Education Week: Powerful Year End News

 

I think this week's summary of the year by the Education Week staff is worth reflecting on. I reproduce the bulk of their weekly FREE newsletter below.  Since my focus is primarily servicing the families homeschooling their children, I can see some trends that will help build homeschooling in the years ahead. The Education Week staff wants to wish a Happy New Year to all the dedicated and resilient educators out there. (The list below should remind you just how much you've overcome.)

 

	1.     What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack? Debates about critical race theory made their way into school board meetings, classrooms, and nightly news broadcasts. This story, Education Week's most read of 2021, explained the academic concept. Also Popular: Map: Where Critical Race Theory Is Under Attack 2.     School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where Education Week began tracking school shootings in 2018. This year, we saw the highest number of incidents yet. See Also: School Shootings in 2021: 4 Takeaways, in Charts 3.     No Bus Drivers, Custodians, or Subs. What's Really Behind Schools' Staffing Shortages? Dismal pay, certification requirements, and longstanding disrespect caused many classified workers to quit this year. Also Popular: How Staff Shortages Are Crushing Schools 4.     Teachers Are Not OK, Even Though We Need Them to Be The pandemic put teachers through the wringer, forcing administrators to think about staff well-being differently. Also Popular: Teachers Want Their Administrators to Teach. Here's Why 5.     Where Teachers Are Eligible for the COVID-19 Vaccine Access to vaccines was one of 2021's big stories. At the time, Education Week tracked plans for vaccinating K-12 educators. See Also: Teachers Who Refuse to Comply With Vaccine Mandates Won't Face Consequences in Many Places 6.     New Curriculum Review Gives Failing Marks to Two Popular Reading Programs Two of the nation's most-used literacy programs faced new criticism in 2021. From the Archives: The Most Popular Reading Programs Aren't Backed by Science 7.     Educators We've Lost to the Coronavirus In this memorial first started in 2020, we remember some of the dedicated educators lost to their communities and to the field. See Also: We Feel Your Grief: Remembering the 1,000 Plus Educators Who've Died of COVID-19 8.     Students Respond to Adults' Fixation on 'Learning Loss' There was a lot of talk about students suffering "learning loss" because of the pandemic. What did students have to say about it? See Also: Student Learning Declined This Year, Especially for the Most Vulnerable Kids, Data Shows 9.     The Dr. Seuss Controversy: What Educators Need to Know The business that manages Dr. Seuss' work and legacy announced this year they will cease publishing six books due to racist stereotypes and offensive content. From the Archives: Is 'The Cat in the Hat' Racist? 10. Caring for Students in the Wake of a Traumatic News Event Helping students unpack emotions in the wake of troubling news events was top of mind for educators after pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. See Also: Insurgency at the U.S. Capitol: A Dreaded, Real-Life Lesson Facing Teachers
	Read more when you subscribe! You may read limited stories for free. Subscribe now to access every article. Find out how your entire organization can benefit from access to Education Week.