Evie Blad

Education reporter at @EducationWeek. Send me story ideas about K-12 schools and students. Dog person. Kansan. My high school mascot was farm equipment.

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Articles

Will a J-1 Visa Freeze Disrupt Teacher Staffing?

3 weeks ago | edweek.org | Evie Blad

A pause on visa interviews for international college students has also affected international teachers—a lifeline for districts facing persistent shortages of educators in areas like STEM and special education. A growing number of districts rely on exchange programs to hire teachers from other countries, largely using J-1 cultural exchange visas, which allow educators to work in U.S. schools for up to five years, depending on renewal eligibility.
How School Choice Complicates District Bond Elections

4 weeks ago | edweek.org | Evie Blad

Families who “vote with their feet” by transferring their children out of their residential school districts may be less likely to vote at the ballot box in school bond elections, new research concludes. The study, released in May, comes at a pivot point in K-12 education, as families face more schooling options than ever—charter schools, inter-district transfers, and vouchers and scholarships that allow them to homeschool their children or send them to private schools.
What's Behind a Legislative Push for Prayer and Bible Study in Public Schools

1 month ago | edweek.org | Evie Blad

Texas is poised to further test the church-state divide in public education now that lawmakers there have passed a bill that would allow schools to set aside daily time for prayer and reading the Bible or other religious texts. The bill, which awaits Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature, would require all districts to vote on such a policy within six months after it is enacted.
The Trump Admin. Is Reviving This School Choice Option You've Never Heard Of

1 month ago | edweek.org | Evie Blad

When the Trump administration urged states to use a little-known provision in federal education law to boost school choice, the congressman who helped author the language 24 years ago had an immediate reaction: “It’s about time,” said former Congressman Bob Schaffer. In a May 7 letter, Acting Assistant Education Secretary Hayley B.
Do Districts Have 'Administrative Bloat'? This State May Let the Public Decide

1 month ago | edweek.org | Evie Blad

It’s a common contention in debates over school funding: Districts spend too much money on central office staff and not enough on classroom teachers. Now, lawmakers in one state want to make it easier for members of the public to weigh the data for themselves. The North Carolina legislature is debating a bill that would require school districts to publish the titles, job descriptions, and salaries of administrators on their websites.
Do Districts Have 'Administrative Bloat?' This State May Let the Public Decide

1 month ago | edweek.org | Evie Blad

It’s a common contention in debates over school funding: Districts spend too much money on central office staff and not enough on classroom teachers. Now, lawmakers in one state want to make it easier for members of the public to weigh the data for themselves. The North Carolina legislature is debating a bill that would require school districts to publish the titles, job descriptions, and salaries of administrators on their websites.
Trump Admin. Defunds a Program to Help Launch Teacher Apprenticeships

1 month ago | edweek.org | Evie Blad

The Trump administration has defunded a program designed to help states and districts create and sustain teacher-apprenticeship models—a new and increasingly popular way to address educator shortages through paid on-the-job training for nontraditional candidates. The U.S. Department of Labor canceled a five-year contract for the Educator Registered Apprenticeship Intermediary May 2, ending the program in the middle of its second year.
What Makes Schools Safe? Researchers Outline These 4 Key Recommendations

1 month ago | edweek.org | Evie Blad

To keep schools safe, educators must resist the push for cure-all solutions in favor of more comprehensive strategies that incorporate student behavior, school climate, and the thoughtful use of security measures. That’s the conclusion of researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder who synthesized about 150 federally funded research studies conducted after the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
What Makes Schools Safe? Researchers Outline These 4 Key Recommendations

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Evie Blad

A Neuroscientist Explains All the Good Things That Happen in Your Brain When You Forgive SomeoneHolding onto your anger is hijacking your work performance. Forgiveness gives you back your power. “To err is human; to forgive, divine,” the poet Alexander Pope wrote in the 1700s. These days a boatload of modern science suggests he was on to something. Research from Harvard Health has found links …
Trump Allies Say the Case for Head Start Is Weak. Researchers Say They're Wrong

1 month ago | edweek.org | Evie Blad

As the Trump administration weighs wiping out funding for Head Start, one question looms large in debates over the program’s future: Does it work? A draft of President Donald Trump’s pending budget proposal would eliminate the $12 billion, 60-year-old early childhood program altogether. His administration has already closed 10 regional offices, leaving providers in 22 states without a designated federal contact to handle questions about funding and program regulations.