Good morning, Carly here with Chalkbeat Philly.
Nothing motivates young people to get civically engaged quite like the threat of school closures. We’ve spent the past few months interviewing students at walkouts, rallies, school board meetings, city council hearings, and community protests about the looming closures and how they’re making their voices heard. Read more here.
Plus, reporter Rebecca Redelmeier spoke with more than a dozen educators about the district’s planned budget cuts that they say threaten to upend their schools. Teachers say the plan has decimated morale inside their buildings and resulted in deep anxiety. More on that here.
You can reach us anytime at [email protected]. If you want text updates about the Philadelphia Board of Education, you can text SCHOOL to 215-709-9650.
Local News
As Philadelphia advances $225 million cut to school spending, teachers worry learning will suffer
As Philadelphia school leaders move forward with a plan to cut spending by $225 million next fiscal year, teachers fear students will lose key support.
Meet the Philly kids fighting to keep their schools from closing
As the school board considers closing 18 schools, Philly students are organizing to stop the plan. They are questioning how officials make decisions about education in the city.
No more diapers or sweeping punishments: How Philly parents helped guarantee student bathroom breaks
By sharing stories about students wearing diapers and draconian classroom punishments, Lift Every Voice’s successful push for policy change is a case study in parent activism.
Around Chalkbeat
When a teacher ditched screens, class got harder. That may be why it worked.
After cutting screens, Colorado teacher Dylan Kane says students put in more effort and he got a clearer view of their thinking in math class.
This program teaches Chicago teens about the risks of gun ownership. It’s changing some minds.
The teens participated in a paid spring break program led by nonprofit Project Unloaded, which helps students spread awareness about the dangers of having a gun.
Why the Classic Learning Test, which embraces Aristotle but spurns calculators, has caught Indiana’s eye
Supporters of the Classic Learning Test say it’s a worthy alternative to the SAT and ACT. But skeptics question its value for measuring college readiness and school performance.
|
What We’re Reading
Philly-area students may be eligible for part of $17.25 million Naviance settlement, The Philadelphia Inquirer (Paywall)
Pennsylvania lawmakers propose hunter education course in schools, Erie Times-News,(Paywall)
|
|
Thumbnail image by Carly Sitrin / Chalkbeat
|