NewsFeed

April 1, 2025

Colorado Committee Proposes Racially Integrated School Zones

A committee has recommended several changes to Colorado's education system, including reviewing the use of race in school attendance boundaries and transportation policies. Lawmakers are urged to correct systemic racial disparities in school transportation and improve the state's school choice system by adopting a uniform enrollment window and providing more information about schools' discipline policies. The committee also suggests revising school attendance zones every four years, considering racial integration as part of the rezoning process, to prevent segregation from becoming entrenched while maintaining student stability.

https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/03/31/colorado-school-attendance-zones-maintain-segregation-report-finds/

April 1, 2025

Sara's Charity Exposes Child Abuse on School Grounds

Soma Sara's charity, Everyone's Invited, has collected thousands of anonymous testimonies from women and girls describing abusive behavior on school grounds, with 1,600 incidents occurring in elementary schools. The testimonies reveal that child-on-child sexual violence is becoming increasingly common among children under the age of 10, raising concerns that it may be too late to address misogynistic attitudes by age 13. Sara argues that banning social media for children under 16, like Australia did last year, is not a practical solution and instead advocates for education programs in schools to help children critically evaluate the pornography and misogynistic narratives they are exposed to.

https://channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/netflix-series-adolescence-shown-uk-schools-5035266

April 1, 2025

Colorado Budget Falls Short on Education Funding Needs

Colorado's $43.9 billion budget proposal includes significant increases for schools and colleges, with a focus on K-12 and higher education budgets. However, the plan falls short of what officials claim is needed. The state's universal school meals program, which provides free meals to all students, would be funded for only half a year under the current proposal. To save the program, voters may need to approve two ballot measures. A new report also highlights the persistence of racial and socioeconomic segregation in Colorado's school attendance zones, recommending that districts revise their boundaries at least every four years.

https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2025/04/01/colorado-healthy-school-meals-for-all-budget-proposal/

March 31, 2025

Abu Dhabi Teachers Master AI-Driven Teaching Methods

Abu Dhabi teachers have been trained on an "AI for Teachers" programme by the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) to use artificial intelligence in innovative teaching methods, such as cracking jokes and producing nursery rhymes, and streamlining administrative tasks. The training has already been put into practice in classrooms and shared with colleagues. Dr Ahmed Al Shoaibi, Executive Director of the Higher Education Sector at ADEK, aims for educators to leverage AI skills to enhance their teaching.

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-ai-teachers-abu-dhabi-schools

March 31, 2025

AI Literacy Surges Among Younger Generations

AI literacy has seen a significant surge among the cohort, with 23.8% now possessing advanced understanding, up from 3.53% in 2024. Young users prioritize AI applications for productivity enhancement, creative ideation, entertainment through virtual interactions, and social facilitation. Nearly all respondents (95%) integrate AI into their work or study routines, with frequent users making substantial efficiency gains of over 50% productivity improvements, including near-total efficiency doubling for 30.8%.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/03/31/tmt-newswire/pr-newswire/soul-apps-study-exposes-the-ai-social-paradox-over-80-of-gen-z-build-real-world-ties-with-the-help-of-ai/2083096

March 31, 2025

Gandhi Slams Government Over Education Policy Control

The Union Government's track record over the last decade has been marked by centralisation, commercialisation, and communalisation of education. Gandhi accused the government of prioritising its own agenda over state governments' voices, particularly in implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The government has not consulted state governments on policy implementation, instead using coercion to force them to adopt the PM-SHRI scheme. Gandhi also criticized the draft University Grants Commission guidelines, which she claimed would give the Union government near-monopoly power over university appointments. She alleged that the government's commercialisation of education has pushed poor students out of public schools and into expensive private institutions, while indoctrinating hatred through textbooks and promoting regime-friendly ideologues in universities.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/carnage-of-indias-public-education-system-must-end-sonia-gandhi-8053178#pfrom=home-ndtv_mainnavigation

March 31, 2025

Labour's Tax Hits Families with SEND Children Hardest

A recent survey by ENT found that one in eight families with children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) have been forced to move home due to increased costs from Labour's tax on private schools. The VAT is adding £300 per child per month to family bills, causing financial strain. Despite 98% of parents believing their child's needs cannot be met in the state sector, 46% are still likely to consider moving to a state school. Critics argue that this policy will put thousands of SEND pupils' schooling at risk and force families to make difficult choices.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14552307/Families-SEND-children-private-schools-home-Labours-tax-raid.html

March 31, 2025

NSW Schools Told to Resit NAPLAN Tests

The number of schools where students had to resit NAPLAN tests has grown to six after some students completed exams with predictive text and spellcheck enabled, raising concerns about the exam's integrity. The NSW Education Standards Authority is reviewing its communication with schools regarding technical requirements for the test. Six schools this year have been told they must resit the tests due to security breaches, including a school in New South Wales where students used predictive text on a Mac computer.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/number-of-schools-caught-by-naplan-writing-scandal-grows-20250327-p5ln2l.html

March 31, 2025

U-46 Closes Historic Schools Amid Enrollment Decline

The Elgin Area School District U-46 is moving forward with design work on several projects, including a new elementary school in Elgin, the conversion of Illinois Park School to an elementary building, and major renovations at Glenbrook Elementary in Streamwood and Century Oaks Elementary in Elgin. The district has closed two schools over the past couple of years and plans to close three more, reducing its total number of elementary schools from 38 to 35 by the 2026-2027 school year. Some historic schools, such as Lowrie, Washington, and McKinley, will be closed, with students reassigned to other buildings. The district is driven by declining enrollment, which has lost an average of 500 students per year due to lower birth rates, currently standing at around 34,000 students.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250330/news/u-46-breaks-ground-on-school-addition-more-spring-construction-projects-planned/