Education in Focus

America's Talking Network
  • 4.4 (8)
  • NEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Education in Focus

A podcast that brings you an in-depth analysis of the most compelling education stories of the week from chalkboardnews.com. We explore the latest in education news and policy. Join us as we delve into the latest developments, trends, and issues shaping the world of education.

  1. 12H AGO

    Georgia General Assembly Sends the Riley Gaines Act to Kemp’s Desk

    (The Center Square) – Bills that would ban men from women's sports and establish new programs for school safety are now on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's desk as lawmakers wind down the 2025 session. House and Senate leaders merged Senate Bill 1 into the Riley Gaines Act proposed by the House. The legislation would allow the state to withhold funding from schools that fail to follow the provisions outlined in the bill after an investigation. Teams could also be prevented from competing if violations of the law are confirmed. The revised bill removes a provision that would have added definitions for male and female throughout the Georgia code. It defines "male" and "female" in relation to school sports.

    6 min

  2. MAR 27

    School Cellphone Bill on Its Way to Georgia Gov. Kemp

    The Georgia Senate passed a bill 54-2 on Tuesday that would require K-8 schools to have a policy on cellphone use. House Bill 340 bans electronic devices from "bell to bell," with some exceptions for students with learning disabilities or medical issues. School systems can decide how they want to store the devices, according to the bill. High schools are not addressed in the legislation, but it doesn't keep school districts from enacting cellphone policies for grades 9-12, Hilton said during a committee meeting.

    9 min

  3. MAR 19

    Bill to Raise Wisconsin Report Card Standards Approved by Senate

    (The Center Square) – A bill that would change the academic standards used on Wisconsin’s state report cards back to prior levels passed the Senate and now will head to Gov. Tony Evers. The Senate voted 18-14 to approve the bill, which would reset the K-12 school report card standards of 2019-20, makes grades 3-8 standards the same as those set by the National Assessment of Education Progress and would make the high school testing standards the same as those from 2021-22. State Sen. John Jagler, R-Watertown, is a sponsor of the bill and noted the standards were changed behind closed doors and Evers has even called the decision a mistake.

    7 min

  4. MAR 13

    U.S. Department of Education to Cut Half of Employees

    (The Center Square) – U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said Tuesday that as part of the Department of Education's "final mission," it would cut its workforce by half. Affected employees will be placed on administrative leave beginning March 21. McMahon said the department would "continue to deliver on all statutory programs that fall under the agency's purview, including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grantmaking." When Trump took office in January, the Department of Education had about 4,133 workers. After Tuesday's reduction in force, the department's workforce will total about 2,183 workers.

    9 min

  5. MAR 6

    Senate Confirms School Choice Advocate Linda McMahon as Education Secretary

    (The Center Square) – The U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education, even as the department’s future existence remains uncertain. Lawmakers voted 51-45 to approve Linda McMahon, who led the Small Business Administration in Trump’s first term and is a long-time advocate of school choice. McMahon's background in education includes her appointment to Connecticut’s State Board of Education in January 2009, where she served 15 months. She also served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Sacred Heart University.

    7 min

  6. FEB 20

    DOGE Cuts Nearly $1B From Education Department Research Wing

    Nearly $1 billion in contracts for the Institute of Education Sciences has been cut by the Department of Government Efficiency. Proponents say it is another step toward efficiency and eliminating waste; critics say the slash could cripple the nation’s objective assessors of academic achievement. Linda McMahon's confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Education proceeded Thursday, with conversation strong on how to change it and eventually lead to its closing. In a series of posts on social media, the Department of Education defended the cuts to the federal agency's research arm, saying it hasn’t helped students and that it spent federal funds on unnecessary contracts.

    7 min

  7. FEB 19

    Ethnic Studies Fight Leads to Backlash Against CA School Board Member

    The Palo Alto Unified School District Board voted this week not to censure a board member who previously voted against a measure to approve a controversial “liberated” ethnic studies curriculum for the district. Tuesday’s roughly five-hour PAUSD meeting saw the board vote on a resolution stripping Trustee Rowena Chiu of her committee assignments after her vote at a previous meeting and reposting a social media post that caused controversy. The controversy invokes the larger debates over the appropriateness of ethnic studies curricula that have embedded ideological positions and how school board members have been treated for speaking out on divisive issues.

    7 min

  8. FEB 18

    Federally-Funded Teen-Led Sex Ed Program in Berkeley Could Be Axed by Trump Orders

    A peer-to-peer sex education program at a public high school in California funded by taxpayers nationwide may be on the chopping block after President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting federal funds from going toward what he called gender ideology “indoctrination” for K-12 students. The federally funded AmeriCorps program at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California, told students in the Sexual Health Information from Teens (SHIFT) program that sex does not equal gender and featured a gender unicorn to illustrate the difference between sex, gender and attraction. Trump signed an executive order in January to "end the federal funding of gender ideology."

    8 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

A podcast that brings you an in-depth analysis of the most compelling education stories of the week from chalkboardnews.com. We explore the latest in education news and policy. Join us as we delve into the latest developments, trends, and issues shaping the world of education.

Information

  • Creator
    America's Talking Network
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    223
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © America's Talking Network
  • Show Website
    Education in Focus

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