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Education

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Education policy, school choice, local control in education and homeschooling

Pediatricians ​​​Group: Comprehensive Sex Education Is a Failure

American College of Pediatricians: “America’s young people deserve the best that we can give them; school-based sexual risk avoidance education is the best for children.”

U.S. Dept. of Ed to Investigate Sexual Assault Linked to School’s Transgender Policy

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced that it will investigate a complaint filed against the City Schools of Decatur on behalf of a kindergartener who was sexually assaulted in her school bathroom by a boy who identified as “gender fluid.”

Is Iowa’s Investment in Pre-K Education Worthwhile?

The Iowa Department of Education released revised standards for the state’s voluntary pre-K program, but skeptics point out studies show no long-term benefits.

School Leaders Weigh In on Civics Education

An Education Week Research Center report on Civics Education based on a survey of 524 school leaders paints a dismal picture.

How Bad Is The Gender Gap in K-12 Education?

How much of a gender gap do we have in K-12 education in the United States? Are girls experiencing a significant disparity? Some researchers believe so, and they are all about STEM, but they neglect a greater disparity between boys and girls in reading and college attendance.

Update: Reynolds Signs Bill Changing Iowa’s Statewide Assessment Developer

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bipartisan bill rejecting the Iowa Department of Education’s choice for a statewide assessment in favor of one developed by the University of Iowa’s Iowa Testing Program.

Iowa’s NAEP Scores Mostly Stagnant, Sees Drop in 4th-Grade Reading

The 2017 results from the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) show that while Iowa students performed better than the national average, their statewide average scores remain stagnant and 4th-graders saw a two-point drop in reading from 2015.

Education Savings Accounts Receive New Life in the Iowa Senate

Education savings accounts were reintroduced in the Iowa Senate’s version of the Iowa Student Opportunities Act (SSB 3206) by State Senator Charles Schneider (R-West Des Moines) as an appropriations bill and passed through an appropriations subcommittee.

When the Federal Government Meddles With School Discipline

Jane Robbins and Erin Tuttle: Deeper scrutiny is needed to uncover how federal involvement with school policies played out in Broward County. But what we do know suggests substantial – and ultimately harmful – efforts to appease the federal government with respect to school discipline.
  • Jane Robbins
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  • 13 minute read

Roosevelt High School Teacher Promotes Student Walkout for Gun Control

A social studies teacher at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines announced a student walkout calling for gun control over the school’s PA system on Wednesday morning along with a call for people to call their elected representatives to change gun laws and mental health approaches.

Anti-Common Core, School Choice Bills Die in Iowa House

HF 2317, a bill that would make the Iowa Academic Standards voluntary for public schools and accredited non-public schools and HSB 651, a bill that would expand school choice in Iowa, died in the Iowa House Education Committee without a vote.

Iowa Student Opportunities Act Introduced in Iowa House

HSB 651, the Iowa Student Opportunities Act, was introduced in the Iowa House of Representatives on Thursday. The bill would create an educations savings grant program and a new charter school program to expand school choice for Iowa’s public school families.

Bill Overriding Iowa Department of Education’s Assessment Choice Advances

A bill, HSB 578, making the University of Iowa’s Iowa Testing Programs the vendor who develops and administers Iowa’s statewide student assessment passed the Iowa House Education Committee 21 to 1.

Bill Allowing Homeschoolers in Iowa Learning Online Initiative Advances

A bill, SSB 3030, allowing families that homeschool under competent private instruction or independent private instruction to utilize the Iowa Learning Online Initiative passed in the Iowa Senate Education Committee.

Robbins Advocates for Student Privacy Before U.S. House Education Committee

Jane Robbins, a senior fellow with American Principles Project, was one of four witnesses for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce‘s hearing on “Evidence-Based Policymaking and the Future of Education.”

All Iowans Should Benefit From Open Enrollment Law

A bill up for consideration in the Iowa Legislature would eliminate the implementation of a voluntary diversity plan as a reason to deny open enrollment of a student that allows certain school districts to hold higher-income families hostage.