May 09 Watch 5:25 How a middle school is successfully keeping students off their phones during class By Amna Nawaz, Courtney Norris As schools grapple with how to keep students off their cell phones, one Connecticut school took a blunt approach. In Manchester, Illing Middle School requires students to lock phones in a pouch until the end of the day. It comes… Continue watching
Mar 24 Watch 6:02 The devastating effect of the Israel-Hamas war on education in Gaza By William Brangham, Andrew Corkery The World Health Organization says the future of an entire generation in Gaza is at risk, with children dying of the effects of malnutrition and disease. Another casualty is Gaza’s education system — more than 800 schools are estimated to… Continue watching
Jan 27 Watch 8:02 What's driving a special education teacher shortage and how schools are responding By John Yang, Claire Mufson, Lana Green More than 7.5 million American students have disabilities that qualify them for individual education plans. But teachers trained in this critical area are in short supply. Special education teachers and administrators share how the shortage is affecting them, and John… Continue watching
Jan 20 China reports 13 children killed in elementary school dorm fire in Henan province By Huizhong Wu, Associated Press A fire broke out in dorms at a boarding school for elementary students in central Henan province, and 13 students died in the blaze, Chinese state media reported Saturday. Continue reading
Jan 17 Watch 5:21 School leaders work to keep students in class amid rise in chronic absenteeism By Geoff Bennett, Gabrielle Hays, Dorothy Hastings Chronic absenteeism is a problem for school districts and students and the situation has grown significantly worse since the pandemic. Nearly 30 percent of students were chronically absent during the 2021-2022 school year, missing at least 10 percent of school… Continue watching
Jan 17 Chronic absenteeism is up across the country. School leaders are trying to address why By Gabrielle Hays Federal guidelines say districts should aim to have 90 percent of students in attendance 90 percent of the time. In Missouri, about 76 percent of students meet this standard, according to state data from the 2022-23 school year. Continue reading
Dec 30 Watch 5:58 What to know about Iowa's ban on school books, LGBTQ+ topics halted by a judge By Lisa Desjardins, Kaisha Young, Andrew Corkery A federal judge in Iowa has temporarily blocked key parts of a state law that would ban books from school libraries if they depicted a “sex act.” The law also bars teachers from discussing gender identity and sexuality before seventh… Continue watching
Sep 10 Watch 6:19 Why millions of students are chronically absent from schools in the U.S. By Ali Rogin, Kaisha Young At the height of the pandemic, school closures disrupted many students’ lives. In 2022, nearly 16 million students across the U.S. were chronically absent, double the pre-pandemic truancy rate, according to a new Stanford University analysis. To learn more, Ali… Continue watching
Aug 28 California sues district that requires parents be notified if their kids change their gender or pronouns By Amy Taxin, Associated Press, Sophie Austin, Associated Press/Report for America The district is one of several in Southern California that have adopted similar policies. Bonta says it amounts to "forced outing" transgender students and violates their civil rights and the state constitution. Continue reading
Mar 24 Watch 10:58 House GOP advances controversial bill to increase parental control in schools By Amna Nawaz, Lisa Desjardins, Kyle Midura, Tess Conciatori, Ian Couzens The U.S. House has passed a bill that Republicans say protects parents’ rights in school districts, but opponents call it a dangerous move in a culture war. Lisa Desjardins has more on what the bill entails, and speaks with education… Continue watching