In spring 2022, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology (OET) committed to advancing digital equity through the Digital Equity Education Roundtables (DEER) Initiative. Through DEER, OET hosted a series of national conversations with leaders from community-based organizations, as well as families and learners furthest…

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the most difficult semester in generations on college campuses across the United States. With that semester now wrapping up, public colleges and universities are facing costs that already dwarf the $7.6 billion in federal stimulus funds that are on their way to these institutions. Absent dramatic new action from…

The Library of Congress offers a wealth of primary source documents that can be integrated into the classroom to enhance critical thinking skills of students as they learn about historical and other related topics. Similarly, these materials can be promoted via individual libraries for their 24/7 access online. Understanding what primary source…

To protect the health and well-being of children and clients, workers in schools, childcare centers, and the healthcare industry need regular, state-of-the-art education on bed bug avoidance and control. For some, webinars provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency are a convenient, free source of this education. Bed bug…

In April 2021, New America's Open Technology Institute (OTI) and the Philanthropication thru Privatization Project (PtP) released a joint proposal that the federal government should invest a substantial portion of the windfall proceeds from future auctions of public airwaves (spectrum) to seed a new Digital Equity Foundation dedicated to…

The Committee on Education and Labor met to hear testimony on "Examining the Policies and Priorities of the United States Department of Education." The U.S. Department of Education was making a budget request for Fiscal Year 2022 and the Committee wanted to examine the Department's priorities to support students, educators, and…

The premise of the white paper is that education policy results are better for students when policies are informed and shaped by highly effective educators who know firsthand what it takes to deliver excellent teaching and learning. Policymakers and educators should share a sense of urgency to work together to provide every child in our country…

There is growing unease about suspension and expulsion of children at the preschool level. Preschoolers are expelled at three times the rate of K-12 students (Gilliam, 2005). Boys--particularly African-American boys--comprise a disproportionate number of these cases, a fact that has caused concern among parents, policymakers, and advocates alike.…

Since the publication of the groundbreaking 1983 report A Nation At Risk: The Imperative For Educational Reform and the enactment of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2001, America's public schools have undergone dramatic changes. These significant changes have required school administrators to be more of an educational leader to students and staff,…

Darling-Hammond, Wilhoit, and Pittenger (2014) addressed the need for states to align their accountability systems with new college- and career-ready learning standards. The authors recommended a new accountability paradigm that focuses on 1) meaningful learning, enabled by 2) professionally skilled and committed educators, and supported by 3)…

For all the national and even international debate about the state of American education, public schooling in the U.S. is still a local matter--and the school district remains its hub. As administrators know, there's nothing abstract about the process of getting millions of students into their seats, assuring they receive the instruction they're…

The basic currency of higher education--the credit hour--represents the root of many problems plaguing America's higher education system: the practice of measuring time rather than learning. "Cracking the Credit Hour" traces the history of this time-based unit, from the days of Andrew Carnegie to recent federal efforts to define a credit…

The federal government has been making strides to make the term "appropriate" an inclusive term that recognizes and addresses the special learning needs of all students. In an effort to appropriately educate students who have been identified as "gifted," the New Jersey State Board of Education readopted Standards and Assessment…

Council for American Private Education (CAPE) is a coalition of national associations serving private schools K-12. "Outlook" is published monthly by CAPE. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Obama Budget Proposes Dramatic Changes for ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act); (2) Push Continues for DC Voucher Program;…

Congress is currently considering updating the key legislation that governs K-12 public education--the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Noticeably missing from the current law, more commonly known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), is a comprehensive early learning agenda, which span from preschool through 3rd grade. The Obama…