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Want your child to receive better reading help in public school? It might cost $7,500

The Hechinger Report

Two Massachusetts parents interviewed for this piece said their school district’s list of “approved” independent evaluators included psychologists who actually weren’t licensed to work in the state. Those requirements rarely slowed down the process, says Joan Bowen, director of pupil services for Medford Public Schools.

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Parents feared Tennessee’s new reading law would hold back thousands of students. That didn’t happen

The Hechinger Report

That’s similar to retention rates in previous years — a report from the Tennessee Education Research Alliance shows that around 1 percent of third graders were held back each school year between 2010 to 2020. Credit: Lily Estella Thompson for The Hechinger Report In Metro Nashville Public Schools, 77 third graders — or 1.4

Tutoring 135
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Arizona gave families public money for private schools. Then private schools raised tuition

The Hechinger Report

“The average amount of tuition is going to be more than the actual voucher, not to mention transportation and uniform costs,” said Nik Nartowicz, state policy counsel for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a legal advocacy group. This doesn’t help low-income families.” Credit: Ross D.

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OPINION: Black principals play a key role in transforming education. We need more of them

The Hechinger Report

Only 10 percent of public school principals nationwide are Black , which helps explain why hiring and retaining Black teachers has been so problematic. Fenwick notes that policy efforts today must acknowledge and deal with the relics of that “systematic dismissal of Black educators from public schools.”

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Retraining an entire state’s elementary teachers in the science of reading

The Hechinger Report

Some teachers in Hickory Public Schools, where Viewmont Elementary is located, have been focusing more on the science of reading in recent years, spurred in part by the influence of a local education college. Shawn Clemons, director of accountability at Hickory Public Schools. It sounds complicated because it is.

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Tennessee law could hold back thousands of third graders in bid to help kids recover from the pandemic

The Hechinger Report

Last fall, nearly 80 percent of third grade students in Metro Nashville Public Schools performed below the passing benchmark. Students can also take the test again before the next school year to try and achieve a passing grade. The bill would also require students who are retained to receive tutoring.

Tutoring 135
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Disabilities in math affect many students — but get little attention

The Hechinger Report

Advocacy focused on math disabilities has been less widespread than that for reading disabilities. A lot of times, [parents] let it go for a long time because it’s culturally acceptable to be bad at math,” said Heather Brand, a math specialist and operations manager for the tutoring organization Made for Math.

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