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Schools can’t ban sunscreen under new Arizona law
Arizona schools can't require students to have a note from a parent to use and possess sunscreen under legislation signed by Gov. Doug Ducey.
Lawmakers approve bill asking schools to do more on dyslexia
Arizona is on the verge of requiring schools to do more to identify students with dyslexia and giving them guidelines for how to deal with them.
Educators, Ducey at odds as public school issues reach critical stage
Gov. Doug Ducey’s push for a universal school-voucher program has fractured his relationship with advocates and groups he needed in the past and will need in the future as he tries to secure his legacy on K-12 education.
Civics education a building block of our American Democracy
We all know about reading, writing and arithmetic, but have you ever thought about the importance of our children learning civics? Arizona is leading a push to make sure civics is a part of our curricula. In 2015, Governor Ducey and legislators made sure students had to pass a civics test to graduate from high school. That begins with this year’s senior class. Arizona was the first state in the [...]
School choice a sham, profits on the taxpayers’ dime
It is time for Arizonans to take a hard look at who really benefits from school choice. While some families may want tax-payer funded options, the dizzying array of choices, combined with lax oversight and weak laws, make Arizona’s taxpayers easy marks for profiteering on the taxpayers’ dime.
What BASIS offers: A passport to 20,000 futures
On a blog maintained by the Network for Public Education, a blogger recently attacked BASIS.ed and BASIS Charter Schools with a series of falsehoods and innuendo. Ordinarily, we would not dignify such errors with a response, but as the Arizona Capitol Times was going to publish it, and offered us a response, we felt compelled to do so, with facts.
Full-Day Kindergarten: Good for kids, schools and society
Above all, universal full-day kindergarten would allow educators to make the most of an important fact: With whom a child learns is as important as from whom she learns and where she learns.
State testing finds lead in public school drinking water
The Department of Environmental Quality is in the early stages of getting local education officials to test some 7,000 school buildings throughout the state for lead in the drinking water.
Lobbied by her own kids, Scottsdale Republican says yes to 50-minute recess bill
Before she voted on a bill requiring elementary school students in Arizona to receive at least 50 minutes of recess per day, Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita faced intense pressure from a team of lobbyists hounding her day and night.
Surprise: House speaker considers Dems’ amendment to drug suspension bill
House Democrats scored a rare concession Tuesday when they attempted to amend legislation requiring schools to notify the Department of Education when a student is suspended or expelled for drugs-related infractions.
Seeing is Bee-lieving in Pendergast Elementary schools
My leadership motto is, “All decisions will be made in the best interests of students.” On my signature is a bee.
Private school data show schools are ready to offer more opportunities
President Donald Trump’s nomination of Betsy DeVos for U.S. Secretary of Education elevated the profile of parents that choose how and where their child learns. Prior to her appointment, Ms. DeVos was the chairman of one of the nation’s most active organizations that supported quality learning options for students, the American Federation for Children.
