Tag: teacher shortage
How do bonds and overrides help fund Arizona schools? See more state education news here
How do bonds and overrides help fund Arizona’s public K-12 schools?
Arizona school districts are asking voters in their communities to approve bond and override ballot measures in the Nov. 5 election to generate funding through local property taxes that schools can use for a set time and purpose.
Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission Video: November 2019 Elections – What are bond and override questions?
Student performance lags on Nation’s Report Card. See more national education news here
The latest Nation’s Report Card is painting a dismal picture of math and reading achievement among American fourth and eighth graders despite a few bright spots.
Students in the nation’s capital, which faced multiple scandals in its public school system last year, made significant gains in both reading and math this year, according to the National Assessment of Education Progress. There also were major improvements in Mississippi, bucking a national trend that showed America’s eighth graders falling behind in math and reading and declines among fourth graders in math.
Nationwide, a little more than a third of eighth graders are proficient in reading and math. About a third of fourth graders are proficient in reading, while more than 40% of fourth graders are proficient in math.
Hooked on Vaping: Almost half of Arizona kids have vaped by 12th grade. See more state education news here
Almost half of Arizona’s students have vaped by the time they reach 12th grade, according to a statewide survey that shows the rapid rise of e-cigarette use in junior high and high school.
The Arizona Youth Survey is administered every two years by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission. It asks eighth, 10th and 12th graders questions about substance use.
School leaders say better pay would attract more teachers. See more state education news here
Tenth in a series: School leaders say better pay would help them attract teachers to Arizona’s classrooms, especially in rural areas, and prevent educators from seeking more lucrative careers.
They’re calling for the legislature to increase public K-12 education funding after an Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association survey of 150 public district and charter schools found that Arizona schools had 1,443.66 open teaching positions by Aug. 30, 2019, and many schools hired long-term substitute teachers to fill that gap.
More Students Are Taking the SAT Than Ever Before. National education news
MORE STUDENTS IN THE graduating high school class of 2019 took the SAT than ever before, despite a record number of colleges and universities dropping the entrance exam requirement that’s long been a standard part of the admissions process. …The increase was driven in large part by the growing number of states that allow schools to administer the test during the school day, typically free of charge.
Support grows nationwide for paying teachers more. See more national education news here
Most Americans believe that K-12 schools deserve more money, the federal government should chip in a bigger share of education costs and a college education — especially at community colleges — should be tuition-free, according a nationwide education poll released (Aug. 20)
‘We’ve Got a Real Crisis’: Half of U.S. Teachers Have Considered Leaving Profession, PDK Poll Finds. See more national education news here
alf of the nation’s teachers have seriously considered quitting in recent years, amid concerns about low pay, stress and lack of respect, a new poll finds.
“We’ve got a real crisis going on,” said Joshua P. Starr, CEO of PDK International, the teachers’ professional association that conducts the annual poll. “There’s absolutely a real issue, and we have to confront it nationally if we want to ensure our kids are getting the best possible teachers.”
Why people are worried about a census citizenship question. See more state education news here
Many Arizonans are concerned a Census 2020 citizenship question could make immigrants, noncitizens, Latinos and other minority groups less likely to respond, leading to an undercount.
That means Arizona would receive less than its fair share of more than $675 billion in federal funds each year that impact public schools, families and communities.
Accurate Census data is key for determining political representation as well as allocating federal funding to jurisdictions based on their demographic characteristics, needs and assets, said Lizette Escobedo, director of national census program for NALEO, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials.
Legislative GOP leaders share budget bills highlights with lawmakers. See more state education news here
Details of the $11.9 billion proposed budget plan by Republican Legislative leaders who worked on the deal with Gov. Doug Ducey were released Monday evening.For education, the budget proposal includes funds for the 5 percent teacher pay raise, $15 million for school counselors and police officers on campus, $25 million for school building repairs, an increase to $136 million to partially restore additional assistance funding that public schools use to pay for books, software, buses and other soft-capital needs.The budget proposal also includes a $542 million deposit into the state’s rainy day fund and $325 million in tax breaks.
Education is a top issue for Ariz. voters, survey shows. See more local education news here
For the fourth year in a row, Arizona voters have ranked education the top issue facing the state of Arizona, according to an annual survey conducted by Expect More Arizona, a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan education advocacy group.
Among other state issues, such as immigration and border issues, taxes and healthcare, education earned the top ranking of the 600 statewide voters surveyed.
