The survey highlights the responses of nearly 800 teachers and district administrators, which include the need for comprehensive professional learning, enhanced support in incorporating new programs and initiatives as well as the effects of sociopolitical trends on education policies and spending.

Sweeping changes

Ahead of the 2023-24 school year, educators reported implementing new policies surrounding wellness, enrollment and behavioral programs (69%), which may have been influenced by the pandemic. Now, survey respondents say they’re currently implementing new curriculum programs, mainly in the Science of Reading, math and English language arts (ELA), with nearly one-third of educators reporting changes to their Science of Reading programs.

Necessary for these changes, however, is effective professional learning for educators responsible for seeing these policies through. When asked what was needed to better support teachers—beyond time and money—56% said that “better professional learning” is needed, followed by “ensuring that teachers and students can design/influence the implementation plan” and “more clearly [communicating] the vision of a new program.”

Those who reported being involved in school improvement/transformation work cited facing several challenges in the process that district leaders ought to address:

• Too many demands or changes: 55%
• Limited time to learn and collaborate: 52%
• Poor professional learning support: 38%
• Limited project management support: 37%
• Institutional inertia: 34%
• Limited onsite support: 31%
• Staff reluctance: 28%
• Weak/unfocused process for updating plans: 25%
• Limited pedagogical knowledge: 18%

More from DA: As teacher shortages persist, districts look for creative solutions

Additionally, respondents were asked to identify what types of data they want school leaders to leverage more to assess whether or not students are successful. Here’s what they said:

• Behavioral data: 60%
• Student progress data: 55%
• Classroom observations: 53%
• Anecdotal data from teachers: 48%
• Attendance data: 43%
• One-on-one conversations with students: 41%
• Student voice surveys: 37%
• District benchmark results: 29%

Lastly, survey respondents were asked to identify what social or political trends currently have the greatest influences on the policies and financial spending in their districts.

In terms of school spending, educators said the need to build new schools, provide security, recruit new teachers, and expand support and services for counseling and tutoring were the greatest influences on school spending. As far as school policy goes, leaders identified the following as the greatest influences: political activism, gender identity-related concerns, book bans and student behavioral issues.

“This report is not just a collection of data; it’s a reflection of Tripod Education’s commitment to enhancing educational practices, student engagement and school climate,” Tripod Education’s Vice President Byron Adams said in a statement. “We invite school and district leaders across the nation to explore the detailed findings and recommendations of this report to identify where educators are seeking change and support.”

The post How leaders can support the ‘big changes’ coming to K12 in 2024 appeared first on District Administration.

School vouchers

Media headlines portray ongoing discussions surrounding school vouchers in states like Tennessee and Arizona. Facing a near $1 billion deficit, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs promises to bring accountability to the state’s school voucher program that is anticipated to top $900 million in 2024, ABC News reports.

The deficit is largely a result of the increased costs of the state’s expansion of the voucher program in 2022 and a 2021 tax cut impacting incoming tax revenues.

In a memo released in July 2023, the voucher program was criticized after projections revealed it may cost taxpayers nearly $1 billion annually. Hobbs issued a statement in response promising transparency and an improved voucher system.

“The universal voucher program is unsustainable,” she wrote. “Unaccountable school vouchers do not save taxpayer money, and they do not provide a better education for Arizona students. We must bring transparency and accountability to this program to ensure school vouchers don’t bankrupt our state. I’m committed to reforming universal vouchers to protect taxpayer money and give all Arizona students the education they deserve.”

Hobbs is now proposing changes that require private schools that receive voucher funding to set minimum education requirements for educators and that students attend public school for at least 100 days before they can become eligible for the vouchers, ABC News reports.

Similarly, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee aims to expand his school voucher program statewide, The Tennesseean reports. The proposed Education Freedom Scholarship Act would provide 20,000 with some $7,000 to enroll in a private school or for the use of other educational expenses. The first 10,000 students would gain eligibility determined by an income requirement. In 2025, the program will be expanded to universal eligibility.

School funding and safety

About one year ago, a court ruling decided Pennsylvania’s education funding system was “unconstitutionally inequitable,” Spotlight Pennsylvania reports. Since then, lawmakers have been tasked with its revamping, which has been under discussion amongst a bipartisan commission and state House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D. Montgomery).

Matthew Kelley, a school funding scholar at Penn State, originally served as a primary witness during the funding lawsuit. He unveiled to lawmakers that the system’s funding shortfall had reached $6.2 billion, which makes up about 20% of Pennsylvania’s total education spending, according to Spotlight Pennsylvania. 

“These funding gaps do not impact all student populations equally,” Kelly wrote in his testimony with added emphasis on its impact on Black and Latino students.

The commission aims to release a report based on its hearings sometime in January, which will then hope to bring legislators some answers for closing the funding gaps.

More from DA: What the data says about superintendent turnover in 2023-24

In terms of school safety, a fatal shooting at a Perry, Iowa, high school early this year has prompted Iowa state legislators to view school safety as a top priority this legislative session, The Daily Iowan reports.

“People choose Iowa because our state is viewed as safe,” said House Speaker Iowa Rep. Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford in his opening remarks. “So when we see these senseless acts of violence in our own home state, in our own schools, it shakes us to our core. In Iowa, every parent should be able to send their kids to school and trust that they will return home safe.”

As a result, Republican lawmakers promise to bolster school security while Democrats are prioritizing changes to mental health and gun safety in Iowa.

Reading proficiency

Indiana lawmakers expect to address several issues in its education system, including its literacy “crisis,” the Indiana Capital Chronicle reports. Recent data from the Indiana Department of Education revealed that more than 80% of third graders at public and private schools passed the 2023 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination. However, the department wants to raise that number to 95% by 2027.

“We have to shoot high,” Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner told the Indiana Capital Chronicle. “We have a goal set—we know it’s aggressive, and we are following that with some very aggressive tactics to support our current and future teachers to try to engage our parents and families in getting kids to school.”

The state passed several bills in 2023 to mitigate the pandemic’s effects relating to learning loss and academic proficiency. One of those efforts included requiring schools to use “science of reading” curricula by the 2024 school year.

Now, state lawmakers are working to enhance a policy that requires students who are deficient in reading to repeat the third grade, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

“There was a little bit of controversy there on both sides of the fence,” said Republican Sen. Jeff Raatz who also chairs the Senate Education Committee. “But it’s [the General Assembly’s] responsibility to do the very best job we can to make sure that students can read as they go off into their careers.”

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Research from The Superintendent Lab, a website dedicated to providing insights and research about school district leadership, offers some perspective on some of the most pressing challenges surrounding the superintendency, including leadership turnover.

To give you a better idea of the state of superintendent attrition across the U.S., we’ve compiled some key findings based on The Superintendent Lab’s research.

A five-year snapshot

Between 2019-20 and 2023-24, more than 40% of districts witnessed one superintendent departure, according to data visualizations created by Rachel White, founder/PI of The Superintendent Lab. Some 7.9% of districts had two superintendents leave and 1.5% saw three or more depart.

Overall, more than half of districts across 37 states had at least one superintendent departure since 2019-20.

Attrition rates are higher in certain states

Headlines over the past year have highlighted this issue in their respective states. Nearly one-third of superintendents in Oregon, for instance, are in their first or second year, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports. In Georgio, too, the number of superintendent departures nearly doubled over the past two years, according to 11Alive.

More from DA: NSPRA names its 25 superintendents to watch for 2023

Similarly, The Superintendent Lab found that between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years, attrition rates in district leadership were greater than 20% in 14 states. States like Montana, Hawaii, New Mexico, Louisiana, North Carolina and Delaware saw attrition rates of 24% or higher in 2023-24. West Virginia, however, had the highest level of attrition at 36.4%.

Some states are losing female leaders

There has been extensive research about the ongoing gender gap in the superintendency. A recent report from ILO Group suggests that of the nation’s 500 largest school districts, just 152 of them (30.4%) are led by women.

The Superintendent Lab’s data paints a similar picture, although its state-by-state analysis shows signs of regression in some areas.

For instance, states like New Hampshire, Idaho and Delaware have made tremendous progress in this regard. In the last five years, they’ve seen increases in female superintendent hires ranging from nine to 12%. On the other hand, states like New Mexico, Arizona, South Dakota and others have seen declines in female district leaders since 2019.

For a more in-depth look at this data, which includes interactive data visualizations and additional media briefs, visit The Superintendent Lab here.

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That’s according to the NSPRA, which recently released its 2023 award recipients just ahead of Christmas break for most districts. In 2023, the organization recorded a record number of nominations (more than 70), making it a very competitive year for the selection process, the NSPRA notes in a news release.

2023’s list of Superintendents to Watch celebrate on behalf of a wide array of states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

“This year’s honorees understand the critical role that effective, two-way communication plays in building trust with students, families employees and community members,” NSPRA Executive Director Barbara M. Hunter said in a statement. “Each of these leaders have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to championing innovative communication strategies to advance their district’s success.”

The award recipients will also be recognized at the NSPRA 2024 National Seminar in July. Here’s a look at 2023’s list of honorees:

• Fal Asrani, Marysville Joint Unified School District, Marysville, California
• Philip Brown, Jackson County School System, Jefferson, Georgia
• Jessica Dain, Piper Unified School District 203, Kansas City, Kansas
• Monique Darrisaw-Akil, Uniondale Union Free School District, Uniondale, New York
• Trey Duke III, Murfreesboro City Schools, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
• Mary Gorr, Mount Prospect School District 57, Mount Prospect, Illinois
• Raquel Greer, Maize Unified School District 266, Maize, Kansas
• Trenton Hansen, Jurupa Unified School District, Jurupa Valley, California
• Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Alexandria City Public Schools, Alexandria, Virginia
• Marcus Lewton, Dickinson Public Schools, Dickinson, North Dakota
• Bradford Lusk, Hamilton Community Schools, Hamilton, Michigan
• Jay Mann, Creighton School District, Phoenix, Arizona
• Jeff Mayo, Arlington Community Schools, Arlington, Tennessee
• Eric Melbye, Bloomington Public Schools, Bloomington, Minnesota
• Rachel Monárrez, Worcester Public Schools, Worcester, Massachusetts
• Whitney Oakley, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Herbert O’Neil, Hempstead Independent School District, Hempstead, Texas
• Sheila Quinn, Clover School District, Clover, South Carolina
• Lori Rapp, Lewisville Independent School District, Lewisville, Texas
• Frank Rodriguez, Beaufort County School District, Beaufort, South Carolina
• Nate Rudolph, Cambridge-Isanti Schools, Cambridge, Minnesota
• Kirk Shrum, Visalia Unified School District, Visalia, California
• Kelly Tess, The Winnetka Public Schools, Winnetka, Illinois
• Maria Vazquez, Orange County Public Schools, Orlando, Florida
• Iranetta Rayborn Wright, Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati, Ohio

More from DA: As teacher shortages persist, districts look for creative solutions

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This month, the Future of Education Technology Conference in Orlando, Florida, is showcasing dozens of sessions and keynote speeches specifically about AI in education. Educators, district and technology leaders alike can take advantage of the numerous opportunities to better educate themselves about the topic and bring home some strategies to implement in their schools.

If you’re one of the many tech leaders still on the fence about AI and its ethical implications in education, check out these three sessions at FETC Jan. 23-26:

AI: The Game Changer for Personalized Education

Attendees will explore how teachers can harness the power of AI to reimagine their classroom instruction.

“When combined with research-based pedagogy, AI can create a dynamic and engaging learning experience that meets the unique needs of each student,” the session description reads.

Check out this session to learn more about how AI can aid in the transformation of teaching and learning while empowering educators to create personalized instruction for students.

Artificial Intelligence in Education: What Do We Need to Know?

This workshop will provide attendees with a brief overview and explanation of AI and how to teach with it in addition to some resources to explore. For instance, you’ll learn how these tools can be used in the classroom, including ways for students to explore and design their own chatbots.

“We will talk about ChatGPT and dive into its uses it, concerns and explore how it is evolving and the implications for education and the future of work,” the workshop description reads.

Generative AI: Build Your School or District Strategy Now

The most disruptive tech to hit since the birth of the internet, artificial intelligence, is forcing teachers and school districts to alter their approach to traditional education. Now, educators are even more concerned about plagiarism and cheating. So, what should your strategy be to ensure its equitable use?

This workshop will explore stories of success and anecdotes for learning, as well as best practices and checklists for you to take back to your schools.

Register for the Future of Education Technology Conference, or view the full program agenda.

The post Still confused about AI in education? Here are 3 resources that can help appeared first on District Administration.

That’s according to a new report from the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank dedicated to improving public policy in California. The researchers note that the state has witnessed enrollment declines at nearly three-quarters of California school districts over the past five years, “bringing added fiscal pressures and difficult downsizing decisions,” the report reads. It’s a trend that will likely continue for several years.

Enrollment in coastal areas like Los Angeles has already fallen 15% in the past decade and is expected to reach 19% between 2022-23 and 2032-33, which would make it the region with the largest decline by far. Overall, enrollment declines are projected in all but two California regions—Sierra and Northern Valley—in the next decade.

“Across California, enrollment declines are expected to be widespread—41 counties are projected to decline, compared to 38 counties that saw declines over the prior decades,” the report reads. “Declines are also expected to be steeper, at more than 10 percent on average across declining counties.”

Primary contributors to declining enrollment

School districts nationwide have attributed declining public school enrollment to a variety of factors like homeschooling and a growing preference for private schooling. And that’s likely the case for California.

According to the report, the state’s post-pandemic enrollment shifts largely reflect several demographic trends, including birth rates and migration. However, COVID forced many parents to rethink their options for their child’s education, mainly whether or not to place them in transitional kindergarten, private or homeschooling.

For instance, the researchers found that enrollment fell much greater in kindergarten in 2020-21 than in any other grade.

More from DA: As teacher shortages persist, districts look for creative solutions

The report also notes a slight bump in private school enrollment, but it only explains a “small share” of pandemic enrollment shifts. Homeschooling, however, peaked during the pandemic, marking the highest enrollment figures observed in the last 20 years.

“This trend serves as compelling evidence that a number of families opted to depart from both traditional and private educational institutions, favoring homeschooling as an alternative amidst the pandemic,” the researchers wrote. “This phenomenon may reflect families seeking to avoid the experience of distance learning and/or mitigate exposure to COVID-19 during the pandemic.”

District-level response to declining enrollment

By 2019, more than half of school districts in California had declining enrollment. By 2022-23, that number has risen to 73%. Yet, interestingly enough, many leaders are refusing to close schools amidst this “spell” of declining enrollment.

Between 2009 and 2019, only one-third of schools with enrollment losses of 10% or higher reduced the number of schools they operated. Some 10% actually added more schools, while the majority of other districts didn’t change a thing.

However, in instances where district leaders chose to shut down schools, they largely affected students of lower income, English learners and schools with lower test scores.

“Accelerating declines could bring added pressure to close schools,” the report reads. “With these closures come concerns that some students will bear the costs of downsizing more than others. Indeed, the counties and regions with higher shares of low-income, English learner, Black and Latino students are projected to see even larger declines.”

3 takeaways for district and state leaders

California’s case of dwindling student enrollment is not an isolated incident. Many districts across the nation are battling the same issue. In response, the researchers offer three policy implications for education leaders to consider as districts continue witnessing enrollment challenges over the next several years:

1. Offer more assistance and information to K12 districts on how to effectively and efficiently downsize.
2. Consider the equity implications in your decision on whether to close schools so that you don’t inadvertently impact high-need students and neighborhoods.
3. Avoid insulating districts from declining enrollment via additional funding.

The post A look inside California’s continuous trend of declining enrollment appeared first on District Administration.

Later this month, the U.S. Department of Education will be releasing this guidance. To help educators better understand how to incorporate this resource into their schools, FETC has invited Anita Vermeer and Christina Diamond, education specials at the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, to give conference attendees an inside look into this guidance and offer ways to enhance their school’s ability to support students with disabilities. FETC will be one of the first in the nation to share this guidance with educators.

More from DA: School shootings hit record high in 2023 as upward trend continues

During the session, Vermeer and Diamond will highlight the core tenets of the guidance and other related resources to support and enhance access to educational opportunities for students with disabilities and those who educate and support them.

“Participants will increase their understanding of the AT requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), learn facts around common misconceptions regarding AT devices and services, and identify resources to aid in the selection of appropriate AT,” the session’s description reads.

Other AT-related sessions to look out for:

Tech-ability: Google Tools for Students with Learning Disabilities

Implementing Assistive Technology to Break Down Barriers in Learning

Innovative Technology: Key to Increasing Accessibility for Special Needs Learners

The post FETC 2024: This new session will unveil never-before-seen guidance on assistive technology appeared first on District Administration.

Like most school systems in the U.S., the Aldine Independent School District in Texas has started looking for alternative solutions to bolster its teaching workforce. For instance, they’ve started working with Teach USA, a program that connects international teachers with U.S. schools.

According to San Antonio Express-News, Aldine ISD has hired 76 teachers from more than a dozen countries through this program. Scott Dubberke, the district’s human resources director, said it’s helped them to fill positions for special education and bilingual elementary school classes with an even greater effect.

It’s “not just filling vacancies, but it also supports our kids,” he told San Antonio Express-News. “Our kids are not only learning but they’re learning from the culture of where these people are coming from.”

In North Dakota, the state’s Department of Public Instruction has awarded $3 million for a program that helps paraprofessionals become teachers. There are some 230 participants in the program across 60 school districts, The Dickinson Press reports.

The program provides participants with up to $20,000 that they can use to put toward earning a teaching degree through one of 10 online programs available through universities across North Dakota.

Gov. Doug Burgum also created a Teacher Retention and Recruitment Task Force, which met for the first time last month and aims to identify and address areas of improvement regarding teacher vacancies across the state.

“We’re deeply grateful to these members and all the candidates for their passion and willingness to dedicate their time to this critically important effort to address our state’s teacher shortage,” Burgum said in a statement. “Working together, we can identify best practices and policies for retaining and recruiting teachers and ensure they have the resources and support they need to deliver a world-class education to students across North Dakota.”

More from DA: School shootings hit record high in 2023 as upward trend continues

In Montana, schools have been quick to adopt four-day work weeks in the hopes of recruiting and retaining teachers, a strategy that’s been growing in momentum in districts nationwide.

As the Montana Free Press reports, at least 222 schools had already adopted this model by the end of the 2022-23 school year. Montana ranks last in the country when it comes to average starting salaries for teachers, according to an annual report released last year from the National Education Association. A four-day school week is just one of the ways Montana education leaders aim to keep teachers in the profession despite the unattractiveness of teaching salaries.

Montana’s Roberts Public School has been operating using this model since 2015, soon after the arrival of its Superintendent Alex Ator. He told the Montana Free Press he believes it’s helped them stay afloat amid this persistent shortage of qualified teachers.

“When I first got to Roberts, I received a handful [of applicants] for a typical position, and my colleagues received a few dozen,” he told the Montana Free Press. “Now, I still receive a couple and some of my colleagues don’t receive any.”

However, some areas have yet to see major improvements concerning their teacher vacancies. Nebraska, for one, had more than 900 teaching positions go vacant or unfilled with a qualified educator for the 2023-24 school year, a new survey from the Nebraska Department of Education suggests. These numbers surpass the previous year’s 760 vacancies.

“There’s a coordinated effort going on between school districts, the Department of Education, higher education, even others in the workforce development area like our state chamber, who are certainly concerned about this particular topic,” NDE Commissioner Brian Maher said during a recent press conference.

The post As teacher shortages persist, districts look for creative solutions appeared first on District Administration.

That’s according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, a compilation of data tracking the number of cases where a gun was fired on school campuses. The data goes as far back as 1966 when the year’s tally topped out at just nine shootings. Fast forward to 2023, we’re seeing record-breaking numbers.

The data suggests there were at least 346 school shootings during 2023, surpassing the previous year’s 308 and 2021’s tally of 256. As of Jan. 3 this year, there’s already been one shooting recorded in the data.

Over the past decade, you’ll find that the data shows stark contrasts in the number of shootings, especially in 2018 when the number of shootings reached triple digits for the first time.

A detailed look at the shootings

The database also provides insight into how and where these shootings occurred, giving education leaders and security professionals an idea of how they can better bolster their safety measures.

To no surprise, school shootings most commonly arise as a result of an escalation of a dispute, followed by “accidental” and drive-by shootings.

As far as the location of these shootings go, they most frequently happen in school parking lots, followed by in front of the school and beside the building. Other locations include football fields, school buses, classrooms and hallways.

Most notably, these shootings occur primarily in the morning and during sporting events. We saw this happen several times throughout 2023, like when one 15-year-old was arrested in August for second-degree murder after they opened fire during a football game at Choctaw High School, according to ABC News. Also last year, we witnessed the tragedy that unfolded in Nashville as six people lost their lives in a shooting caused by Audrey Hale, a former student at The Covenant School, around 10 a.m. on March 27, shortly after school started for the day.

More from DA: SROs share how schools can minimize disruptions caused by swatting hoaxes

In 2024, district leaders are already taking steps to ensure that the year is off to a safer start. Charles County Public Schools in Maryland is incorporating a systemwide safety plan for athletic events, according to The BayNet. The plan includes a tiered list of action plans administrators and other employees must follow when security changes for a particular event are needed. At any given time, concessions may be limited or suspended, students must be attended by chaperones, and in the most extreme cases, spectators won’t be allowed at an event.

In Texas’ Fort Bend ISD, all elementary schools will have armed security officers starting Jan. 4 when students return to classes from winter break, ABC 13 reports. According to the district, they’re able to use money from the recent voter-approved tax rate election, which covers the cost of hiring armed guards at each of its 51 elementary campuses.

“The uniformed presence allows for immediate recognition by students, staff and visitors who may need assistance as well as providing an immediate visual deterrence for a person who may pose a threat,” according to the district’s website.

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That’s according to a new guidance from the National Association of School Resource Officers, a non-profit for school-based law enforcement officers and other safety professionals. NASRO Executive Director Mo Canady advises education leaders to remain vigilant in these times of uncertainty.

“Regardless of motive, the less disruption a school allows, the less perpetrators will be encouraged to send hoax threats,” he said in a statement.

His advice comes at a time when research suggests there have been at least 69 “false reports” against K12 schools between the start of the 2023-24 school year and Dec. 28, according to a live swatting tracker from the Educator’s School Safety Network.

More from DA: Education in 2024: Partners break down 8 big trends

Just last month, several school districts in central Ohio fell victim to false threats originating outside the United States, a common trend among many swatting calls. According to WSYX ABC 6, the messages included forms of violence against specific schools across eight districts. According to a message to parents from Dublin City Schools, the threat made mention of “explosives being planted in American school buildings.”

Most districts that received the messages chose to bolster security measures the upcoming week as authorities determined it was safe for them to return to normal operations, WSYX ABC 6 reported.

Canady noted that in most cases, students are better off at school when a threat like this occurs.

“For many threats, including bomb threats, students are usually safer in their classrooms than outside the building,” he said in a statement. “If a real attacker knows, for example, that a school will evacuate to a football stadium, they could be waiting to attack students there.”

The NASRO recommends that administrators ought to consult with law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels as they develop strategies for responding to swatting threats. An ideal policy reduces the likelihood of the “most disruptive actions,” including the dismissal of students, evacuations and the cancelation of classes. They should also incorporate strategies that allow administrators to communicate reliable information with parents as quickly as possible when an event like this occurs. Parents who don’t receive trustworthy updates from their local schools are likely to respond to rumors, inevitably flooding their school’s parking to only exacerbate the disruption.

“When schools close or evacuate for a communicated threat that isn’t credible, the perpetrators get exactly what they want,” said Canady.

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