TOP NEWS Detroit Free Press A state judge says Michigan's plans to distribute $5 million in public funding over two years to private schools to cover the cost of mandates violates the state constitution. The judge ordered the state not to distribute any of the money. Read more>> Sponsored Sponsored by Solution Tree At our RTI at Work Events, gain extensive access to nationally recognized experts who have successfully implemented RTI/MTSS in a variety of settings. Through interactive activities and engaging keynotes, they will show you how to build a powerful, tiered system of support that meets every student’s learning needs. Read more>> School Construction News There was a time when communities took school safety as a granted, but now states like Wisconsin are offering grants for school safety. Beginning this week, the Wisconsin Department of Justice started accepting applications for new school safety grants. Read more>> Las Vegas Review-Journal The requirements for a standard high school diploma were increased from 22.5 credits to 23, adding two credits to demonstrate college or career readiness while reducing elective courses from 7.5 to 6 credits. Read more>> New York Upstate A state lawmaker from New York City has authored a bill that would end riflery, trap shooting and archery as a sport in public schools. If approved, the change would take effect immediately, according to the current bill. Read more>> Albuquerque Journal Santa Fe Public Schools is looking to ramp up school safety measures at its 28 school sites, but they do not include placing armed police officers on campus—at least for now as the city's police force didn’t have the manpower to assign officers at school campuses. Read more>> The Charlotte Observer Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board members vowed to go on the offensive against town officials who want to open the door to municipal charter schools through a new House bill. The Matthews Board of Commissioners voted to approve a measure showing approval for legislation that would potentially allow the town to create their own school system. Read more>> From DA Magazine Brian Nadel The techniques for streamlining bus transportation range from a variety of off-the shelf routing programs to relying more on an administrator’s experience with local conditions. Read more>> OPINION Huffington Post Until now, we have been a world leader in science, medicine, technology, music, entertainment, the arts, sports and higher education. We can thank our teachers for that. Without the groundwork they provide, none of these achievements are possible. And without well-supported, professional teachers, we are hurting everyone. Read more>> Getting Smart In the wake of large-scale test score releases (especially those showing mediocre or negative results), political will for innovative educational programs often subsides. A system perspective shift toward whole-child development could stem this trend. Read more>> Education Dive Whether in elementary schools or high schools, English classes or science, graphic novels and comics are tools that can support reading skills and even embed lessons more clearly into students’ minds. The key is making sure educators walk students through both the pictures and the words—as both are crucial to unlocking a graphic novel. Read more>> District Administration Survey District Administration DA would like to interview administrators who are adopting design-thinking concepts into their curriculum. How does this philosophy of giving students independence to innovate, experiment and fail impact instruction and prepare students for the future? https://www.districtadministration.com/prnews/queries Read more>> INDUSTRY NEWS Automated Logic Corporation Building operators can better visualize key performance indicators when they upgrade to the latest WebCTRL building automation system, available this summer. The web-based platform's enhancements include custom reporting tools, color data mapping, fault detection and diagnostics, and more. Read more>> Illustrative Mathematics/W.K. Kellogg Foundation Building upon Illustrative Mathematics 6–8 Math Curriculum, the nonprofit will develop the curriculum framework and blueprints for pre-K through fifth-grade classrooms, along with unit modules and professional learning for kindergarten. Read more>> CTL CTL, a company specializing in rugged Chromebooks and Chrome Solutions, announced Google Jamboard as the newest addition to their line of Chrome solutions. It is a collaborative digital whiteboard built for the cloud and designed for use in corporate and education spaces. Read more>> ✭ Visit the District Administration's PR Portal ✭ PEOPLE WATCH WBAL The Maryland county's board of education has appointed Steven Lockard as the district's new superintendent. He succeeds Stephen Guthrie, who is retiring. Lockard was named deputy superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia in 2014. Read more>> WMAZ The Bartow County Board of Education approved Phillip Page as the Bartow County School System's new superintendent when Superintendent John Harper retires. Page is currently assistant superintendent for the Cobb County School District. Read more>> Missoula Current Former Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau is officially Seattle’s new schools’ boss. She is the city's first Native American school superintendent. Read more>> MLive Craig Hoekstra, currently the Michigan school district's assistant superintendent for instructional services, will take the reins as superintendent in July. He replaces retiring Thomas Reeder, who was at the helm for seven years and also an internal appointment. Read more>> | 