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Tag: student

  • Schwarzenegger decries polarization, criticizes Newsom’s gerrymandering effort

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    Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke out forcefully Monday against the partisan effort to redraw California’s congressional districts that voters will decide in a November special election.

    “They are trying to fight for democracy by getting rid of the democratic principles of California,” Schwarzenegger told hundred of students at an event celebrating democracy at the University of Southern California. “It is insane to let that happen.

    The Hollywood action star turn Republican governor urged the students to vote against the redistricting measure, Proposition 50.

    The special election in November would redraw the districts and probably boost the number of Democrats California sends to Congress, an effort championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to counter efforts in GOP-led states such as Texas to send more Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives.

    Schwarzenegger has long championed political reform. During his final year as governor, he prioritized the ballot measure that created independent congressional redistricting. Four former members of the independent commission were recognized by Schwarzenegger at the event, and he had lunch with them and members of the university’s student governmentafterward.

    He said he grew interested in the esoteric process of redistricting when he was governor and realized that districts drawn by politicians protected their political interests instead of voters.

    “They want to dismantle this independent commission. They want to get rid of it under the auspices of we have to fight Trump,” Schwarzenegger said. “It doesn’t make any sense to me because we have to fight Trump, [yet] we become Trump.”

    Since leaving office, Schwarzenegger has prioritized good governance at his institute at USC and campaigned for independent redistricting across the nation. The governor’s remarks were being recorded by the anti-Proposition 50 campaign in what could easily be turned into a television ad.

    Outside, student Democrats passed out fliers in support of Proposition 50.

    The event, a discussion with USC Interim President Beong-Soo Kim marking the International Day of Democracy, was scheduled to take place before conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot last week while speaking at a Utah college campus.

    Schwarzenegger reflected on Kirk’s death as he warned about the fragile state of democracy.

    “That someone’s life was taken because they had a different opinion, I mean it’s just unbelievable,” Schwarzenegger said, noting that Kirk was a skilled communicator who connected with young people, even those who disagreed with him. “A human life is gone. He was a great father, a great husband, and I was thinking about his children — they will only be reading about him now instead of him reading to them bedtime stories.”

    He warned that the nation’s political climate was spiraling.

    “We are getting hit from so many angles and we have to be very careful we don’t get closer to the cliff. When you fall down there, there is no democracy,” Schwarzenegger said, blaming social media, the mainstream media and the political parties for dividing Americans. “It’s very important that we turn this around.”

    He urged the hundreds of students who attended the event to show that people can disagree politically without demonizing one another.

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    Seema Mehta

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  • Turning superintendent transitions into strength–not division

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    Key points:

    When a long-serving superintendent departs, districts inherit more than a vacancy. They inherit emotion, legacy, and the uncertainty that comes with change. With superintendent tenure shrinking nationwide, the real question isn’t if transitions will happen; it’s whether districts can navigate them without losing momentum for students.

    I stepped into the superintendency at Mississinewa Community Schools following the retirement of a respected leader. We avoided the common pitfalls, mixed messages, rumor spirals, and initiative drift by treating the transition as a community moment rather than a personnel change.

    Here are practical steps any district can adapt, regardless of size or setting.

    1. Model professionalism, especially when it’s hard

    Leadership changes often mean disappointment for people who’ve given years to the district. Ask outgoing leaders to help “set the table” for what’s next: Attend public meetings, co-host early listening sessions, and make warm handoffs to key staff and partners.

    Why it works: Visible unity lowers anxiety and keeps adults focused on students, not politics.

    Try this: Create a two-page “transition script” with shared talking points, key dates, and who says what, when.

    2. Go first with transparency

    Transitions are prime time for speculation. Beat it with a simple, repeated message: what’s changing, what’s not, and when stakeholders can weigh in.

    Why it works: Predictability builds trust; small, frequent updates outperform lengthy, sporadic memos.

    Try this: A 60-day communications cadence; weekly staff note, biweekly family/community update, and a brief public dashboard tracking immediate priorities (e.g., safety, staffing, instruction, operations).

    3. Build trust through presence, not pronouncements

    Spend full days in each school early on–not for photo ops, but for structured listening. Invite a veteran leader with deep relationships to walk alongside the new leader.
    Why it works: Trust is built in classrooms and hallways. Side-by-side introductions transfer social capital and signal continuity.

    Try this: Use a three-question listening protocol: What’s working students-first? What’s getting in the way? What’s one quick win we can try this month? Close the loop publicly on what you heard and acted on.

    4. Protect instructional continuity

    Transitions can unintentionally pause or reset key initiatives. Identify the 3-5 “do-not-drop” items (e.g., early literacy practices, MTSS, PLC rhythms) and assign explicit owners and check-ins.

    Why it works: Students shouldn’t feel the turbulence of adult change.

    Try this: A one-page “continuity plan” listing each initiative, the non-negotiables, owners, and 30/60/90-day milestones.

    5. Anchor every decision in integrity

    People watch how leaders behave under stress. Humility from those exiting, patience from those staying, and clarity from those arriving are all forms of integrity that audiences read quickly.

    Why it works: Integrity reduces drama and accelerates collaboration.

    Try this: Adopt a simple decision rubric you can publish: Is it student-centered? Is it equitable? Is it feasible this term? Share how recent decisions aligned with the rubric.

    A quick-start checklist (steal this)

    • Day 0–15: Announce the continuity plan; align the cabinet on 3-5 non-negotiables; publish listening tour dates.
    • Day 30: Report “you said/we did” updates; celebrate quick wins; schedule joint appearances with outgoing leaders where appropriate.
    • Day 60: Refresh the dashboard; confirm owners/timelines for longer-horizon work; address one stubborn, high-visibility pain point.
    • Day 90: Publicly close the transition phase; restate the district’s instructional priorities and how they will be measured.

    Watchouts

    • Mixed messages: If leaders aren’t saying the same thing, you’re fueling rumors. Script and rehearse.
    • New-initiative temptation: Resist “rebranding” just to mark the moment. Improve execution first; rename later.
    • Invisible wins: Listening without visible action erodes trust. Close loops quickly–even on small items.

    Bottom line

    Leadership transitions aren’t just about titles; they’re about people and the students we serve. With professionalism, transparency, presence, and integrity, districts can turn a vulnerable moment into a unifying one and keep learning at the center where it belongs.

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    Jeremy Fewell, Mississinewa Community Schools

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  • Seven HBCUs across the country on lockdown for threats

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    Seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities are closed or on lockdown because of terroristic threats, according to Hearst sister stations and NBC affiliates.Alabama State University was briefly on lockdown Thursday morning because of a “terroristic threat” aimed at the campus.The university sent a statement to WVTM, stating that campus operations had been shut down that morning into the afternoon: “Alabama State University has received the all-clear from law enforcement and University officials. While the immediate threat has been resolved, all non-essential day-to-day operations remain suspended for the remainder of the day, and the campus is still closed to the public. We are still asking all students to shelter-in-place in their residence halls until further notice. The safety and well-being of our Hornet family continues to be our top priority.”FloridaIn Florida, Bethune-Cookman University is on lockdown and classes have been canceled after “a potential threat to campus safety” was made, the school told sister station WESH.GeorgiaClark Atlanta University received threats and is on lockdown, causing Spellman College to also go under lockdown because of proximity, according to a post on its social media page.”At this time, no threats have been directed toward Spelman’s campus. However, we have increased security presence across campus and at our two main entrances,” Spellman posted.LouisianaSouthern University is on lockdown due to a potential threat, according to NBC affiliate WAFB. VirginiaVirginia State University and Hampton University closed for terroristic threats, according to our NBC affiliates WWBT and WAVY. This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.

    Seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities are closed or on lockdown because of terroristic threats, according to Hearst sister stations and NBC affiliates.

    Alabama State University was briefly on lockdown Thursday morning because of a “terroristic threat” aimed at the campus.

    The university sent a statement to WVTM, stating that campus operations had been shut down that morning into the afternoon:

    “Alabama State University has received the all-clear from law enforcement and University officials. While the immediate threat has been resolved, all non-essential day-to-day operations remain suspended for the remainder of the day, and the campus is still closed to the public. We are still asking all students to shelter-in-place in their residence halls until further notice. The safety and well-being of our Hornet family continues to be our top priority.”

    Florida

    In Florida, Bethune-Cookman University is on lockdown and classes have been canceled after “a potential threat to campus safety” was made, the school told sister station WESH.

    Georgia

    Clark Atlanta University received threats and is on lockdown, causing Spellman College to also go under lockdown because of proximity, according to a post on its social media page.

    “At this time, no threats have been directed toward Spelman’s campus. However, we have increased security presence across campus and at our two main entrances,” Spellman posted.

    Louisiana

    Southern University is on lockdown due to a potential threat, according to NBC affiliate WAFB.

    Virginia

    Virginia State University and Hampton University closed for terroristic threats, according to our NBC affiliates WWBT and WAVY.

    This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.

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  • New research highlights the importance and challenges of K-12 student engagement

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    This press release originally appeared online.

    Key points:

    While there is wide agreement that student engagement plays a vital role in learning, educators continue to face uncertainty about what engagement looks like, how best to measure it, and how to sustain it, according to a new study from Discovery Education. 

    Education Insights 2025–2026: Fueling Learning Through Engagement captures prevailing attitudes and beliefs on the topic of engagement from 1,398 superintendents, teachers, parents, and students from across the United States. Survey data was collected in May 2025 by Hanover Research on behalf of Discovery Education. 

    “Discovery Education conducted the Education Insights report to gain a deeper understanding of how engagement is defined, observed, and nurtured in K-12 classrooms nationwide, and we are thankful to the participants who shared their perspectives and insights with us,” said Brian Shaw, Discovery Education’s Chief Executive Officer. “One of the most important findings of this report is that engagement is seen as essential to learning, but is inconsistently defined, observed, and supported in K-12 classrooms. I believe this highlights the need for a more standardized approach to measuring student engagement and connecting it to academic achievement. Discovery Education has embarked on an effort to address those challenges, and we look forward to sharing more as our work progresses.” 

    Key findings of the Education Insights 2025–2026: Fueling Learning Through Engagement report include: 

    Engagement is broadly recognized as a key driver of learning and success. Ninety-three percent of educators surveyed agreed that student engagement is a critical metric for understanding overall achievement, and 99 percent of superintendents polled believe student engagement is one of the top predictors of success at school. Finally, 92 percent of students said that engaging lessons make school more enjoyable. 

    But educators disagree on the top indicators of engagement. Seventy-two percent of teachers rated asking thoughtful questions as the strongest indicator of student engagement. However, 54 percent of superintendents identified performing well on assessments as a top engagement indicator. This is nearly twice as high as teachers, who rank assessments among the lowest indicators of engagement. 

    School leaders and teachers disagree on if their schools have systems for measuring engagement. While 99 percent of superintendents and 88 percent of principals said their district has an intentional approach for measuring engagement, only 60 percent of teachers agreed. Further, nearly one-third of teachers said that a lack of clear, shared definitions of student engagement is a top challenge to measuring engagement effectively. 

    Educators and students differ on their perceptions of engagement levels. While 63 percent of students agreed with the statement “Students are highly engaged in school,” only 45 percent of teachers and 51 percent of principals surveyed agreed with the same statement.  

    Students rate their own engagement much higher than their peers. Seventy percent of elementary students perceived themselves as engaged, but only 42 percent perceived their peers as engaged. Fifty-nine percent of middle school students perceived themselves engaged in learning, but only 36 percent perceived their peers as engaged. Finally, 61 percent of high school students perceived themselves as engaged, but only 39 percent described their peers as engaged. 

    Proximity to learning changes impressions of AI. Two-thirds of students believe AI could help them learn faster, yet fewer than half of teachers report using AI themselves to complete tasks. Only 57 percent of teachers agreed with the statement “I frequently learn about positive ways students are using AI,” while 87 percent of principals and 98 percent of superintendents agree. Likewise, only 53 percent of teachers agreed with the statement “I am excited about the potential for AI to support teaching and learning,” while 83 percent of principals and 94 percent of superintendents agreed. 

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    Stephen Wakefield

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  • Authorities say a student is dead after shooting 2 peers and then himself at Colorado high school

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    A student shot two of his peers Wednesday at a suburban Denver high school before shooting himself and later dying, authorities said.The handgun shooting was reported around 12:30 p.m. at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado, about 30 miles west of Denver in the Rocky Mountain foothills.Shots were fired both inside and outside the school building, and law enforcement officers who responded found the shooter within five minutes of arriving, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley said.None of the law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting fired any shots, Kelley said.More than 100 police officers from the surrounding area rushed to the school to try to help, Kelley said. A 1999 school shooting at Jefferson County’s Columbine High killed 14 people, including a woman who died earlier this year of complications from her injuries in the shooting.The teens were originally listed in critical condition, St. Anthony Hospital CEO Kevin Cullinan said. Their ages were not released.By early evening, one teen was in stable condition with what Dr. Brian Blackwood, the hospital’s trauma director, described as non-life threatening injuries. He declined to provide more details.The high school with more than 900 students is largely surrounded by forest. It is about a mile from the center of Evergreen, which has a population of 9,300 people.After the shooting, parents gathered outside a nearby elementary school waiting to reunite with their children.Wendy Nueman said her 15-year-old daughter, a sophomore at Evergreen High School, didn’t answer her phone right away after the shooting, The Denver Post reported. When her daughter finally called back, it was from a borrowed phone.“She just said she was OK. She couldn’t hardly speak,” Nueman said, holding back tears. She gathered that her daughter ran from the school.“It’s super scary,” she said. “We feel like we live in a little bubble here. Obviously, no one is immune.”Eighteen students who fled from the shooting took shelter at a home just down the road, after an initial group of them pounded on the door asking for help, resident Don Cygan told Denver’s KUSA-TV. One student said he heard gunshots while in the school’s cafeteria and ran out of the school, Cygan said.Cygan, a retired educator familiar with lockdown trainings to prepare for possible shootings, said he took down the names of all the students and the names of the parents who later arrived there to pick them up. His wife, a retired nurse, was able to calm the teens down and treat them for shock, he said.“I hope they feel like they ran to the right house,” he said._____Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

    DENVER —

    A student shot two of his peers Wednesday at a suburban Denver high school before shooting himself and later dying, authorities said.

    The handgun shooting was reported around 12:30 p.m. at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado, about 30 miles west of Denver in the Rocky Mountain foothills.

    Shots were fired both inside and outside the school building, and law enforcement officers who responded found the shooter within five minutes of arriving, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley said.

    None of the law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting fired any shots, Kelley said.

    More than 100 police officers from the surrounding area rushed to the school to try to help, Kelley said. A 1999 school shooting at Jefferson County’s Columbine High killed 14 people, including a woman who died earlier this year of complications from her injuries in the shooting.

    The teens were originally listed in critical condition, St. Anthony Hospital CEO Kevin Cullinan said. Their ages were not released.

    By early evening, one teen was in stable condition with what Dr. Brian Blackwood, the hospital’s trauma director, described as non-life threatening injuries. He declined to provide more details.

    The high school with more than 900 students is largely surrounded by forest. It is about a mile from the center of Evergreen, which has a population of 9,300 people.

    After the shooting, parents gathered outside a nearby elementary school waiting to reunite with their children.

    Wendy Nueman said her 15-year-old daughter, a sophomore at Evergreen High School, didn’t answer her phone right away after the shooting, The Denver Post reported. When her daughter finally called back, it was from a borrowed phone.

    “She just said she was OK. She couldn’t hardly speak,” Nueman said, holding back tears. She gathered that her daughter ran from the school.

    “It’s super scary,” she said. “We feel like we live in a little bubble here. Obviously, no one is immune.”

    Eighteen students who fled from the shooting took shelter at a home just down the road, after an initial group of them pounded on the door asking for help, resident Don Cygan told Denver’s KUSA-TV. One student said he heard gunshots while in the school’s cafeteria and ran out of the school, Cygan said.

    Cygan, a retired educator familiar with lockdown trainings to prepare for possible shootings, said he took down the names of all the students and the names of the parents who later arrived there to pick them up. His wife, a retired nurse, was able to calm the teens down and treat them for shock, he said.

    “I hope they feel like they ran to the right house,” he said.

    _____

    Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

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  • 3 teenagers critically wounded after shooting at Denver-area high school, officials say

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    Three teens were critically wounded in a shooting at a suburban Denver high school, including the suspected shooter, on Wednesday, authorities said.The shooting was reported around 12:30 p.m. at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, about 30 miles west of Denver, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley said.It is not clear what led up to the shooting or how the suspected shooter, believed to be a student at the school, was shot. None of the law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting is believed to have fired any shots, Kelley said.The shooting happened on school grounds but it wasn’t immediately known whether it was inside the school building, she said.All three teens taken to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado, were shot, CEO Kevin Cullinan said.Over 100 police officers from around the Denver area rushed to the school to try to help, Kelley said. The sheriff’s office is the same agency that responded to the school shooting at the 1999 Columbine High School shooting that killed 14 people, including a woman who died earlier this year of complications from her injuries in the shooting.”This is the scariest thing that could ever happen, and these parents were really frightened, and so were the kids,” Kelley said. “And I know we say ‘never again,’ and here we are.”FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the FBI is on scene and “in full support of local authorities.”

    DENVER —

    Three teens were critically wounded in a shooting at a suburban Denver high school, including the suspected shooter, on Wednesday, authorities said.

    The shooting was reported around 12:30 p.m. at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, about 30 miles west of Denver, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley said.

    It is not clear what led up to the shooting or how the suspected shooter, believed to be a student at the school, was shot. None of the law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting is believed to have fired any shots, Kelley said.

    The shooting happened on school grounds but it wasn’t immediately known whether it was inside the school building, she said.

    All three teens taken to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado, were shot, CEO Kevin Cullinan said.

    Over 100 police officers from around the Denver area rushed to the school to try to help, Kelley said. The sheriff’s office is the same agency that responded to the school shooting at the 1999 Columbine High School shooting that killed 14 people, including a woman who died earlier this year of complications from her injuries in the shooting.

    “This is the scariest thing that could ever happen, and these parents were really frightened, and so were the kids,” Kelley said. “And I know we say ‘never again,’ and here we are.”

    FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the FBI is on scene and “in full support of local authorities.”

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  • The untaught lesson: Prioritizing behavior as essential learning

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    Key points:

    In classrooms across the country, students are mastering their ABCs, solving equations, and diving into science. But one essential life skill–behavior–is not in the lesson plan. For too long, educators have assumed that children arrive at school knowing how to regulate emotions, resolve conflict, and interact respectfully. The reality: Behavior–like math or reading–must be taught, practiced, and supported.

    Today’s students face a mounting crisis. Many are still grappling with anxiety, disconnection, and emotional strain following the isolation and disruption of the COVID pandemic. And it’s growing more serious.

    Teachers aren’t immune. They, too, are managing stress and emotional overload–while shouldering scripted curricula, rising expectations, and fewer opportunities for meaningful engagement and critical thinking. As these forces collide, disruptive behavior is now the leading cause of job-related stress and a top reason why 78 percent of teachers have considered leaving the profession.

    Further complicating matters is social media and device usage. Students and adults alike have become deeply reliant on screens. Social media and online socialization–where interactions are often anonymous and less accountable–have contributed to a breakdown in conflict resolution, empathy, and recognition of nonverbal cues. Widespread attachment to cell phones has significantly disrupted students’ ability to regulate emotions and engage in healthy, face-to-face interactions. Teachers, too, are frequently on their phones, modeling device-dependent behaviors that can shape classroom dynamics.

    It’s clear: students can’t be expected to know what they haven’t been taught. And teachers can’t teach behavior without real tools and support. While districts have taken well-intentioned steps to help teachers address behavior, many initiatives rely on one-off training without cohesive, long-term strategies. Real progress demands more–a districtwide commitment to consistent, caring practices that unify educators, students, and families.

    A holistic framework: School, student, family

    Lasting change requires a whole-child, whole-school, whole-family approach. When everyone in the community is aligned, behavior shifts from a discipline issue to a core component of learning, transforming classrooms into safe, supportive environments where students thrive and teachers rediscover joy in their work. And when these practices are reinforced at home, the impact multiplies.

    To help students learn appropriate behavior, teachers need practical tools rather than abstract theories. Professional development, tiered supports, targeted interventions, and strategies to build student confidence are critical. So is measuring impact to ensure efforts evolve and endure.

    Some districts are leading the way, embracing data-driven practices, evidence-based strategies, and accessible digital resources. And the results speak for themselves. Here are two examples of successful implementations.

    Evidence-based behavior training and mentorship yields 24 percent drop in infractions within weeks

    With more than 19,000 racially diverse students across 24 schools east of Atlanta, Newton County Schools prioritized embedded practices and collaborative coaching over rigid compliance. Newly hired teachers received stipends to complete curated, interactive behavior training before the school year began. They then expanded on these lessons during orientation with district staff, deepening their understanding.

    Once the school year started, each new teacher was partnered with a mentor who provided behavior and academic guidance, along with regular classroom feedback. District climate specialists also offered further support to all teachers to build robust professional learning communities.

    The impact was almost immediate. Within the first two weeks of school, disciplinary infractions fell by 24 percent compared to the previous year–evidence that providing the right tools, complemented by layered support and practical coaching, can yield swift, sustainable results.

    Pairing shoulder coaching with real-time data to strengthen teacher readiness

    With more than 300,000 students in over 5,300 schools spanning urban to rural communities, Clark County School District in Las Vegas is one of the largest and most diverse in the nation.

    Recognizing that many day-to-day challenges faced by new teachers aren’t fully addressed in college training, the district introduced “shoulder coaching.” This mentorship model pairs incoming teachers with seasoned colleagues for real-time guidance on implementing successful strategies from day one.

    This hands-on approach incorporates videos, structured learning sessions, and continuous data collection, creating a dynamic feedback loop that helps teachers navigate classroom challenges proactively. Rather than relying solely on reactive discipline, educators are equipped with adaptable strategies that reflect lived classroom realities. The district also uses real-time data and teacher input to evolve its behavior support model, ensuring educators are not only trained, but truly prepared.

    By aligning lessons with the school performance plan, Clark County School District was able to decrease suspensions by 11 percent and discretionary exclusions by 17 percent.  

    Starting a new chapter in the classroom

    Behavior isn’t a side lesson–it’s foundational to learning. When we move beyond discipline and make behavior a part of daily instruction, the ripple effects are profound. Classrooms become more conducive to learning. Students and families develop life-long tools. And teachers are happier in their jobs, reducing the churn that has grown post-pandemic.

    The evidence is clear. School districts that invest in proactive, strategic behavior supports are building the kind of environments where students flourish and educators choose to stay. The next chapter in education depends on making behavior essential. Let’s teach it with the same care and intentionality we bring to every other subject–and give every learner the chance to succeed.

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    Dr. Tami Dean, The Equity Hour Podcast & Kareeme Hawkins, RethinkEd and Pivot Path Strategic Solutions

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  • Sacramento parents, students protest replacement of teacher over carpet removal

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    Nearly 100 parents and students gathered at Thursday’s Sacramento City Unified School District board meeting to protest the removal of Jeanine Rupert, a sixth-grade teacher at Phoebe A. Hearst Elementary School.The removal comes after an incident at the end of last school year, when Rupert and her students removed old carpeting from her classroom, which may have contained asbestos. “She was removed from the classroom without due process, without cause. And secretly!” James Frazee, a parent at the meeting, said. “This was done on a Friday before a three-day weekend, and told she can’t show up. And this is allegedly over pulling up carpet.”Parents and students spoke in support of Rupert, describing her as an incredible teacher and role model.”I think it’s a horrible loss for our school to lose her,” one student said.”Mrs. Rupert has been the leader. She’s been an absolute joy to the school,” a parent added. “She’s been somebody who’s constantly helping our students, not just in the classroom, but outside the classroom.”Another student expressed deep admiration for their teacher.”I personally think that Mrs. Rupert was just one of the most magical teachers, maybe in the history of the world,” they said.The district claims Rupert was removed after the carpet was taken out, but stated: “The District’s fact-gathering and investigation into the matter were just completed earlier this week. The determination was made that none of the asbestos tiles underneath the classroom carpet had been damaged when students were present. The removal of the carpet did not cause a disturbance that would cause exposure to asbestos.Nonetheless, now that the investigation is complete, District staff will begin the process of reaching out to individual families to reassure them of their student’s safety and provide any necessary support.”Rupert’s father attended the meeting, sharing that his daughter has been devastated by her removal. “She tried to get it replaced for five years, and she decided to take it on her own. She’s torn up. She’s given her life to Phoebe Hearst,” said Tim O’Brien, Rupert’s father.Many families are confused by the district’s handling of the situation. “It blows the mind to think that somebody would be removed for something like that. She has a track record of excellence in the classroom,” one parent said.”I can’t believe that she’s getting fired for one carpet. That doesn’t make any sense to me,” a student added.Community members organized quickly after the district changed Thursday night’s meeting time. Organizers were expected to give public comment at 6 p.m.”It was around 4 o’clock when it was supposed to be at 5,” one attendee said.”It was a complete lack of transparency because it was unclear when we were supposed to be able to come and speak,” another person at the meeting added.The district stated that Rupert was not fired and remains employed, but parents reported receiving an email from Principal Brooke Fahey indicating she has been replaced by another teacher set to start on Sept. 8. The district says, “Mrs. Rupert will be teaching at a different school this year.” KCRA posed multiple follow-up questions to the district regarding the situation, including where Rupert will be teaching, and has yet to hear back. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    Nearly 100 parents and students gathered at Thursday’s Sacramento City Unified School District board meeting to protest the removal of Jeanine Rupert, a sixth-grade teacher at Phoebe A. Hearst Elementary School.

    The removal comes after an incident at the end of last school year, when Rupert and her students removed old carpeting from her classroom, which may have contained asbestos.

    “She was removed from the classroom without due process, without cause. And secretly!” James Frazee, a parent at the meeting, said. “This was done on a Friday before a three-day weekend, and told she can’t show up. And this is allegedly over pulling up carpet.”

    Parents and students spoke in support of Rupert, describing her as an incredible teacher and role model.

    “I think it’s a horrible loss for our school to lose her,” one student said.

    “Mrs. Rupert has been the leader. She’s been an absolute joy to the school,” a parent added. “She’s been somebody who’s constantly helping our students, not just in the classroom, but outside the classroom.”

    Another student expressed deep admiration for their teacher.

    “I personally think that Mrs. Rupert was just one of the most magical teachers, maybe in the history of the world,” they said.

    The district claims Rupert was removed after the carpet was taken out, but stated:

    “The District’s fact-gathering and investigation into the matter were just completed earlier this week. The determination was made that none of the asbestos tiles underneath the classroom carpet had been damaged when students were present. The removal of the carpet did not cause a disturbance that would cause exposure to asbestos.

    Nonetheless, now that the investigation is complete, District staff will begin the process of reaching out to individual families to reassure them of their student’s safety and provide any necessary support.”

    Rupert’s father attended the meeting, sharing that his daughter has been devastated by her removal.

    “She tried to get it replaced for five years, and she decided to take it on her own. She’s torn up. She’s given her life to Phoebe Hearst,” said Tim O’Brien, Rupert’s father.

    Many families are confused by the district’s handling of the situation.

    “It blows the mind to think that somebody would be removed for something like that. She has a track record of excellence in the classroom,” one parent said.

    “I can’t believe that she’s getting fired for one carpet. That doesn’t make any sense to me,” a student added.

    Community members organized quickly after the district changed Thursday night’s meeting time. Organizers were expected to give public comment at 6 p.m.

    “It was around 4 o’clock when it was supposed to be at 5,” one attendee said.

    “It was a complete lack of transparency because it was unclear when we were supposed to be able to come and speak,” another person at the meeting added.

    The district stated that Rupert was not fired and remains employed, but parents reported receiving an email from Principal Brooke Fahey indicating she has been replaced by another teacher set to start on Sept. 8.

    The district says, “Mrs. Rupert will be teaching at a different school this year.”

    KCRA posed multiple follow-up questions to the district regarding the situation, including where Rupert will be teaching, and has yet to hear back.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • One-third of U.S. public schools screen students for mental health

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    This press release originally appeared on the RAND site.

    Key points:

    Nearly one-third of the nation’s K-12 U.S. public schools mandate mental health screening for students, with most offering in-person treatment or referral to a community mental health professional if a student is identified as having depression or anxiety, according to a new study.

    About 40 percent of principals surveyed said it was very hard or somewhat hard to ensure that students receive appropriate care, while 38 percent said it was easy or very easy to find adequate care for students. The findings are published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

    “Our results suggest that there are multiple barriers to mental health screening in schools, including a lack of resources and knowledge of screening mechanics, as well as concerns about increased workload of identifying students,” said Jonathan Cantor, the study’s lead author and a policy researcher at RAND, a nonprofit research organization.

    In 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General declared a youth mental health emergency. Researchers say that public schools are strategic resources for screening, treatment, and referral for mental health services for young people who face barriers in other settings.

    Researchers wanted to understand screening for mental health at U.S. public schools, given increased concerns about youth mental health following the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In October 2024, the RAND study surveyed 1,019 principals who participate in the RAND American School Leader panel, a nationally representative sample of K–12 public school principals.

    They were asked whether their school mandated screening for mental health issues, what steps are taken if a student is identified as having depression or anxiety, and how easy or difficult it is to ensure that such students received adequate services.

    Researchers found that 30.5 percent of responding principals said their school required screening of students with mental health problems, with nearly 80 percent reporting that parents typically are notified if students screen positive for depression or anxiety.

    More than 70 percent of principals reported that their school offers in-person treatment for students who screen positive, while 53 percent of principals said they may refer a student to a community mental health care professional.

    The study found higher rates of mental health screenings in schools with 450 or more students and in districts with mostly racial and ethnic minority groups as the student populations.

    “Policies that promote federal and state funding for school mental health, reimbursement for school-based mental health screening, and adequate school mental health staff ratios may increase screening rates and increase the likelihood of successfully connecting the student to treatment,” Cantor said.

    Support for the study was provided by the National Institute of Mental Health.

    Other authors of the study are Ryan K. McBain, Aaron Kofner, Joshua Breslau, and Bradley D. Stein, all of RAND; Jacquelin Rankine of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Fang Zhang, Hao Yu, and Alyssa Burnett, all of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute; and Ateev Mehrotra of the Brown University School of Public Health.

    RAND Health Care promotes healthier societies by improving health care systems in the United States and other countries.

    eSchool News Staff
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  • Students can’t get into basic college courses, dragging out their time in school

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    As colleges reopen for the fall, new research has pinpointed a problem keeping students from graduating on time: Classes required for their majors aren’t taught during the semesters they need them, or fill up so quickly that no seats are left.

    Colleges and universities manage only about 15% of the time to provide required courses when their students need to take them, according to research by Ad Astra, which provides scheduling software to 550 universities. It’s among the major reasons fewer than half of students graduate on time, raising the cost of a degree in time and money.

    Now, with widespread layoffs, budget cuts and enrollment declines on many campuses — including in California — the problem is expected to get worse.

    “What is more foundational to what we do as colleges and universities than offering courses to students so they can graduate?” asked Tom Shaver, founder and chief executive of Ad Astra.

    Fifty-seven percent of students at all levels of higher education spend more time and money on college because their campuses don’t offer required courses when they need them, Ad Astra found in an earlier study last year.

    Independent scholars and university administrators generally confirm the finding.

    “We’re forcing students to literally decelerate their progress to degrees, by telling them to do something they can’t actually do,” Shaver said.

    Scheduling university and college courses is complex. Yet rather than use advanced technology to do it, many institutions still rely on methods that include producing hard-copy spreadsheets, according to some administrators.

    Difficulties at California State University

    The cash-strapped California State University system has eliminated 1,430 course sections this year across seven of its 23 campuses, or 7% of the total at those campuses, a spokeswoman, Amy Bentley-Smith, confirmed. These include sections of required courses.

    At Cal State Los Angeles, for example, the number of sections of a required Introduction to American Government course has been reduced from 14 to nine.

    Emilee Xie, a senior geology major, said required upper-division courses fill up quickly. It’s common to apply for a class needed to graduate, end up on a wait list — and have to apply again next semester.

    “It is what it is,” said Xie, of San Gabriel. Her parents ask her whether she plans to graduate soon and her advisors tell her she’s on track to graduate in spring 2026. But she’s not so sure.

    Those geology classes, due to the small size of her department, aren’t offered during the summer, when most students try to take classes they’ve missed during the academic year.

    “The more courses that aren’t offered as often, like my geology courses, the more expensive your degree will be,” she said.

    Professors at the beginning of the semester warned juniors Victoria Quiran and a friend, Gabriela Tapia, both biology majors, about how hard it would be to register for classes in upcoming semesters during the first days of class.

    Tapia and Quiran have struggled to get into required courses because there aren’t enough seats, they said. They’ve seen wait lists grow to as many as 40 students. Although the school provides advisors, the help can often feel impersonal, Tapia and Quiran said.

    “A bunch of us are first-[generation students] who don’t have anyone to guide us,” Quiran said.

    Consequences mount

    In addition to taking longer and spending more to graduate, students who are shut out of required courses often change their majors or drop out, according to research by Kevin Mumford, director of the Purdue University Research Center in Economics.

    Together with economists at Brigham Young University, Mumford found that when first-year students at Purdue couldn’t get into a required course, they were 35 percentage points less likely to ever take it and 25 percentage points less likely to enroll in any other course in the same subject.

    Students at U.S. colleges and universities already spend more time and money getting their degrees than they expect to. According to a 2019 national survey by a research institute at UCLA, 90% of freshmen say they plan to finish a bachelor’s degree within four years or less. But federal data show that fewer than half of them do. More than a third still haven’t graduated after six years.

    At community colleges nationwide, students who can’t get into courses they need are up to 28% more likely to take no classes at all that term, contributing to graduation delays, a 2021 study by UC Santa Cruz and the nonprofit Mathematica said.

    An increase in students with double majors, minors and concentrations has further complicated the process. So do the challenges confronted by part-time and older students, who typically don’t live on campus and juggle families and jobs; such students are expected to account for a growing proportion of enrollment as the number of 18- to 24-year-olds declines.

    “There are so many obstacles students face, from transportation to work schedules to child care. Some can only take classes in the afternoon or on the weekends,” said Matt Jamison, associate vice president of academic success at Front Range Community College in Colorado.

    Meanwhile, “we have instructors that have [outside] jobs and aren’t always available. And faculty can teach only so many courses.”

    Several colleges and universities are turning to more online courses. In California’s rural Central Valley, for example, community college students struggled to get into the advanced mathematics courses needed for STEM degrees.

    In response, UC Merced launched a pilot program during the summer to offer these required classes online.

    Improving the scheduling of required courses seems a comparatively simple way for universities to raise student success rates, Mumford said.

    “This seems like a much cheaper thing to solve than many of the other interventions they’re considering,” he said.

    Marcus is a reporter for the Hechinger Report, which produced this story and is a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. McDonald is a Times staff writer.

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    John Marcus, Sandra McDonald

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  • 5 ways to infuse AI into your classroom this school year

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    Key points:

    As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the educational landscape, teachers have a unique opportunity to model how to use it responsibly, creatively, and strategically.

    Rather than viewing AI as a threat or distraction, we can reframe it as a tool for empowerment and efficiency–one that allows us to meet student needs in more personalized, inclusive, and imaginative ways. Whether you’re an AI beginner or already experimenting with generative tools, here are five ways to infuse AI into your classroom this school year:

    1. Co-plan lessons with an AI assistant

    AI platforms like ChatGPT, Eduaide.ai, and MagicSchool.ai can generate lesson frameworks aligned to standards, differentiate tasks for diverse learners, and offer fresh ideas for student engagement. Teachers can even co-create activities with students by prompting AI together in real time.

    Try this: Ask your AI assistant to create a standards-aligned lesson that includes a formative check and a scaffold for ELLs–then adjust to your style and class needs.

    2. Personalize feedback without the time drain

    AI can streamline your feedback process by suggesting draft comments on student work based on rubrics you provide. This is particularly helpful for writing-intensive courses or project-based learning.

    Ethical reminder: Always review and personalize AI-generated feedback to maintain professional judgment and student trust.

    3. Support multilingual learners in real time

    AI tools like Google Translate, Microsoft Immersive Reader, and Read&Write can help bridge language gaps by offering simplified texts, translated materials, and visual vocabulary support.

    Even better: Teach students to use these tools independently to foster agency and access.

    4. Teach AI literacy as a 21st-century skill

    Students are already using AI–let’s teach them to use it well. Dedicate time to discuss how AI works, how to prompt effectively, and how to critically evaluate its outputs for bias, credibility, and accuracy.

    Try this mini-lesson: “3 Prompts, 3 Results.” Have students input the same research question into three AI tools and compare the results for depth, accuracy, and tone.

    5. Automate the tedious–refocus on relationships

    From generating rubrics and newsletters to drafting permission slips and analyzing formative assessment data, AI can reduce the clerical load. This frees up your most valuable resource: time.

    Pro tip: Use AI to pre-write behavior plans, follow-up emails, or even lesson exit ticket summaries.

    The future of AI

    AI won’t replace teachers–but teachers who learn how to use AI thoughtfully may find themselves with more energy, better tools, and deeper student engagement than ever before. As the school year begins, let’s lead by example and embrace AI not as a shortcut, but as a catalyst for growth.

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    Timothy Montalvo, Iona University

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  • Brevard Schools fast-track students into careers with hands-on programs

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    Brevard Public Schools showcased several programs at local schools meant to get students on a faster path to a career in medicine, engineering, culinary arts and even space.WESH 2 got an exclusive look at the career-centered programs giving these students hands-on experience to do crucial jobs.“I love this program, I wish my parents would have had this growing up,” senior Madison Fostvedt said.Her parents are both in the medical field. She’s part of the nursing program at Melbourne High School. It recently partnered with Health First to streamline students directly to jobs at their hospitals.“I’m gonna apply at Holmes Regional to start as a CNA,” Fostvedt said. “Then I’m gonna go to Eastern Florida or Keiser to start getting my nursing degree.”Over in the kitchen, the culinary program at Melbourne High has students catering local events. They whipped up some chocolate chip cookies and bananas Foster on Thursday.We then went to Palm Bay Magnet High School. Students in their fire academy practice search and rescue, and later this year, students like Bryce Medina will have an opportunity to complete a live burn for the first time.”This gives you a jumpstart more than anyone just joining,” Medina said. “It’s a great opportunity.”The school also has an engineering program that partners with NASA. It’s called the HUNCH program: High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware. It was one of NASA’s first engineering programs in Brevard County.”You see the big companies like SpaceX. You see big companies like Blue Origin– not just NASA jobs but commercial jobs because we are changing the way information moves right here in Brevard County,” Congressman Mike Haridopolos said. “These students are gonna have a bright future because high-paying jobs are waiting for them.”Congressman Haridopolos toured the programs on Thursday to see the impact of public dollars going toward our students.”To have this hands-on training, learning firsthand from the professionals who actually do it, really remarkable thing,” Haridopolos said.VyStar Credit Union is also partnering with the district to bring a business program to Melbourne High School.

    BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. —

    Brevard Public Schools showcased several programs at local schools meant to get students on a faster path to a career in medicine, engineering, culinary arts and even space.

    WESH 2 got an exclusive look at the career-centered programs giving these students hands-on experience to do crucial jobs.

    “I love this program, I wish my parents would have had this growing up,” senior Madison Fostvedt said.

    Her parents are both in the medical field. She’s part of the nursing program at Melbourne High School. It recently partnered with Health First to streamline students directly to jobs at their hospitals.

    “I’m gonna apply at Holmes Regional to start as a CNA,” Fostvedt said. “Then I’m gonna go to Eastern Florida or Keiser to start getting my nursing degree.”

    Over in the kitchen, the culinary program at Melbourne High has students catering local events. They whipped up some chocolate chip cookies and bananas Foster on Thursday.

    We then went to Palm Bay Magnet High School. Students in their fire academy practice search and rescue, and later this year, students like Bryce Medina will have an opportunity to complete a live burn for the first time.

    “This gives you a jumpstart more than anyone just joining,” Medina said. “It’s a great opportunity.”

    The school also has an engineering program that partners with NASA. It’s called the HUNCH program: High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware. It was one of NASA’s first engineering programs in Brevard County.

    “You see the big companies like SpaceX. You see big companies like Blue Origin– not just NASA jobs but commercial jobs because we are changing the way information moves right here in Brevard County,” Congressman Mike Haridopolos said. “These students are gonna have a bright future because high-paying jobs are waiting for them.”

    Congressman Haridopolos toured the programs on Thursday to see the impact of public dollars going toward our students.

    “To have this hands-on training, learning firsthand from the professionals who actually do it, really remarkable thing,” Haridopolos said.

    VyStar Credit Union is also partnering with the district to bring a business program to Melbourne High School.

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  • Washington Teen Allowed Back to School After Getting Caught with Loaded Gun – KXL

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    ARLINGTON, Wash. — A student at Arlington High School will be allowed to return to classes when they begin next week.  At least that is the plan for now according to Arlington Public Schools.

    A 14-year-old student was caught at school in February with a handgun that reportedly had a bullet in the chamber and also had a magazine full of bullets.  That student was expelled and charged with a felony.

    Fast forward to the 2025-2026 school year and the district says the student will be allowed to attend classes, but will have special rules to follow including the fact that they may not bring a backpack to school.  They’ll also be monitored daily.

    Many of the social media outlests have featured chatter from concerend parents.

    More about:

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    Brett Reckamp

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  • Police respond to a report of an active shooter at Villanova University

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    Police responded Thursday to a report of an active shooter on the campus of Villanova University, sparking panic among students days before the start of classes.Related video above: Aerial footage shows the scene at Villanova on Thursday afternoonStudents shared a text from the Villanova alert system that told them to lock and barricade doors and move to secure locations. A second alert from Villanova officials warned people to stay away from the law school.In posts on X and Facebook, Radnor Township told nearby residents and students to shelter in place. Around 5:50 p.m. ET, the police department again posted to social media saying that the incident remained active, but that there were “NO reported victims.”The police department said its officers and “assisting units” were “continuing to clear buildings at Villanova University.” Radnor police advised anyone who was shetering in place to stay put “unil a police officer guides you.”Videos posted on social media showed a crowd being rushed inside a building on campus. New student orientation and registration started Thursday and is scheduled to go until Saturday. Classes begin Monday.Aerial scenes showed several emergency vehicles on the scene and armed officers milling about at the entrance of a parking garage.Brandon Ambrosino, a professor of theology and ethics at Villanova who was not on campus at the time, said most faculty members were not on campus, but students moved in on Wednesday. He said he and colleagues were struggling to find information about the active shooter during the chaotic afternoon.“None of my colleagues know what’s happening. We’re messaging back and forth,” Ambrosino said.Ambrosino said he was concerned for the safety of students.“Yeah, terrifying. Obviously, it’s our nightmare scenario. I feel terrible for these kids,” he said.State Rep. Lisa Borowski, whose district includes Villanova, said that at about 5 p.m. she received a text from Radnor Township Police and Villanova campus police for local residents to shelter in place.“I am very worried and very concerned,” Borowski said.Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said he was aware of the active shooter report and was monitoring.Villanova University is a private Catholic university in the Philadelphia suburbs. It borders Lower Merion Township and Radnor Township at the center of the city’s wealthy Main Line neighborhoods.The Augustinian school got extra attention this year as the alma mater of new Pope Leo XIV. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

    VILLANOVA, Pa. —

    Police responded Thursday to a report of an active shooter on the campus of Villanova University, sparking panic among students days before the start of classes.

    Related video above: Aerial footage shows the scene at Villanova on Thursday afternoon

    Students shared a text from the Villanova alert system that told them to lock and barricade doors and move to secure locations. A second alert from Villanova officials warned people to stay away from the law school.

    In posts on X and Facebook, Radnor Township told nearby residents and students to shelter in place. Around 5:50 p.m. ET, the police department again posted to social media saying that the incident remained active, but that there were “NO reported victims.”

    The police department said its officers and “assisting units” were “continuing to clear buildings at Villanova University.”

    Radnor police advised anyone who was shetering in place to stay put “unil a police officer guides you.”

    Videos posted on social media showed a crowd being rushed inside a building on campus. New student orientation and registration started Thursday and is scheduled to go until Saturday. Classes begin Monday.

    Aerial scenes showed several emergency vehicles on the scene and armed officers milling about at the entrance of a parking garage.

    Brandon Ambrosino, a professor of theology and ethics at Villanova who was not on campus at the time, said most faculty members were not on campus, but students moved in on Wednesday. He said he and colleagues were struggling to find information about the active shooter during the chaotic afternoon.

    “None of my colleagues know what’s happening. We’re messaging back and forth,” Ambrosino said.

    Ambrosino said he was concerned for the safety of students.

    “Yeah, terrifying. Obviously, it’s our nightmare scenario. I feel terrible for these kids,” he said.

    State Rep. Lisa Borowski, whose district includes Villanova, said that at about 5 p.m. she received a text from Radnor Township Police and Villanova campus police for local residents to shelter in place.

    “I am very worried and very concerned,” Borowski said.

    Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said he was aware of the active shooter report and was monitoring.

    Villanova University is a private Catholic university in the Philadelphia suburbs. It borders Lower Merion Township and Radnor Township at the center of the city’s wealthy Main Line neighborhoods.

    The Augustinian school got extra attention this year as the alma mater of new Pope Leo XIV.

    This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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  • Mental health screeners help ID hidden needs, research finds

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    Key points:

    A new DESSA screener to be released for the Fall ‘25 school year–designed to be paired with a strength-based student self-report assessment–accurately predicted well-being levels in 70 percent of students, a study finds.  

    According to findings from Riverside Insights, creator of research-backed assessments, researchers found that even students with strong social-emotional skills often struggle with significant mental health concerns, challenging the assumption that resilience alone indicates student well-being. The study, which examined outcomes in 254 middle school students across the United States, suggests that combining risk and resilience screening can enable identification of students who would otherwise be missed by traditional approaches. 

    “This research validates what school mental health professionals have been telling us for years–that traditional screening approaches miss too many students,” said Dr. Evelyn Johnson, VP of Research & Development at Riverside Insights. “When educators and counselors can utilize a dual approach to identify risk factors, they can pinpoint concerns and engage earlier, in and in a targeted way, before concerns become major crises.”

    The study, which offered evidence of, for example, social skills deficits among students with no identifiable or emotional behavioral concerns, provides the first empirical evidence that consideration of both risk and resilience can enhance the predictive benefits of screening, when compared to  strengths-based screening alone.

    In the years following COVID, many educators noted a feeling that something was “off” with students, despite DESSA assessments indicating that things were fine.

    “We heard this feedback from lots of different customers, and it really got our team thinking–we’re clearly missing something, even though the assessment of social-emotional skills is critically important and there’s evidence to show the links to better academic outcomes and better emotional well-being outcomes,” Johnson said. “And yet, we’re not tapping something that needs to be tapped.”

    For a long time, if a person displayed no outward or obvious mental health struggles, they were thought to be mentally healthy. In investigating the various theories and frameworks guiding mental health issues, Riverside Insight’s team dug into Dr. Shannon Suldo‘s work, which centers around the dual factor model.

    “What the dual factor approach really suggests is that the absence of problems is not necessarily equivalent to good mental health–there really are these two factors, dual factors, we talk about them in terms of risk and resilience–that really give you a much more complete picture of how a student is doing,” Johnson said.

    “The efficacy associated with this dual-factor approach is encouraging, and has big implications for practitioners struggling to identify risk with limited resources,” said Jim Bowler, general manager of the Classroom Division at Riverside Insights. “Schools told us they needed a way to identify students who might be struggling beneath the surface. The DESSA SEIR ensures no student falls through the cracks by providing the complete picture educators need for truly preventive mental health support.”

    The launch comes as mental health concerns among students reach crisis levels. More than 1 in 5 students considered attempting suicide in 2023, while 60 percent of youth with major depression receive no mental health treatment. With school psychologist-to-student ratios at 1:1065 (recommended 1:500) and counselor ratios at 1:376 (recommended 1:250), schools need preventive solutions that work within existing resources.

    The DESSA SEIR will be available for the 2025-2026 school year.

    This press release originally appeared online.

    eSchool News Staff
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  • COVID surges nationwide with highest rates in Southwest as students return to school

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    COVID-19 rates in the Southwestern United States reached 12.5% — the highest in the nation — according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this week. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County recorded the highest COVID levels in its wastewater since February.

    The spike, thanks to the new highly contagious “Stratus” variant, comes as students across California return to the classroom, now without a CDC recommendation that they receive updated COVID shots. That change in policy, pushed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been criticized by many public health experts.

    The COVID-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2, mutates often, learning to better transmit itself from person to person and evade immunity created by vaccinations and previous infections.

    The Stratus variant, first detected in Asia in January, reached the U.S. in March and became the predominant strain by the end of June. It now accounts for two-thirds of virus variants detected in wastewater in the U.S., according to the CDC.

    The nationwide COVID positivity rate hit 9% in early August, surpassing the January post-holiday surge, but still below last August’s spike to 18%. Weekly deaths, a metric that lags behind positivity rates, has so far remained low.

    In May, RFK Jr. announced the CDC had removed the COVID vaccine from its recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and healthy pregnant women.

    The secretary argued it was the right move to reverse the Biden administration’s policy, which in 2024, “urged healthy children to get yet another COVID shot, despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children.”

    That statement promptly spurred a lawsuit from a group of leading medical organizations — including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians and the American Public Health Assn. — which argued the “baseless and uninformed” decision violated federal law by failing to ground the policy on the recommendation of the scientific committee that looks at immunization practices in the U.S.

    The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has been routinely recommending updated COVID vaccinations alongside the typical yearly flu vaccination schedule. In its update for the fall 2024-spring 2025 season, it noted that in the previous year, a COVID booster decreased the risk of hospitalization by 44% and death by 23%.

    The panel argued the benefit outweighed isolated cases of heart conditions and allergic reactions associated with the vaccine.

    The panel also acknowledged that booster effectiveness decreases as new COVID strains — for which the boosters were not designed — emerge. Nevertheless, it still felt that most Americans should get booster shots.

    The CDC estimates that only about 23% of adults and 13% of children received the 2024-25 COVID booster — even with the vaccine recommendation still in place. That’s compared to roughly half of adults and children who received the updated flu shot in the same time frame.

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    Noah Haggerty

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  • ‘I can’t see the players’: Blind high school football player breaks barriers

    ‘I can’t see the players’: Blind high school football player breaks barriers

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    WE’LL GO THROUGH THE SEVEN DAY FORECAST IN ABOUT 20 MINUTES. ALL RIGHT. SOUNDS GOOD. HEATHER. THANKS. ALL RIGHT. A MODESTO TEEN FOOTBALL PLAYER IS BREAKING BARRIERS AT SEVEN YEARS OLD. JASON BRACEY LOST HIS VISION THAT DID NOT STOP HIM FROM BECOMING A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER. KCRA 3’S CATALINA ESTRADA HAS HIS STORY. ESPARTA 18 YEAR OLD JASON BRACEY IS UNSTOPPABLE ON THE FIELD. IT’S A LOT. I MEAN, FOOTBALL IS. FOOTBALL IS LIKE WHAT I BREATHE IN AND BREATHE OUT FROM STARTING QUARTERBACK TO NOSE GUARD. HIS GAME PLAN IS ALWAYS TO DEFY THE ODDS. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I GET KNOCKED DOWN TO THE GROUND, I’M GOING TO GET BACK UP AND FIGHT. FIGHTING IS PART OF HIS DNA. AT ONE YEAR OLD, JASON WAS DIAGNOSED WITH RETINAL CANCER. HE HAD TUMORS IN THE RETINAS OF BOTH OF HIS EYES. BY THE TIME HE TURNED SEVEN, HE WAS BLIND. WALK UP, WALK UP RIGHT THERE. STILL, THAT DIDN’T STOP HIM FROM PURSUING HIS DREAM TO PLAY FOOTBALL. NUMBER 15. HE WANTED TO PLAY. HE WAS HIS OWN ADVOCATE. ONCE HE BECAME OLD ENOUGH AND STARTED CALLING AROUND TO SOME OF THE LOCAL YOUTH TEAMS, THE MODESTO RAIDERS WAS THE ONLY TEAM THAT GAVE HIM AN OPPORTUNITY DOING WHAT HE LOVES TAKES PRACTICE ON AND OFF THE FIELD, BRACEY MEMORIZES EVERY PLAY AND WHERE THE PLAYERS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE. I CAN’T SEE THE PLAYERS SO REPS IS. I HAVE A CONSISTENT AMOUNT OF REPS AND LEARN EVERY TIME I TAKE A REP TO, HEY, OKAY, SO THIS PLAY, MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS, DO THIS. MORE ON THIS PLAY. MAKE SURE YOU DO THAT. MORE FROM THE SIDELINES. HIS FATHER GUIDES HIM THROUGH A HEARING DEVICE IN HIS HELMET. GO PASS PASS PASS. LEFT LEFT LEFT. BASICALLY WHAT I TRY TO DO IS PAINT A MENTAL PICTURE FOR HIM OF WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS SEEING OUT ON THE FIELD. HE’S PROVEN TO BE AN OUTSTANDING PLAYER WITH HIS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM. THE EAGLES AND MODESTO. YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO AND I MEAN THAT FOR ME FOR A LOT OF THINGS. AND SO BASICALLY, BASICALLY, IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL YOU SAY IT’S OVER. AS HIS TIME AS AN EAGLE COMES TO AN END, THIS SEASON, HE SAYS HIS FUTURE IN FOOTBALL IS JUST BEGINNING. GO TO COLLEGE AND TAKE MY, YOU KNOW, SKILLS TO THE NEXT LEVEL. IMPROVE AND GO TO THE NFL FROM THERE. BE OUT THERE AND MAKE IT HAPPEN. BROTHER. LOVE YOU MAN. IN TURLOCK CAROLINA ESTRADA KCRA THREE NEWS AND JASON BRACEY WILL BE GRADUATIN

    ‘I can’t see the players’: Blind high school football player breaks barriers

    Jasen Bracy’s game plan is always to defy the odds. The 18-year-old high school football player is completely blind, but that doesn’t stop him from going out to the football field to do what he loves. “Football is like what I breathe in, breathe out,” said Bracy. At a young age, Bracy was diagnosed with retinal cancer. His father, Jasen Bracy Sr., said he had tumors in the retinas of both eyes and by the time he turned 7 years old, he was blind. “Now, he’s just in complete darkness,” said Bracy Sr. At the age of 13, Bracy Jr. knew he wanted to become a football player, so he took matters into his own hands. “Once he became old enough and started calling around to some of the local youth teams, the Modesto Raiders was the only team that gave him a opportunity,” said Bracy Sr.Doing what he loves takes practice on and off the field. Bracy Jr. memorizes every play and where the players are supposed to be. “Reps is a big thing for football and for me, especially reps because I can’t see the players,” said Bracy Jr. From the sidelines, his father guides him through a hearing device in his helmet. “Basically, what I try to do is paint a mental picture for him of what everybody else is seeing out on the field,” said Bracy Sr.Bracy Jr. has been a starting quarterback and is now a nose guard with his high school football team, the Enochs Eagles, in Modesto, California.”You can do whatever you put your mind to,” said Bracy Jr.Friday night was his last game with the Enoch Eagles before he graduates next year, but he said his football career is just beginning. “Go to college and take my, you know, skills to the next level, improve and go to NFL from there,” said Bracy Jr.

    Jasen Bracy’s game plan is always to defy the odds.

    The 18-year-old high school football player is completely blind, but that doesn’t stop him from going out to the football field to do what he loves.

    “Football is like what I breathe in, breathe out,” said Bracy.

    At a young age, Bracy was diagnosed with retinal cancer.

    His father, Jasen Bracy Sr., said he had tumors in the retinas of both eyes and by the time he turned 7 years old, he was blind.

    “Now, he’s just in complete darkness,” said Bracy Sr.

    At the age of 13, Bracy Jr. knew he wanted to become a football player, so he took matters into his own hands.

    “Once he became old enough and started calling around to some of the local youth teams, the Modesto Raiders was the only team that gave him a opportunity,” said Bracy Sr.

    Doing what he loves takes practice on and off the field. Bracy Jr. memorizes every play and where the players are supposed to be.

    “Reps is a big thing for football and for me, especially reps because I can’t see the players,” said Bracy Jr.

    From the sidelines, his father guides him through a hearing device in his helmet.

    “Basically, what I try to do is paint a mental picture for him of what everybody else is seeing out on the field,” said Bracy Sr.

    Bracy Jr. has been a starting quarterback and is now a nose guard with his high school football team, the Enochs Eagles, in Modesto, California.

    “You can do whatever you put your mind to,” said Bracy Jr.

    Friday night was his last game with the Enoch Eagles before he graduates next year, but he said his football career is just beginning.

    “Go to college and take my, you know, skills to the next level, improve and go to NFL from there,” said Bracy Jr.

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  • Baked-in bias or sweet equity: AI’s role in motivation and deep learning

    Baked-in bias or sweet equity: AI’s role in motivation and deep learning

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    Key points:

    In the quickly evolving landscape of AI, education stands at the forefront. New AI tools are emerging daily for educators and students; from AI tutors to curriculum creators, the AI education market is surging.

    However, the long-term impact of AI use on students is unknown. As educational AI research tries to keep up with AI development, questions remain surrounding the impact of AI use on student motivation and overall learning. These questions are particularly significant for students of color, who consistently encounter more systemic barriers than their white peers (Frausto et al., 2024).

    Emerging in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and related declines in student learning and motivation, AI refers to a broad range of technologies, including tools such as ChatGPT, that use vast data repositories to make decisions and problem-solve. Because the tool can assist with assignments like generating essays from prompts, students quickly integrated these technologies into the classroom. Although educators and administrators were slower to adopt these technologies, they have started using AI both to manage unregulated student usage and to streamline their work with AI-powered grading tools. While the use of AI in education remains controversial, it is clear that it is here to stay and, if anything, is rapidly evolving. The question remains: Can AI enhance students’ motivation and learning?

    A recent rapid review of research concluded that students’ motivation is impacted by their experiences in and out of the classroom. The review highlights how student motivation is shaped by more than just individual attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, and traits, but it does not comprehensively address the effects of AI on student motivation (Frausto et al., 2024).

    To understand how AI may impact the motivation and learning of students of color, we need to examine the nature of AI itself. AI learns and develops based on preexisting datasets, which often reflect societal biases and racism. This reliance on biased data can lead to skewed and potentially harmful outputs. For example, AI-generated images are prone to perpetuating stereotypes and cliches, such as exclusively generating images of leaders as white men in suits. Similarly, if we were to use AI to generate a leadership curriculum, it would be prone to create content that aligns with this stereotype. Not only does this further enforce the stereotype and subject students to it, but it can create unrelatable content leading students of color to disengage from learning and lose motivation in the course altogether (Frausto et al., 2024).

    This is not to say that AI is a unique potential detractor. Discrimination is a persistent factor in the real world that affects students’ motivational and learning experiences, and similar bias has previously been seen in non-AI learning and motivation tools that have been created based on research centering predominantly white, middle-class students (Frausto et al., 2024). If anything, AI only serves as a reflection of the biases that exist within the broader world and education sphere; AI learns from real data, and the biases it perpetuates reflect societal trends. The biases of AI are not mystical; they are very much a mirror of our own. For example, teachers also demonstrate comparable levels of bias to the world around them.

    When we think about current AI use in education, these baked-in biases can already be cause for concern. On the student use end, AIs have demonstrated subtle racism in the form of a dialect prejudice: students using African American Vernacular English (AAVE) may find that the AIs they communicate with offer them less favorable recommendations than their peers. For teachers, similar bias may impact the grades AI-powered programs assign students, preferring the phrasing and cultural perspectives used in white students’ essays over those of students of color. These are just a few examples of the biases present in current AI use in education, but they already raise alarms. Similar human-to-human instances of discrimination, such as from teachers and peers, have been linked to decreased motivation and learning in students of color (Frausto et al., 2024). In this way, it seems AI and its biases may be situated to serve as another obstacle that students of color are required to face; AI learning tools and supports that have been designed for and tested on white students to a positive effect may negatively affect students of color due to inbuilt biases. 

    For humans, we recommend anti-bias practices to overcome these perceptions. With AI, we may yet have an opportunity to incorporate similar bias awareness and anti-discriminatory practices. Such training for AI has been a prominent point in the conversation around responsible AI creation and use for several years, with companies such as Google releasing AI guidelines with an emphasis on addressing bias in AI systems development. Approaching the issue of AI bias with intentionality can help to circumvent discriminative outputs, such as by intentionally selecting large and diverse datasets to train AI from and rigorously testing them with diverse populations to ensure equitable outcomes. However, even after these efforts, AI systems may remain biased toward certain cultures and contexts. Even good intentions to support student learning and motivation with AI may lead to unintended outcomes for underrepresented groups.

    While AI-education integration is already occurring rapidly, there is an opportunity to address and understand the potential for bias and discrimination from the outset. Although we cannot be certain of AI’s impact on the motivational and educational outcomes for students of color, research sets a precedent for bias as a detractor. By approaching the implementation of AI in education with intentionality and inclusivity of perspectives, as well as awareness of potential harm, we can try to circumvent the inevitable and instead create an AI-powered learning environment that enhances the learning experiences of all students.

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    Eliana Whitehouse, EduDream

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  • Judge halts expulsion of 5th grader over rap lyrics, squirt gun emoji until trial

    Judge halts expulsion of 5th grader over rap lyrics, squirt gun emoji until trial

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    A judge has ruled that an elite Mulholland Drive private school must reverse the expulsion of a 5th grade student over emails sent to a peer containing rap lyrics and the squirt gun emoji until the case can be heard at trial.

    On Oct. 17, the parents of the expelled student filed a lawsuit against the Curtis School and Head of School Meera Ratnesar, alleging that the expulsion was “arbitrary and capricious” and that the school provided no evidence of a policy being violated or of the classmate feeling threatened.

    This week Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen I. Goorvitch approved an order filed by the parent’s attorneys to temporarily halt the boy’s expulsion, according to court papers filed Thursday. The attorneys argued that expulsion is a harmful disruption to the student’s education and socialization, according to court documents.

    The judge’s order took effect immediately and the student was free to return to school on Friday, according to court documents. However, the decision can be reconsidered if evidence emerges that the student poses a danger to students or faculty, and the school remains at liberty to impose alternative disciplinary measures, according to court documents.

    The Curtis School is a prestigious elementary school with an annual tuition of $38,000 where many celebrities, such as Victoria and David Beckham, have sent their children.

    School representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the order. In a statement shared last week, the school said it was disappointed by the litigation and committed to ensuring a safe and secure campus for all, but it declined to comment on individual students.

    The student was expelled by Ratnesar on Oct. 1 over two email exchanges with a classmate.

    On Sept. 5, the boy and a classmate sent emails back and forth containing lyrics from the YNW Melly song “Murder on My Mind,” which references guns and violence, according to court documents. Then on Sept. 25, the students engaged in another email exchange during their math class in which the boy sent messages on his school-issued laptop saying, “Shut up” and “I hate you” and included several green squirt gun emojis, and then said, “You dead yet,” to which the classmate responded, “No y.”

    The parents allege that the boys are friends and hung out together immediately following the email exchanges, according to court documents. They also say that their son is a straight-A student who has faced no prior disciplinary action during his three years at the school, according to court documents.

    No disciplinary action was taken against the classmate, who, according to email records, instigated the Sept. 5 exchange of rap lyrics.

    “We are deeply disappointed by your decision to base expulsion on emails between two classmates who both showed a willingness to talk about guns based on a song’s lyrics,” the parents wrote in an Oct. 2 email to Ratnesar, urging her to reconsider the expulsion.

    Ratnesar acknowledged in an Oct. 1 email that the classmate started the email exchange but said their son’s “contribution of lyric lines in addition to continuing to communicate threatening emojis and language 20 days after the lyric exchange, is a serious infraction that we cannot ignore.”

    The parents’ attorneys allege that Ratnesar has a reputation for “unequal and arbitrary treatment of students” and point to, as evidence, several reviews left by former families at the school that discuss alleged favoritism and discriminatory treatment by the head of school.

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    Clara Harter

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  • HMH Launches New Generative AI-Powered Classroom Engagement Tool to Support Whole Class Instruction

    HMH Launches New Generative AI-Powered Classroom Engagement Tool to Support Whole Class Instruction

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    BOSTON/PRNewswire/ —  Adaptive learning company  HMH today announced HMH Classcraft’s ™ AI Summarization tool, which allows teachers to quickly understand student comprehension and adapt instruction in the moment. This innovative tool, powered by generative AI, analyzes open text responses from students working in small groups or individually and provides educators with a quick and insightful summary of how the class is doing, followed by helpful feedback recommendations.

    This new functionality makes it easier for educators to  use proven instructional strategies like “turn and talk,” a common teaching method where peers discuss relevant classroom content with one another. Classcraft allows students to submit written comments during turn and talk conversations, which are then intelligently summarized by the GenAI and shared with the educator.

    Although teachers are adept at reading the faces and body language of their students, it can be difficult to gauge understanding in real-time when 15 pairs of students are having conversations simultaneously. With Classcraft‘s summarization functionality, teachers have a window into peer-to-peer discussions that would otherwise not be possible.

    For instance, as students discuss natural wonders of the world and submit their observations, the tool might summarize comments into a few succinct bullets:

    • “Students displayed creativity and personal engagement with the topic, showing varied interest in Earth’s natural wonders through imaginative comparisons and personal anecdotes”
    • “They understood the uniqueness and excitement of natural wonders, appreciating their physical characteristics and the rare phenomena they represent”
    • “Some students struggled to grasp the broader significance of why these places are considered wonders, focusing instead on personal or less scientifically relevant aspects, like comparing wonders to their backyards or questioning the global rarity of phenomena”

    These helpful summaries enable educators to quickly identify key themes and concepts from student conversations, improving their ability to provide personalized, effective support in real time and increasing student engagement during whole class instruction.

    “At HMH, we are listening to educators, and we know where the pain points lie with whole-class instruction. We are committed to offering tools that address the most pressing challenges for educators,” said Shawn Young, SVP of Product Management and Strategy at HMH. “We know saving them time and helping them engage students is key. Classcraft’s new GenAI-powered summarization tool does both.”

    The development of the AI Summarization tool combines best-in-class AI models, pedagogical expertise, and feedback from teachers to improve the day-to-day teaching and learning experience.

    Classcraft facilitates immersive and dynamic learning experiences that help educators deliver engaging, standards-aligned, high-impact and responsive instruction in real time. Districts and schools across the US have been using Classcraft, and now the AI Summarization tool, and have reported initial successes and great potential. Classcraft will be releasing exciting new features and functionality throughout the school year. Learn more about Classcraft  here.

    About HMH
    HMH is an adaptive learning company that helps educators create growth for every student. Our integrated curriculum, assessment and professional learning solutions use data to paint a full picture of every learner and recommend how to best support their needs. By partnering with educators, we create lasting momentum so that all students can reach their full potential. HMH serves more than 50 million students and 4 million educators in 150 countries. For more information, visit  www.hmhco.com.

    eSchool News Staff
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    ESchool News Staff

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