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School in LA is giving students hands on experiences to work with screenwriters, producers, directors and, camera operators to transition into the film industry.

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School in LA is giving students hands on experiences to work with screenwriters, producers, directors and, camera operators to transition into the film industry.

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LAUSD’s new magnet film school gives students hands-on learning about entertainment industry

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The Roybal Film and Television Production magnet was launched in August with Hollywood industry support to give diverse students hands-on experience.

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Students learn about Veterinary science and help stray pets find a new home while learning about how to care for them.

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Students learn about Veterinary science and help stray pets find a new home while learning about how to care for them.

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One-of-a-kind veterinary science program offered at local high school

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By Sonya StevensMount Pleasant, S.C. (WCIV) -- It's the only curriculum of its kind in the state and it's available to high school students right here in the Lo

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School board changes classes to four days a week to give students an extra day to rest and study.

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School board changes classes to four days a week to give students an extra day to rest and study.

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RED OAK - In a post-COVID era, things have gradually begun to return to normal. For many industries, normal has meant learning new ways to do things. When COVID hit, no industry had to pivot as quickly and dramatically as schools. Overnight, in-person classrooms were replaced with distance learning. Teachers had to learn to engage students online, not just in the classroom. Parents became part-time teachers and tutors.

While history will likely remember the hardships faced during the pandemic, there were also important lessons - in particular, "It's OK for things to look different." Hard change sometimes forces people and industries to look for new approaches.

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Parents voice benefits of Life School's four-day school week

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RED OAK - In a post-COVID era, things have gradually begun to return to normal. For many industries, normal has meant learning new ways to do things. When COVID hit, no industry had to pivot as quickly and dramatically as schools. Overnight, in-person classrooms were replaced with distance learning.

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School considers four day school week but is considering the problems that it could cause for low income families.

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School considers four day school week but is considering the problems that it could cause for low income families.

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William Luther /Staff photographer

Harlandale ISD's board is looking at a shorter school week for its students and staff to attract and retain teachers, and it could be the first school district in San Antonio to make the change if approved. The school district says it sent out surveys to parents and staff to provide input on proposed four-day school weeks, according to a news release.

The district first asked staff for input in December 2022 on two potential four-day calendars after it observed what it calls "positive impact" on other Texas school districts. Harlandale ISD cites a 2022 Texas Teacher Poll by the Charles Butt Foundation, saying mental health and not enough time for planning is the reason teachers are leaving the profession.

That poll says 85% of teachers the Charles Butt Foundation surveyed said they would stay for additional planning time and more district-wide time off for students and teachers.

Harlandale ISD has not made any decision on either of the calendars and didn't provide a timeline on when the district will vote on a four-day school week. If approved, the calendar will take effect next school year.

"We are in the process of gathering all research and input necessary to make an informed decision about the potential implementation of a four-day school week," said Superintendent George Soto in the news release. "It is no secret that many teachers are leaving the profession, so we also want to be proactive when it comes to retaining and recruiting teachers for our District."

Some rural Texas school districts like Mineral Wells have already switched to a four-day school week to improve teacher retention, the Texas Tribune reported in July 2022. The Texas Education Agency says schools have to be open for a minimum of 75,600 minutes per school year. This allows districts to be open for four days, even if that means extending the hours students and teachers are in school per day.

In the same Tribune report, experts also questioned the impact to low-income families who could lose a free meal with an additional day off. Brian Woods, superintendent for Northside ISD, told the Tribune that he has concerns over longer days and whether parents could find child care for that day.

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Four-day school weeks are on the table for San Antonio district

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Harlandale ISD's board is looking at a shorter school week for its students and staff to attract and retain teachers, and it could be the first school district in San Antonio to make the change if approved. The school district says it sent out surveys to parents and staff to provide input on proposed four-day school weeks, according to a news release.

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A $63 million dollar bond was announced to provide help to schools to provide a safe an better education.

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A $63 million dollar bond was announced to provide help to schools to provide a safe an better education.

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U.S. Department of Education Announces $63 Million to Expand Community Schools and Increase Social, Emotional, Mental Health, and Academic Support for Students, Educators, and Families | U.S. Department of Education

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U.S. Department of Education Announces $63 Million to Expand Community Schools and Increase Social, Emotional, Mental Health, and Academic Support for Students, Educators, and Families

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Tennessee considers rejecting federal education money so their is no federal interference and they can educate the students "how Tennessee sees fit".

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Tennessee considers rejecting federal education money so their is no federal interference and they can educate the students "how Tennessee sees fit".

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - One of Tennessee's most influential Republican lawmakers says the state should stop accepting the nearly $1.8 billion of federal K-12 education dollars that help provide support for low-income students, English learners and students with disabilities.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton told The Associated Press that he has introduced a bill to explore the idea during this year's legislative session and has begun discussions with Gov. Bill Lee and other key GOP lawmakers.

"Basically, we'll be able to educate the kids how Tennessee sees fit," Sexton said, pointing that rejecting the money would mean that Tennessee would no longer have "federal government interference."

To date, no state has successfully rejected federal education funds even as state and local officials have long grumbled about some of the requirements and testing that at times come attached to the money. The idea has also come up elsewhere in recent months among GOP officials, including in Oklahoma and South Carolina.

Many Republican politicians and candidates at the federal level have also made a habit of calling for the outright elimination of the U.S. Department of Education.
READ MORE: Tennessee governor signs bill strictly regulating medication abortions
According to Sexton, Tennessee is currently in the financial position to use state tax dollars to replace federal education funds. He pointed to the $3.2 billion in new spending outlined in Gov. Lee's recent budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year as proof that the state could easily cover the federal government's portion.

Federal dollars make up a small slice of Tennessee's K-12 education funding, which had an almost $8.3 billion budget as of fiscal year 2023. Yet the federal money is seen as a key tool to supporting schools in low-income areas and special education.

Sexton says he has been mulling the proposal for a while, but this week, he publicly touted the idea in front of a packed room full of lawmakers, lobbyists and other leaders at the Tennessee Farm Bureau luncheon on Tuesday.

"We as a state can lead the nation once again in telling the federal government that they can keep their money and we'll just do things the Tennessee way," Sexton said at the event. "And that should start, first and foremost, with the Department of Education."

Spokespersons for both Gov. Lee and Sen. Randy McNally appeared open to entertaining Sexton's proposal.

"Although we haven't seen the details of the legislation yet, the governor is always interested in working with the speaker to ensure Tennessee students have the best access to a high-quality education," said Lee's spokesperson, Jade Byers.

McNally said he was open to the proposal, saying that "federal mandates in the area of education can be overly burdensome."

"McNally thinks a discussion about forgoing this money, a relatively small part of overall education funding, in order to maintain more control over how we educate our Tennessee students is a constructive conversation to have," spokesperson Adam Kleinheider said.
READ MORE: New federal rules would limit sugar in school meals for the 1st time
Democratic Rep. Bo Mitchell said he had several concerns about forgoing federal education funding, particularly knowing that the money currently goes to support students with disabilities and low-income students.

"I'm concerned about their rights and Tennessee being able to provide those services and uphold their rights," Mitchell said.

Advocacy groups also raised alarm, with the Tennessee Disability Coalition saying they were "very disappointed" with Sexton's proposal.

"These funds represent the best, strongest bootstraps these students have for successfully living and working in our communities," spokesperson Tom Jedlowski said.

Meanwhile, the Teacher Education Association's President Tanya Coats said Tennessee needs "every dollar we can invest" even if it comes with "federal strings."

In Republican-dominant Tennessee, GOP lawmakers have increasingly become more skeptical and combative over what is taught inside public classrooms - particularly over race and gender issues - and the policies surrounding what services schools offer to students.

To push back against these attacks, advocates have generally leveraged various federal funds the state receives as grounds to block or challenge various school-related bans. This has resulted in state and federal education officials often being at odds with each other.

For example, last September, the U.S. Department of Education reprimanded Tennessee for how it was carrying out statewide testing, saying its problems "impact the state's ability to provide clear and transparent information to the public about school performance, but also result in the state using information that is not comparable across schools."

Tennessee was among the states to sue President Joe Biden 's administration over a U.S. Department of Agriculture school meal program that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The lawsuit came after the USDA announced in May that it would include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity as a violation of Title IX, the sweeping 1972 law that guarantees equity between the sexes in "any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

And in 2021, the federal department opened investigations into Tennessee and four other Republican-led states that have banned or limited mask requirements in schools, saying the policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions.

Yet it's unclear whether Tennessee would have fewer conflicts with the federal government if the state chose to forgo the education funding. While the U.S. Constitution says public education is a state responsibility, states are still required to follow federal laws.

Separately, in January, Tennessee sparked national attention when state's Department of Health announced it was walking away from nearly $9 million in federal funding designed to prevent and treat HIV.

In a letter sent to providers, the state announced that it believes "it is in the best interest of Tennesseans for the state to assume direct financial and managerial responsibility for these services."

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Tennessee House speaker considers rejecting federal education money

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - One of Tennessee's most influential Republican lawmakers says the state should stop accepting the nearly $1.8 billion of federal K-12 education dollars that help provide support for low-income students, English learners and students with disabilities.

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Bringing AI in the class room could help reduce workloads for educators but could also me a security threat.

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Bringing AI in the class room could help reduce workloads for educators but could also me a security threat.

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Opinion: The Pros and Cons of Using AI in Schools

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Artificial intelligence is here to stay, and optimizing it for the classroom will require a careful accounting of its implications, both good and bad: for tutoring, assessments, data security and other functions.

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Educators worry that ChatGPT could cause students to lose motivation and creativity. 

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Educators worry that ChatGPT could cause students to lose motivation and creativity. 

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Is this new chatbot the end of education as we know it? Or a useful new tool for learning? Teenagers weigh in.

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Students are using lego lab learning systems to get hands on experience with STEM.

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Students are using lego lab learning systems to get hands on experience with STEM.

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Feb. 6, 2023 - Whether they're assembling trains or programming robots, one thing is clear - students participating in the district's new Lego Lab are gaining new, hands-on perspectives in STEM.

"It is critical to introduce it in the elementary age," says Duval. County Public Schools Director of Science, Dr. Yvonne Spinner. "Our students have pretty much decided what they want to do when they get to middle school. And if they don't select a track that they're Interested in or start the electives in middle school, they may never engage in STEM learning."

Housed in the STEM Innovations Center at A. Philip Randolph Career Academies, the Lego Lab serves as a free field trip opportunity for teachers looking to provide students with engaging, hands-on learning opportunities outside of their normal classroom environment.

The Lego Lab is geared primarily toward students in grades 2 to 8, although staff have welcomed students in grades as young as kindergarten. Once students arrive at the school, district science staff lead them through various tasks and activities using Lego Robotics Kits, as well as other resources.

The Lego Lab trips are available every other week, Monday through Friday. On the weeks labs aren't taking place at the school, district staff are going to schools with STEM outreach activities resembling those provided in the lab. Dr. Spinner says that by doing in-classroom visits, they're ensuring that all schools have access to the experience.

"It's an exciting feeling to see them so engaged in something. It's a challenging activity, but it's not too hard," says Dr. Spinner. "It creates a productive struggle for our students...and then when they finally get the robot to work, the light in their eyes is something you can't miss."

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New lego lab helps make STEM learning accessible for elementary school students

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Feb. 6, 2023 - Whether they're assembling trains or programming robots, one thing is clear - students participating in the district's new Lego Lab are gaining new, hands-on perspectives in STEM. "It is critical to introduce it in the elementary age," says Duval. County Public Schools Director of Science, Dr. Yvonne Spinner.

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School in North Dakota is making STEM a necessary learning objective for students.

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School in North Dakota is making STEM a necessary learning objective for students.

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DICKINSON - North Dakota State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler watched as Lincoln Elementary students engaged in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities during the school's STEM Day Jan. 27. From "squishy circuits" to building and virtual reality stations, every student was fully immersed in STEM Friday morning.

Lincoln Elementary School partnered with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and others last fall to install their first high-tech STEM laboratory in North Dakota. The school has since established weekly STEM rotations in every classroom. Friday's schoolwide STEM day was the second held since the STEM program was implemented. Baesler and Marisa Riesinger, DPS elementary library media specialist, spoke during an informational session held during the event.

"STEM matters," Riesinger said. "We know that there is a STEM gap. And it's scary and it's dangerous because it does cause income disparities, skilled labor shortages and decreasing economic growth. An international study shows that the median range of income is $40,000 for non STEM professions, but internationally for a STEM job is $85,000. So looking at that disparity, and when we think about that, we think what do we want our kids to have? We want them to be successful adults, but not only successful adults, but we know they're going to be part of our community. So the stronger we can make our kids, the stronger we make our communities as well."

Ashley Koffler / The Dickinson Press

Many from the community volunteered for the event including Dickinson State University athletics, Dickinson High School cheer team, DHS science club, and DHS students. Southwest Art Gallery and Science Center and Edutech also partnered with DPS to create STEM stations. In addition, Marathon presented Dickinson Public Schools a $15,000 grant for the library media program to purchase ozobots - small robots designed as an introduction to coding - to use across the district. Baesler said she was amazed by the event, agreeing that STEM is a necessary component in school curriculums.

"We've been offering incentives, but unfortunately only 41% of North Dakota's high schools have access to or provide access to a computer science or cybersecurity course," Baesler said. "Only 38% of our students are attending one of those high schools that have access to a computer science or cybersecurity course. When you talk about computer science and cybersecurity, the number of those students enrolled in those courses is even lower because they haven't had an opportunity to be in an elementary school like Lincoln, where they're able to see themselves doing that. And we know from brain development that right about third grade is when young people have this self identification of what they want to do or what they're good at. And if they haven't seen a career or been exposed to an opportunity to be good at that or to experience that - that job opportunity, that career is lost to them forever."

Ashley Koffler / The Dickinson Press

She expressed gratitude that her granddaughters are a part of DPS.

"Dickinson is really, really fortunate to have leaders like this," she said. "To have community members like this. I will also say from the statewide vantage point, Dickinson is a leader in education in K-12 education. You have an amazing superintendent, a superintendent that supports this type of work. And you have a strong school board that supports their superintendent in supporting this type of work. So you are very, very fortunate."

Ashley Koffler / The Dickinson Press

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STEM-ming up success: North Dakota State School Superintendent visits Lincoln Elementary School's STEM Day

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DICKINSON - North Dakota State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler watched as Lincoln Elementary students engaged in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities during the school's STEM Day Jan. 27. From "squishy circuits" to building and virtual reality stations, every student was fully immersed in STEM Friday morning.