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School threat assessment, as a formalized means of preventing violence among K-12 students, is facing growing opposition. Civil rights and disability advocacy organizations point out that students with disabilities, students of color, and students from low-income families are disproportionately subjected to investigations, and that assessments may bypass protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, resulting in informal suspensions and lasting trauma. Supporters such as Dewey Cornell, a professor of education at the University of Virginia, argue that systematic assessment can prevent schools from making hasty decisions based on intuition or panic, and cite research showing that most threats are determined to be low-risk or transient. The U.S. Department of Education recently solicited comments on non-discriminatory practices in school discipline, receiving over 3,600 comments. This article reviews both sides' arguments, key data, state-level policies, and school district cases, and explores directions for improvement.
Susan Gorman, an eighth-grade science teacher at Hallsville Middle School in Missouri, USA, brings the Olympics into her classroom every two years, designing related activities to help students understand scientific principles and encouraging them to think like scientists. As the Tokyo Summer Olympics opened on July 23, more educators are attempting to use Olympic events or historical materials to integrate sports technology and science into teaching, aiming to ignite students' enthusiasm for STEM learning.
After the pandemic, the identification of special education students has drawn attention. Experts point out that both over-identification and under-identification can harm students and pose challenges to district resources and equity. This article explores identification criteria, data monitoring, and best practices.
Makai Kellogg, lead teacher and equity and diversity coordinator at School for Friends, an early childhood education institution in Washington, D.C., believes that if teachers have not addressed their own biases, it is difficult for them to effectively intervene in biased behaviors exhibited by students. Experts suggest that teachers should first clarify their educational vision and, through self-reflection, professional development, and examination of teaching materials, truly integrate anti-bias, social justice, and equity education into their daily curriculum.
During the pandemic, approximately 29 million U.S. households with school-age children lacked home internet access. Despite efforts to bridge the gap, issues such as urban-rural infrastructure disparities, housing mobility, and funding depletion make the digital divide difficult to eradicate. This article examines this 'known unknown' through case studies in Tennessee, Oakland, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.
The pandemic exposed the severity of the digital divide in K-12 education, prompting schools, governments, and communities to seek sustainable solutions. This article explores multi-faceted efforts ranging from device distribution and broadband access to digital literacy training, and emphasizes the importance of policy-making and data collection.
Science education experts and frontline teachers are attempting to bring real-world phenomena into the classroom, from the pandemic to waste management, to stimulate student interest and cultivate scientific literacy. Through multiple cases, this article demonstrates how to design such courses, the support teachers need, and the impact on students.
