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The author discusses the confusion among educators and educational leaders in the U.S. on the meaning of equity in education. He tackles the need for schools to help students reach a basic level of academic mastery as promoted in federal education law, his views on the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the problems with NCLB, and a survey of educational leaders and educators on the positive outcome of the NCLB and Every Student Succeeds acts.

The article discusses the 2020 Education Week Research Center poll which focused on the relationship between school boards and school district leaders in the U.S. in the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Topics explored include the need to improve communication between school superintendents and board members to increase community engagement, the assessment of good policy governance, and the pandemic-related challenges cited by school board members.

The article explores how home schooling has increased and school choice advocates work to expand tax-credit scholarships and other programs in response to schools' perceived failings. Topics include reemerged in public discourse is a long-standing debate that's often papered over in K-12 education: provide guaranteed child care so that the economy can provide indispensable welfare services infusion of federal funding.

The article reports on school districts have eliminated their school police officers after the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Topics include replacement of School Resource Officers (SROs) with restorative justice coordinators, reduction in the number of SROs due to policing scandal, and impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on school safety.

THe article focuses on the history of civics education in the U.S. Schools. Topics discussed include U.S. Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines court case on students school speech; use of warrants or probable cause for searching students; and elimination of cruel and unjust punishment against students.

The article reports on the findings of a study conducted by research, teacher-training, and advocacy organization TNTP, which revealed that U.S. public schools are giving students of color classwork below grade level, leaving them underprepared for future. Daniel Weisberg, the chief executive officer (CEO) of TNTP, pointed out that when given the opportunity, students of color and disadvantaged students perform almost same as their peers on challenging, grade-level assignments.

The article discusses the educational aspects of teaching the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and debating gun laws in the aftermath of school shootings and examines the methodology of West Wendover, Nevada, government teacher Kathy Durham.

The article profiles Michelle Saylor, the Superintendent of the Bellefonte Area School District in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Topics include her emphasis on foreign language education in relation to jobs offered by global corporations, her recruitment of Chinese teachers to teach the Mandarin language, and her relationship with the district's school board.

The article examines the challenges facing rural U.S. school districts in the recruitment and retention of teachers. It cites the examples of Rangely and Otis, Colorado where teachers frequently leave or are given larger workloads. Other topics covered include teacher salaries in rural areas, teachers' attitudes, and the experience of Otis high school teacher Emma Curtis.

The article reports on the state and federal lawsuits filed across the U.S. concerning the obligation of teachers to inform parents if students confide or show signs of struggling with gender identity or transgender behavior. Issues discussed are parents' consent to the gender identity and social transition of a student at school, case law on transgender students, privacy rights and transgender people's rights, and parental rights to movement in education.

The article discusses funding of K-12 education by philanthropies such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Topics include problems facing school districts that had received grants for teacher evaluation, the influence of the Gates Foundation on curriculum development, and the relation of education philanthropy to charter schools.

The article presents information on the Nation's Report Card test in the U.S. Topics discussed include the cancellation of the 2021 administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) due to the pandemic, the responsibilities of the National Assessment Governing Board and the NCES in implementing the test, the use of the NAEP with adaptive testing and other innovations, and the equity to be highlighted by the NAEP experts.

The article discusses the increasing incidents of violence in U.S. schools. Topics explored include the possible contribution of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and social unrest in the country to school violence, the concerns raised by teachers and school principals over the return of students to in-person schooling, and brief details about school shootings, the mental health of students, and the proposed transition to school-based policing.

The article reports on the move by some local school boards in the U.S. to ban critical race theory as of September 2021 and its possible effects on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in K-12 education. Also cited are how debates on the theory increased the distrust of African Americans of school board governance, and the efforts by schools to eliminate institutional racism.

The article examines the decrease of enrollment in teacher preparation programs in the U.S. The comment of Mary Vixie Sandy, executive director of the California Commission on Teaching Credentials, on the matter is noted. Also noted is the comment of Alisa Chapman, president for academic and university programs at University of North Carolina, on the decline of teaching programs at the university.

The article discusses the rarity of U.S. states shutting down teacher education programs at colleges and universities. Topics include the New York state process Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education (RATE), the impact of a quality audit of teacher education at Lake Superior State University by Michigan state officials, and accreditation by the organization Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation.

The article reports on school districts have eliminated their school police officers after the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota according to an Education Week analysis of media reports. Topics include disproportionate violence at black people, and impact of COVID-19 pandemic on students of in-person schooling.

The article discusses several aspects of critical race theory (CRT). Topics covered include disagreement between U.S. liberals and conservatives on the use of CRT in the classroom, the basic tenets of CRT and critics' claim that the theory advocates discriminating against white people in order to achieve equity. It also discusses how scholars look at how policies and practices in K-12 education contribute to persistent racial inequities in education and the proposals to ban CRT in schools.

The article informs that several U.S. states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, and Texas, have rolled back their masking requirements. It mentions Doug Ducey, governor of Arizona, has rescinded an executive order requiring all K-12 schools to require masks for anyone above the age of five years. It mentions Arkansas' governor Asa Hutchinson, has lifted the statewide mask mandate on March 31, 2021.

The article discusses the efforts of the group History UnErased (HUE), an organization that aims to create space in K-12 liberal arts curriculum for significant individuals and events in LGBT history and address the concerns of teachers who may hesitate to teach such subjects. The article examines the social forces and controversies surrounding teaching LGBT history in the U.S.

The article discusses the use of the edTPA performance-based licensing test for teacher candidates in the U.S. Topics discussed include the use of portfolios in the edTPA, the attitudes of teacher educators towards the test, and the experience of teacher Jaclyn Midgette who took the test to become certified.

The article discusses the involvement of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in funding U.S. teacher quality initiatives. Topics discussed include foundation spending on teacher professional development, the impact of the foundation on U.S. education policy debate, and the foundation's funding of research and studies that have led to the use of value-added measures and student surveys in teacher evaluation.

The article discusses the funding of teacher evaluation programs in the U.S. since 2007 through the charitable Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and mentions criticism of the Foundation's influence on education policy, research on teacher effectiveness by professor Thomas Kane, and academic achievement research. Former Washington, D.C. school superintendent Michelle A. Rhee, teacher development, and educational change are discussed, and charts of Foundation spending are presented. INSETS: 'Effective Teaching' Study Seen as Influential;Teacher 'Voice' Amplified by Series of Grants.

The article suggests strategies that schools could implement to address the rise in anti-Asian violence in the U.S. They include creating safe spaces for students and staff, sustaining support for Asian students, and questioning the historic erasure of Asians from the curriculum. The need for more Asian-American ethnic studies courses is mentioned.

The article discusses public health issues associated with the reopening of schools in the U.S. in the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Topics explored include the need for school boards to decide whether to continue remote learning programs or return to in-person instruction, the health metrics to be considered prior to school reopening, and the concerns of schools over contact tracing and other COVID-19-related safety protocols.

The article discusses teacher-candidates' student-teaching and mentoring experiences in the U.S., adapted from an article by Stephen Sawchuk in the December 5, 2012 issue of the periodical "Education Week."

The article discusses challenges facing the implementation of the U.S. Common Core State Standards and the importance of teacher development, adapted from the article "Many Teachers Not Ready for the Common Core," by Stephen Sawchuk, published in the April 25, 2012, issue of "Education Week."

The article discusses the impact of U.S. education advocacy groups, including Stand for Children, StudentsFirst, and Democrats for Education Reform/Education Reform Now on state legislation. The effect of these groups on legislation in several states is discussed, including former Colorado Speaker of the House Terrance Carroll's efforts to pass Senate Bill 191, New York education policy, and teacher evaluation policy in Massachusetts.

The article discusses the rise in campaigning by education advocacy groups representing students' interests in U.S. school systems. The groups, including the organizations Stand for Children, Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), and StudentsFirst are lobbying for changes such as teacher evaluations based on evidence of student learning, increased access to charter schools, and higher academic standards for schools and students in the U.S.

A condensed reprint of the article "New Attitudes Shaping Labor-District Relations," by Stephen Sawchuk, which was published in the November 16, 2011 issue of the journal "Education Week," is presented. The article examines the role of collective bargaining rights for teachers in collaboration between school districts and teachers' unions. Other topics explored include school budgets, U.S. education policy, and teacher evaluations.

In this article the author addresses the differences between the social and career aspects of the teaching profession in the U.S. and in other countries such as Finland. He emphasizes the roles of respect and freedom in teaching and discusses the relationship between teacher quality, teacher social status, national educational performance, and teacher training in Finland, Singapore, and South Korea, countries that perform highly on international educational assessments.

The article discusses the educational cooperation between U.S. school boards and teachers' unions, focusing on the efforts of Alan J. Ingram, the superintendent of the Springfield, Massachusetts public schools, and Timothy T. Collins, a member of the district's budget advisory committee. Topics include the funding of educational change by the National Education Association (NEA), the support of teachers' unions to improve teacher quality, and their related collective bargaining relations.

A condensed reprint of the article "Study Throws Cold Water on Bonus Pay" by Stephen Sawchuk, from the September 29, 2010 issue of "Education Week," is presented. The article discusses the Project on Incentives in Teaching (POINT) study, conducted by the National Center on Performance Incentives, which investigated the effects of performance-based teacher compensation on overall student achievement in Nashville, Tennessee. It concluded that such compensation did not increase student achievement.

The article discusses the effect of common education standards on teacher training, curricular materials and student assessments and foresees the need to involve multiple stakeholders in the project. Educator Jennifer Morrison is quoted saying once the standards are adopted, it will require leadership, assessment and professional development, and politics will be involved. Funding will be needed, either by the states or private sources. Some experts predict development of standard curricula.

The article explores new strategies to help preservice teachers in the U.S. become more culturally sensitive. It describes Black male teachers' experiences, including Darius Miller and Chissell Rhone, in a teaching profession that is still mostly white and female. Also highlighted is the clinical simulation designed by Elizabeth Self, a doctoral student at Vanderbilt University, to help preservice teachers develop cultural sensitivity.

The article focuses on the mission of the Teach For America, a nonprofit organization, is to prepare education leaders committed to address the causes of educational inequity. Topics discussed include the philosophy and leadership of the organization has been not understood according to founder Wendy Kopp, the importance of charter schools as factors in debates about TFA's mission, and prioritizing social justice.

The article discusses the criticisms of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) initiative that believe the organization is an attempt by technology companies to have more influence over the classroom. Ken Kay, the president of P21, believes the concerns are from those who disagree that education should be more responsive to the business industry's needs. Whether or not the group can convince skeptics of their efforts to improve technological literacy and analytical skills is discussed.

The article discusses a concept suggesting teachers assess their own that is gaining attention as the debate over teacher evaluations intensifies. The state of Ohio's 1981 "Toledo Plan" was among the first efforts to create teaching standards, which predated the certification process of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the Framework for Teaching model, is explored. The use of peer assistance and review in states other than Ohio is discussed.

The article discusses a report by Editorial Projects in Education (EPE), which looked at state education policies, particularly the need to improve teacher effectiveness. Problems ranged from a lack of accountability for teachers, their training and placement in at-risk schools. Sabrina Laine of the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality discusses the need to improve teacher quality through state requirements. The role of the federal government in teacher development is considered.

This article reports on the failure of bipartisan efforts to renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act or the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law in the U.S. in 2007. There were several obstacles to the renewal of the law including an unpopular proposed reform of the law's school accountability system. Particular focus is given to the political climate surrounding the reauthorization process. According to Thomas B. Fordham Foundation Vice President Michael Petrilli, the failure to compromise on accountability can be attributed to the Bush regime.

The article focuses on the impact of the shutdown of public and private schools across the U.S. in response to the Covid-19 on the functional of civil culture and daily life. Topics covered include the importance of schools to communities due to their student-welfare services, the anticipated degradation of student learning, and opposing views on the issue of online learning.

The article discusses how schools spending money and time on fighting over vaping. Topics include filing of lawsuits by 100 districts against JUUL, and other manufacturers of vaping devices; the epidemic of youth vaping has penetrated nearly all corners of the nation's public education system; and ways in which vaping was enough of a priority for districts that it was a topic of a session at the recent national conference for American Association of School Administrators (AASA).

The article reports that the U.S. Supreme Court will reconsider a 1977 ruling in the case Abood v. Detroit Board of Education which allowed public-sector unions to force nonmembers to pay service fees. According to the author, a rejection of this ruling in the case Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association could eliminate a significant revenue source for teachers' unions. Details on the U.S. Supreme Court case Harris v. Quinn are also presented. Collective bargaining is discussed.

The article discusses attention by U.S. charter schools to teacher retention. Topics include the burnout and workload facing charter school teachers, the career development of charter school teachers, and talent retention efforts by the charter school networks YES Prep and KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program).