teachers Amid Teacher Shortage
State lawmakers are considering a number of education funding increases and new programs put forth in Gov. J.B. Pritzker鈥檚 annual budget proposal, including a $250 million investment in early childhood education and as districts struggle with stubborn staffing shortages. Other bills being considered would expand student mental health resources, expand kindergarten across the state, and would bolster resources meant to support migrant youth.
MAINE 鈥� Blowing the Whistle on Maine鈥檚 Flagrant Fouls With Testing
The state鈥檚 failure to comply with federal assessment requirements has drawn firm admonition from the U.S. Department of Education. Maine鈥檚 Commissioner of Education, Pender Makin received a strongly worded letter from USED鈥檚 James Lane . As a consequence of violating federal requirements, USED is also warned that a quarter of Maine鈥檚 Title I, Part A funding 鈥� or roughly $117,422 鈥� could be withheld. AssessmentHQ鈥檚 Dale Chu, commenting on the developments, says 鈥淭here鈥檚 a symbolic power to the feds taking this action. While the dollar amount is miniscule, Uncle Sam can throw his weight around in other ways and it鈥檚 heartening to see him doing so on behalf of Maine鈥檚 students even if it is at the eleventh hour.鈥�
NEBRASKA 鈥� Lawmaker Proposes Expanding NEST 529 Plans to K-12 Private Education
State Sen. Suzanne Geist is sponsoring a bill that would . The proposal comes as a growing number of states explore ways to increase use of education dollars in private education, though Geist notes that the state鈥檚 529 plans are primarily funded by private funding from families and would not impact public school funding in the state.
NEW JERSEY 鈥� State鈥檚 Plan to Hire Volunteers to Support K-12 Students Garners Lackluster Response
An initiative announced by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in late 2022 is receiving criticism for failing to meet initial goals. The New Jersey Partnership for Student Success aims to recruit community members and organizations into supportive roles in schools, despite the governor鈥檚 initial goal of over 5,000 for the 2023 school year. Critics say the state education leaders have been slow to recruit applicants and don鈥檛 have a clear pathway for those who are accepted.
This update on pandemic recovery in education collects and shares news updates from the district, state, and national levels as all stakeholders continue to work on developing safe, innovative plans to resume schooling and address learning loss. It鈥檚 an offshoot of the Collaborative for Student Success鈥� QuickSheet newsletter, which you can .
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