NAfME News
Student Composition Recital Recording Available
The works of six impressive student composers were premiered by The Akropolis Reed Quintet during a virtual recital Monday night. Click here to view the recording.
State and Federal News
Dewine Signs Emergency Education Bill on Graduation Requirements, State Testing
3/21/21 – “The bill went into effect due to an emergency clause that it contained and allows students in grades 11 and 12 to use end of course grades instead of state tests for graduation requirements.”
Maine considers expanding career, tech education
3/20/21 – “Democratic Sen. Mattie Daughtry of Brunswick has introduced a bill that would establish a task force to study the creation of a comprehensive career and technical education system.”
Illinois State of Education report highlights the impact of COVID-19 on teacher workforce
3/23/21 – “The third annual State of Education report by the Illinois Education Association was released Tuesday and covers multiple topics. One of the key things noted: the pressure placed on schools by the pandemic. The pandemic has only made the teacher shortage worse, the report said, and the public is concerned about the shortage.”
NCES data highlights pandemic instruction differences by race, region
3/24/21 – “Initial findings from the NAEP School Survey — a monthly pilot collection launched by the Institute of Education Sciences and National Center for Education Statistics to gain insight into schools’ available learning opportunities during COVID-19 — show almost half of White students (49%) were more likely to be learning fully in-person in January. Students of color were more likely to be learning in fully remote conditions, with 68% of Asian, 58% of Black and 56% of Hispanic students participating in that mode of learning.
Many Rural Remote Learners Are Receiving Little to No Live Teaching, Federal Survey Reveals
3/28/21 – “More students than previously understood may be attending school virtually, survey data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Education reveal. And many students — particularly remote learners from rural schools — are getting little to no live instructional time with teachers.”
Research and Analysis
ECS: Early Legislative Trends for K-12 Funding
3/24/21 – “As the state budget season approaches and the American Rescue Plan has been enacted, it’s worth taking a look at how states are thinking about K-12 funding for the upcoming fiscal year. We explored this in our latest Policy Snapshot on K-12 Funding Policy Responses to COVID-19, which detailed how states are grappling with attendance/enrollment, revenue and equity-based funding initiatives during the pandemic.”
3/29/31 – “This summary is updated annually to reflect changes in legislation concerning the arts in education. It includes arts education policies for all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia. Complete results from this review are available in an online searchable database on the Arts Education Partnership website.”
Policy Roundup compiled by NAfME’s Rob Edwards.