Throughout American history, landmark laws have brought waves of change that carried our country toward a more perfect union. Before the Fair Labor Standards Act, many children didn't spend their days learning in schools, but working in factories. Before the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Black Americans had no federal statutory protection from the racial discrimination of the Jim Crow era. And before Title IX, women and girls were denied equal access to education, and the opportunities that come from it. Many elite universities and colleges used quotas to deny women admission, and virtually all athletic scholarships went to men. The enactment of Title IX was a watershed moment. Those words … "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance" Those words set the stage for a sea change of progress. As astronaut Mary Cleave once said, "Title IX passed, and within 10 years I was getting hired to work in a space shuttle. … Title IX blew the lid off of so many occupations for women." In the 50th year of this law, Title IX remains essential. view article

As legislators discuss Arizona’s budget, educators are hoping for a bump in pay and investments. “So far, from what we’ve seen, is not a huge investment in school. There’s a huge investment in rainy day for what might happen,” said Marisol Garcia, the president-elect for the Arizona Education Association. Garcia said some money seems to be allocated into programs going into schools. “There’s some to the base--so some to help with a little bit of raise--and then there’s some investment into our actual structures that have been neglected for years and years,” said Garcia. view article

A public informational meeting will be held by Fairfield Independent School District on Monday, June 20, 2022, to seek public comments on the needs and use of federal funds. The purpose of the meeting is to seek your input on how the district can use funds to provide supplemental services and support to students, families, teachers, administrators, and other district staff. Meetings have been scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Fairfield ISD Administration Building, 615 Post Oak, Fairfield TX. view article

The Eanes ISD board of trustees will vote on whether to approve a 2% midpoint compensation increase for all staff at its May 10 or 24 meeting.  At the April 26 meeting, the district showed a comparison sheet of compensation increases districts in the area were considering. While several districts were considering midpoint raises in the 2%-3% range, some districts are opting for larger 4%-7% midpoint raises, such as Bastrop ISD, Hays ISD and Lake Travis ISD.  “We’re only as good as our people,” Superintendent Tom Leonard said. “And while we’ve got great people, we’ve got to find a way to compensate them.” view article

Days after rejecting dozens of math textbooks for including what the state Department of Education claimed were “indoctrinating concepts,” Florida officials on Monday continued to refuse requests for examples. The material is “proprietary,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a news conference. The lack of information caused a buzz over the weekend, with the state’s announcement capturing attention nationally as the latest flame in ongoing classroom culture wars. view article

A bill that would require schools to post online all curriculum related to diversity, equity, race, gender and sexuality had its second hearing in the state Senate earlier this week. Senate Bill 196 also prohibits teaching that someone is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive because of their race, gender, religion or nationality. It’s similar to other bills that have popped up around the country. Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law the Parental Rights in Education bill, which opponents have called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. It limits discussion of LGBTQ issues in classrooms and requires schools to tell parents when their children receive mental health services. view article

LUBBOCK, Texas- After winning the Regional Spelling Bee on March 26, a 7th grader from Atkins Middle School will head to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. on June 2, Prince Brown’s family told KLBK News on Monday. Lubbock ISD held a ceremony to celebrate his accomplishments on Monday afternoon. Prince Brown has always been smart, his grandmother Beulah Parker said. He loves video games, reading and playing euphonium. “He’s always been really great and I just thank God for him. I am so proud,” she tearfully expressed. view article

There is a growing and disturbing trend of anti-intellectual elitism in American culture. It's the dismissal of science, the arts, and humanities and their replacement by entertainment, self-righteousness, ignorance, and deliberate gullibility. Susan Jacoby, author of The Age of American Unreason, says in an article in the Washington Post, "Dumbness, to paraphrase the late senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, has been steadily defined downward for several decades, by a combination of heretofore irresistible forces. These include the triumph of video culture over print culture; a disjunction between Americans' rising level of formal education and their shaky grasp of basic geography, science and history; and the fusion of anti-rationalism with anti-intellectualism."  view article

A Mississippi school district has been ordered to desegregate its schools after what the Justice Department called a five-decade-long legal battle. The Cleveland School District, about two hours northwest of Jackson, was told that it must consolidate its schools in order to provide real desegregation for students in the city of about 12,000. view article