Report urges federal action on equitable funding for schools Steven Wyman-Blackburn The federal government must take “bold action” to make education funding more equitable, says a recent report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. To start, Congress should boost funding to states and districts that show they are devoting more resources to programs and facilities for underserved students. Read more>> Black History Month: Ta-Nehisi Coates's We Were Eight Years in Power Sponsored by Penguin Random House In these “urgently relevant essays", the National Book Award–winning author of Between the World and Me, “reflects on race, Barack Obama’s presidency and its jarring aftermath.” The book also includes the election of Donald Trump. We Were Eight Years in Power is a vital account of modern America. Read more>> How school shootings have changed the teaching profession NPR Education schools are now training teachers how to deal with an active shooter. One expert says it hasn't deterred teachers from applying, but it has changed the profession, for better or worse. If we get to the point where we were arming teachers, then we would see people leave in a great amount. Read more>> A lower-cost, higher-gains way to deliver professional development Sponsored by Corwin Don’t think you have time to design professional development (PD) sessions that are engaging and grounded in teacher practice? Corwin’s PD Resource Center provides the tools you need to lead a full-year PD initiative on topics such as Visible Learning and literacy. And it’s affordable for any school. Read more>> Consider when tests are taken in evaluating kindergarten readiness The Oregonian Oregon's testing window for administering kindergarten assessments is quite large, allowing for testing in the first six weeks of instruction. Frankly, data taken in October has more to do with how quickly children are taking in instruction than how ready they were when they arrived in class. Read more>> How to develop and build buy-in for a strategic plan that will drive results Sponsored by District Management Group Often, strategic plans are lengthy, unwieldy documents that sit on a shelf rather than drive action on a day-to-day basis. This framework will show you how to align diverse stakeholders to create a focused, prioritized strategic plan to help your district meet ever-mounting challenges and raise student achievement. Read more>> The must-have elements of quality project-based learning KQED Interest in project-based learning has exploded, and the practice can now be found in some form or another all over the United States. But while interest in projects is high, a deep understanding of what makes project work meaningful and impactful to students is less ubiquitous. Read more>> The need for mental health services for school safety WGRZ Very few people with mental health conditions will commit violent acts. But for those prone to violence, how do we stop them from slipping through the cracks? School psychologists, nurses and counselors are in short supply nationwide. Money really needs to be spent on early intervention programs. Read more>> | 