Music Education Policy Roundup – December 15, 2019

National News

Senate Reaches Bipartisan Agreement to Fund HBCUs

12/4/2019- ‘Funding for the minority-serving institutions had expired during a months-long standoff between Republicans and Democrats.’

 

State News

SC governor wants to give all teachers a $3,000 raise

12/10/2019- ‘South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said Tuesday that he wants to give a $3,000 raise for all the state’s nearly 53,000 teachers in next year’s budget as part of a promise by Republican lawmakers to get paychecks above the national average by 2024.’

CO- State opens application for educator loan forgiveness

12/11/2019- ‘The Colorado Department of Higher Education announced on Tuesday that it will accept applications to forgive $5,000 annually for five years in student loans for educators.’

Some States Move Toward Financial Aid Based on Need Rather Than Merit

12/10/2019- ‘State-funded merit scholarships are politically popular. But as college tuition rises, policymakers in some states are starting to rethink financial aid that disproportionately benefits white, wealthy students and often duplicates scholarships awarded by public universities.’

Oil bonanza sustains state budget surplus in New Mexico

12/9/2019- ‘State government income is expected to outpace spending obligations by nearly $800 million for the coming fiscal year as New Mexico lawmakers contemplate bigger budgets for public schools, health care and anti-crime initiatives.’

 

Research and Analysis

See Where Teachers Got Pay Raises This Year

More than a year after teachers across the country began walking out of their classrooms en masse to demand higher salaries, at least 15 states have given their teachers a raise.

How Teachers Talk About Educational Disparities (Data)

For this special project, the Education Week Research Center surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 1,300 teachers.

Emotional Intelligence Predicts Academic Performance: A Meta-Analysis

Schools and universities devote considerable time and resources to developing students’ social and emotional skills, such as emotional intelligence (EI). The goals of such programs are partly for personal development but partly to increase academic performance.

Policy Roundup compiled by NAfME’s Matt Barusch