According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, the number of school shootings in 2024 (a total of 330) showed a bit of a decline from 2023, which saw an all-time high of 349 incidents. Sadly, the database also revealed that the highest number of annual school shootings over the past…
The Autism CARES Act is a federal law that for the next five years will provide nearly $2 billion for research, training and services, including for early detection and interventions. -The newly signed federal law calls on federal agencies to update a report on the challenges faced by youth with…
For many immigrant students, issues around immigration that may be affecting their social-emotional health....UCLA provides a number of age-appropriate strategies schools and individual teachers can use to help address those challenges in the classroom and beyond. For starters, without singling students out look for ways to check in and find…
Among remembrances of former president Jimmy Carter is his signing of S. 210 on October 17, 1979, which created the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and became operational in May of 1980. In creating the USDE, Congress said the intention of the agency was to strengthen equal education opportunities for…
According to research from sociologists at the University of Arkansas, students who are suspended or expelled can experience elevated rates of depression through their teen years and into early adulthood. Although previous studies connect suspensions and expulsions to a range of poor academic outcomes (e.g., lower standardized test scores and…
According to a report by the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) increased by almost 19% during the 2023-24 school year as half of all National School Lunch Program (NSLP) schools now use the provision that lets low-income schools serve free meals to…
On December 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) withdrew a proposed federal rule that supporters said would have made it easier for schools to be reimbursed for school-based Medicaid services. It was seen as a way to reduce schools’ paperwork burdens and increase reimbursements for the rendering of…
At a December 13, 2024 U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ listening session, those testifying lamented the adverse effects brought on by the highly qualified special education teacher shortage crisis. In his testimony, Aaron Parsons, public policy chair for the National Association of Private Special Education Centers, said that if the situation persists,…
In light of an expected mass deportation of undocumented immigrants by the incoming administration, many school districts are examining their policies and protocols. School districts are also stepping up efforts to help ensure that staff and the public are aware of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s policy designating schools…
The U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has released a new resource outlining 21 examples of how artificial intelligence (AI) could contribute to discrimination in schools and colleges based on race, color or natural origin, sex or disability. The resource clarifies for school leaders how existing…
