#public-schools

#public-schools

File photo courtesy of the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID
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Park Slope's Fifth Avenue will once again be the place to be this Saturday as two events, Tastes of Park Slope and the Fifth Avenue Art Stroll return for the second consecutive year.

Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) held a press conference with the goal of "exposing the book ban hoax."DeSantis claimed that "mainstream media, unions, and leftist activists'" were perpetuating a "hoax of empty library bookshelves and political theater."He explained that his efforts to remove certain books from school libraries were merely to protect students from "indoctrination" and to remove "pornographic and inappropriate materials that have been snuck into our classrooms and libraries to sexualize our students violate our state education standards."

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

We know the best insights about what works in a school classroom come from teachers.That's why when many of them told us they are upset about the dismantling of the Los Angeles Unified School District's successful Primary Promise reading and math program we became concerned.

For years, New York City Department of Sanitation workers ate their lunch in a three-story yellow brick building on West 17th Street in Chelsea without knowing about its history: It was once a colored school that served Black Americans during racial segregation in New York City public schools.On Tuesday, city officials voted to designate the building, which had been known as Colored School No. 4, a protected landmark, and announced that they would provide $6 million in funding to rehabilitate it.

Democratic lawmakers have released a second draft of the 20-district map for Chicago's impending elected school board, after the first map was criticized for failing to maintain neighborhood cohesion and over-representing white voters.For decades, Chicago's Board of Education has consisted of seven members all appointed by the mayor, unlike most school systems whose boards are chosen by voters.

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day-but your help is essential.If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us.Thanks for your support!GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!While not as toasty as this weekend, we're in for another hottie of a week with highs hitting 91 today and staying in that range through at least Thursday!

Taking a new tack in the ideological battle over what books children should be able to read, Illinois will prohibit book bans in its public schools and libraries, with Gov. J.B. Pritzker calling the bill that he signed on Monday the first of its kind.The law, which takes effect next year, was the Democratic-controlled state's response to a sharp rise in book-banning efforts across the country, especially in Republican-led states, where lawmakers have made it easier to remove library books that political groups deemed objectionable.

Public schools are closed for the summer in Utah, leaving their libraries quieter than usual.But the books on their shelves are now the subject of a skirmish one that is distinct from many other culture clashes over education in the United States.In this case, the titles in question are the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

There are three weeks left before the 2022-23 high school sports spring season comes to a close.Time to reflect back and look ahead while finishing my jury duty.Change is coming.A new Southern Section commissioner, Mike West, takes over.A better understanding of how the college transfer portal will affect high school recruiting should emerge with most of the COVID-19 redshirt years exhausted, thinning out rosters.

A dozen students huddled at communal classroom tables one morning this spring, their gazes fixed on math lessons on their laptops.The sixth graders at Khan Lab School, an independent school with an elementary campus in Palo Alto, Calif., were working on quadratic equations, graphing functions, Venn diagrams.

Good morning.It's Thursday.We'll look at what to expect for air quality today in New York City.We'll also look at a photo from a less-bad-air day nearly 57 years ago.And we'll find out why a meeting of state cannabis regulators and retail license holders suddenly became heated.Image Credit...James Barron/The New York Times Jennifer Poynter and her husband Mike thought about what to pack for their trip to New York City.

"It's hard to think of a clearer violation of the religious freedom of Oklahoma taxpayers," one opponent said.pcess609 / iStock / Getty Images Plus A state school board in Oklahoma has voted to approve what would be the nation's first publicly funded religious school in a move that opponents, including the state's attorney general, are saying is blatantly unconstitutional.

The federal pandemic-related program to give every student free meals expired last September.A school lunch at a public elementary school in New Jersey, featuring a hamburger, milk, apple sauce and smiley-faced french fries.James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images The Democratic-led Nevada State Assembly has passed a bill to provide student breakfasts and lunches in schools throughout the state, ensuring that school-aged children will remain fed, regardless of their income levels, through at least the next two school years.

Seventy-five percent of people believe teachers are "asked to do too much work for the pay they receive."Los Angeles public school support staff, teachers, and supporters rally outside of the school district headquarters on the first day of a three day strike in Los Angeles, California, on March 21, 2023.Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images New polling reveals that a majority of Americans recognize the growing crisis of low teacher pay and poor treatment despite a rabid and coordinated right wing quest to vilify and attack teachers across the country.

Another bill signed the same day requires trans adults to get permission from state boards for gender-affirming care.People participate in the 15th annual Miami Beach Pride Celebration parade on April 16, 2023 in Miami Beach, Florida.Joe Raedle / Getty Images While gleefully tossing Sharpies into a crowd at an evangelical school on Wednesday, far right Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a series of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ bills, including one horrifying bill that allows the state to temporarily take trans children away from their families if they're receiving or are planning to receive gender-affirming care.

An image of desks inside a vacant classroom.Getty Images A number of private schools in Wisconsin that receive public funding through the state's school voucher programs discriminate against LGBTQ students and students with physical or mental disabilities, according to an analysis published earlier this month.

Real Estate If you have or want to have kids, our readers say it's better - and less expensive - to take them elsewhere.Last week, Boston ranked 84th on a list of the best places to raise a family.We asked readers how this placement aligned with their views and experiences, and the responses made it clear: Boston is a great place to raise a family - if you can afford to live here.

Religious conservatives often lament they have been on the losing end of recent social trends, and they're not entirely wrong about that.Same-sex marriage has become legal nationwide.Church attendance is down.About 30 percent of Americans identify as having no religion.But there are also several ways in which organized religion has been on a political winning streak.

KATHMANDU, Nepal Before he aspired to Kathmandu's highest office, Balendra Shah appeared on the city's rooftops, a singer facing off in rap battles or filming music videos.His songs, which focused on poverty, underdevelopment and the rot he saw at the root of Nepal's entrenched political culture, drew an avid following among the country's youth.

Two weeks ago, a new, horrific chapter on sexual abuse by the Catholic religious began.By laying bare the magnitude of the tragedy, the Illinois attorney general heightened the consciousness of everyone to this issue.Once again, Catholics and others read a report wondering if they will recognize a name.

Chalkbeat Chicago reports that Gov. J.B. Pritzker's 2024 budget, just approved in Springfield, adds another $570 million in education funding, a 6.2% increase that brings annual K-12 funding to $10.3 billion.And yet the legislature could not muster the courage to extend the modest Illinois Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program.

A new version of the ABC's in Russia's far east starts with A is for Army, B is for Brotherhood and injects a snappy phrase with every letter, like, Love your Army.A swim meet in the southern city of Magnitogorsk featured adolescents diving into the pool wearing camouflage uniforms, while other competitors slung model Kalashnikov rifles across their backs.

Park Slope's 5th Avenue will once again be the place to be this Saturday as two events, Tastes of Park Slope and the Fifth Avenue Art Stroll, return for the second consecutive year.Visitors will have the opportunity to meander through the street to try some of the best food the neighborhood has to offer while also being able to browse the work of local artists and artisans down 5th Avenue between 1st and 3rd streets.

A bill signed by Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte this week enacts far-reaching limits on the presence of children among drag performers, including by banning drag story hours at public schools and libraries.HB359, which went into effect when Gianforte signed it on Monday, prevents children from attending sexually oriented shows and from being present at obscene performances on public property.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida is expected to enter the race for the Republican presidential nomination this week.Much of the narrative around him has focused on who he isn't Donald Trump.But DeSantis has also claimed the national spotlight for his role in the culture wars.In Florida, he has made education a preferred battleground, carrying out Don't Say Gay policies in public schools and taking over the board of New College, a small public liberal arts institution in Sarasota.

In the off-chance that there is still anyone gullible enough to believe that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) cares about the rights of parents to raise their children as they see fit, his actions this week are proof enough that the only parental right he believes in is the right to raise children to be like Ron DeSantis: conservative, hateful against LGBTQ+ people, and ignorant about the reality of racism.

Editor's Note: This post has been updated to include a response from the Hanover Township school board and the state's largest teachers union.The New Jersey Attorney General filed a civil rights complaint Wednesday against the Hanover Township Board of Education and public schools, challenging a policy passed Tuesday requiring school staff to notify parents of their children's gender identity and sexual orientation.

It's IEP season for many special education students and families, a time of year when families meet with Berkeley Unified School District representatives to create Individualized Education Plans for the coming school year.A recent article in the Berkeleyside noted that, though there has been a decrease in student enrollment, there has been an increase in students requiring IEPs in Berkeley.

Mayor Adams claimed Tuesday that his new policy of housing migrants in public school gymnasiums won't directly impact students s - even as parents protested his latest effort to find ways to shelter the more than 60,000 migrants who've come to the city since last year."They will not be impacted directly," Adams said during an interview on 1010 WINS.

Mayor Adams claimed Tuesday that his new policy of housing migrants in public school gymnasiums won't directly impact students s - even as parents protested his latest effort to find ways to shelter the more than 60,000 migrants who've come to the city since last year."They will not be impacted directly," Adams said during an interview on 1010 WINS.

Jack Hibbs - an anti-LGBTQ+ pastor who preaches at the Calvary Chapel megachurch in Chino Hills, California - said that "Satan himself" planned the "transgender agenda."Hibbs then demonstrated that he doesn't understand the Bible or science very well.Hibbs, who thinks legalized same-sex marriage "crucified God's word," has recently announced his nationwide campaign to require educators to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents.

The Louisiana House on Tuesday advanced its own "Don't Say Gay" bill, a measure that would ban teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity statewide in K-12 public schools, The Times-Picayune reports.HB466 passed 67-28 in a mostly party-line vote.The Times-Picayune's Chris Granger reports that the measure "would ban school employees and presenters from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom 'in a manner that deviates from state content standards or curricula' or during extracurricular activities."

Charmaine David for Sotheby's International Realty Charmaine David for Sotheby's International Realty Charmaine David for Sotheby's International Realty Charmaine David for Sotheby's International Realty Charmaine David for Sotheby's International Realty Charmaine David for Sotheby's International Realty Charmaine David for Sotheby's International Realty Charmaine David for Sotheby's International Realty Charmaine David for Sotheby's International Realty This home is a mix of old and new: The living room and kitchen on the lower level were added in 2005; the rest of the house dates to the early 20th century and was moved to this site from Pasadena.

Teachers at the Leathersellers' Federation of Schools announced nine days of strike action as governors voted to become a multi-academy trust (MAT), despite significant opposition.Workers had already gone on strike for six days over the MAT plan and national pay and conditions.Anti-academy parents claim the schools Prendergast School, Prendergast Ladywell, Prendergast Vale and Prendergast Primary have subjected pupils to political lobbying.

GOOD MORNING, SUNDAY!It's the perfect time to catch up on some of the great reporting and stories the Mercury churned out this week!(PRO TIP: If you despise being "the last to know," then be one of the first to know by signing up for Mercury newsletters!All the latest stories shipped directly to your email's in-box... and then... YOUR HEAD.)
* Peterson Says He's Officially Out of the Portland School Board Race-Again
After waffling and radio silence, the controversial Derrick Peterson said he's officially withdrawn from the Portland School Board race.

Oakland teachers will strike again on Monday the third day of walkouts affecting 34,000 children across the city.Please prepare for the strike to continue Monday, the teachers' union, the Oakland Education Association, posted on Facebook Sunday afternoon.Our bargaining team is working hard.We will let you know as soon as possible if the district makes the movement necessary to reach an agreement.