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Weekly News Round-Up for July 28th
posted by: Melissa | July 28, 2017, 05:54 PM   

Each week, AAE brings its members a round-up of what’s happening in education. From big, eye-catching headlines to the stories most papers overlook, AAE finds the news our members really want to see. This week, we have presidential donations, accusations of racism in school choice programs, a panhandling teacher, and more!


Trump Donates Salary to Dept of Ed: On Wednesday, President Trump donated his second quarter salary to the Department of Education for the funding for a STEM camp. The donation equaled $100,000 dollars. Critics of President Trump point out that the donation doesn’t come close to equaling the $9.2 billion that Trump’s proposed budget cuts from the department. The donation comes a few days after some teachers protested these cuts.


AFT President Conflates School Choice and Segregation: During AFT’s annual convention, their president, Randi Weingarten claimed that school choice was only one step up from segregation. The statement was made in reference to a report titled “The Racist Origins of Private School Vouchers,” by the Center for American Progress. The speech immediately drew criticism from leaders in the black community who are supportive of school choice, among others.


NAACP Calls for Moratorium on Charters: Members of an NAACP educational taskforce again called for an end to charter school expansion. The group claims that charter schools exacerbate segregation and often do not have proper oversight. This comes only days after a similar claim made by AFT president Randi Weingarten. Many education activists accuse the NAACP of ignoring the stated desires of parents for more school options and claim that there is strong support across the black community for school choice. This incident only added to the current debate surrounding race and school choice.


Oklahoma Teacher Panhandles for School Supplies: An Oklahoma teacher frustrated with the lack of funding for schools took to the streets to raise awareness and money. Teresa Danks stood at a busy street corner with a sign and asked passing cars for money for school supplies. Oklahoma ranks last in teacher pay, which has made it difficult for the state to find and retain teachers, and Ms. Danks had been paying for supplies out of her salary. The stunt helped her get national news attention and raise funds through GoFundMe.


Tennessee Revises Social Studies Standards: Tennessee is in the middle of revising their social studies standards to make them easier for teachers to teach. The process has been garnering scrutiny due to which topics are being slated for omission. If the Tennessee State Board of Education approves the changes, they should go into effect in the 2019-2020 school year.


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