TOP NEWS Star Tribune A lawsuit alleging that Minnesota has failed students by enabling segregation in schools will move forward in the courts. The ruling settles the question that had paused the legal battle over school segregation: whether it was the role of the courts or the Legislature to determine what defines an adequate education. Read more>> Sponsored Sponsored by Integrify Workflow Automation What processes are leading school districts automating to improve efficiency and compliance? We provide several ideas for administrative areas and processes that can be streamlined with workflow automation. Read more>> WABC New York City is ending its use of 140 speed cameras to crack down on dangerous driving near schools after lawmakers in Albany didn't renew the program. The safety program expires Wednesday, and the state senate is not giving any indications it will attempt to renew it. Read more>> Los Angeles Times A federal appeals court decided that Chino Valley USD's school board meetings may not include prayers, proselytizing or the citing of Christian Scripture. The ruling upheld a 2016 injunction against the religious practices, noting that the meetings, which can include children and teenagers, are tied to the school district. Read more>> From DA Magazine Abby Spegman Some call design thinking a revolution in learning, while others see it as just the latest fad, better left to Silicon Valley charter schools. Read more>> Public Radio Tulsa The Oklahoma State Department of Education has expanded a summer externship program for teachers. Four times as many teachers are participating in the program’s second year, learning hands-on skills in science, technology, engineering and math through temporary gigs with Oklahoma companies. Read more>> The Wall Street Journal Some school districts are preparing for more immigrant students than usual this fall due to children who were separated from their parents at the border and others who came alone. Adding to the educators’ concern: many states face a shortage of bilingual teachers. Read more>> Argus Leader The $190 million Sioux Falls school bond already includes quite a bit for three new schools and more; what it won't include is the cost to staff those three new campuses. As part of the bond to ease overcrowding, the district plans to cap schools to maintain current student-to-teacher ratios of 24.5 to one. Read more>> OPINION NPR The government changed the complaint process for families trying to improve the accessibility of schools, resolve racial discrimination and address other equal-access issues. A lawsuit has been filed. Read more>> The Hechinger Report Many librarians say the “search hurdle” imposed by Dewey classification (a system originally designed for adults) significantly reduces the odds of a child finding something new they’re likely to enjoy. In a genrefied library, a young reader standing near a favorite book need only stick out a hand to find more like it. Read more>> The New York Times For a generation, American policymakers have been addicted to zero tolerance as a response to all social ills: crime, drugs, sexual violations—even misbehaving schoolchildren. But there have been plenty of injustices. To prevent future and continuing ones, we should adopt a new approach: zero tolerance for zero tolerance. Read more>> INDUSTRY NEWS Discovery Education Abilene ISD will soon begin implementing Discovery Education’s Digital Leader Corp professional learning system in all four middle schools. The launch of this new professional learning initiative, along with the district’s transition to the Discovery Education Streaming Plus digital content service, will help educators evolve their classroom practice. Read more>> Canvas/Instructure, Inc. Canvas by Instructure is offering Open Badges through Badgr as a native feature in Canvas. Badgr is an achievement recognition and tracking system built by Concentric Sky that is used to issue, organize and share Open Badges. Read more>> Eduporium Eduporium designed and built over 900 STEM kits that allowed students to practice real-world STEM skills, like coding, collaboration, engineering and problem solving. Each of these technologies provide multiple entry points for STEM and allow students to fine tune a number of different 21st century skills. Read more>> ✭ Visit the District Administration's PR Portal ✭ CONSTRUCTION WATCH WPRI Facing a tight deadline to have a $160-million school infrastructure bond question placed on the November ballot, the Providence City Council took the unusual approach of approving the proposal for the first time and then sending it to the Finance Committee to discuss the matter. Read more>> WTVD A public hearing on the matter is now scheduled for the N.C. district. A property-tax rate increase of 2.3 cents would pay for the $548 million school bond that would go toward covering construction costs on seven new schools and renovation projects on 11 others in fiscal years 2020 and 2021. Read more>> | 