All posts tagged: schools

A Teacher Is Quitting The Job Because Schools Don’t Let Kids Fail Anymore

A Teacher Is Quitting The Job Because Schools Don’t Let Kids Fail Anymore

Published by Jenni Sidey

In recent years, teachers have been expected to do more with less and less: fewer resources, less support, even less authority. However, for one teacher, her breaking point was solely about grading. After schools have all but abandoned consequences for skipping class and failing grades, she says that her personal values no longer align with the goals of the education system, and the only choice for her is to stop teaching. Kids are no longer accountable for their performance or their behavior. Students don’t need to apply themselves to pass, and that means teachers aren’t really teaching anymore. A teacher is quitting her job because schools are no longer allowing kids to fail. Torie Fowler, a high school English teacher living in Florida, posted a video explaining exactly why she’s choosing to leave teaching, and it’s because of a newer education concept called “course recovery.” These are programs where students who are struggling in their classes can make up credit through online coursework that is condensed to a few weeks. She specifically mentions one senior …

New schools report underlines urgency of RE and collective worship reform – Humanists UK

New schools report underlines urgency of RE and collective worship reform – Humanists UK

Published by Sam Flores

A new report from Stranmillis University College, Faith in our Schools, has laid bare the scale of Christian influence in Northern Ireland schools. The report comes just months after the UK Supreme Court ruled in the landmark JR87 case that exclusively Christian Religious Education (RE) and collective worship were ‘indoctrination’. Northern Ireland Humanists said the findings add further weight to the need for urgent reform to both RE and collective worship. The report, which was commissioned by Scripture Union Northern Ireland, explores how churches and Christian groups engage with schools across Northern Ireland. It found that: 94% of school leaders reported links with at least one local church 73% of school leaders reported partnerships with Christian organisations.  The report also found serious gaps in transparency and parental awareness of church involvement in schools. Only 38% of parents surveyed felt sufficiently informed about activities involving churches or Christian organisations. Only one third of pupils knew they could opt out of these activities, with many saying they feared stigma if they did so. In its ruling on …

New schools report underlines urgency of RE and collective worship reform – Humanists UK

New schools report underlines urgency of RE and collective worship reform – Humanists UK

Published by Sam Flores

A new report from Stranmillis University College, Faith in our Schools, has laid bare the scale of Christian influence in Northern Ireland schools. The report comes just months after the UK Supreme Court ruled in the landmark JR87 case that exclusively Christian Religious Education (RE) and collective worship were ‘indoctrination’. Northern Ireland Humanists said the findings add further weight to the need for urgent reform to both RE and collective worship. The report, which was commissioned by Scripture Union Northern Ireland, explores how churches and Christian groups engage with schools across Northern Ireland. It found that: 94% of school leaders reported links with at least one local church 73% of school leaders reported partnerships with Christian organisations.  The report also found serious gaps in transparency and parental awareness of church involvement in schools. Only 38% of parents surveyed felt sufficiently informed about activities involving churches or Christian organisations. Only one third of pupils knew they could opt out of these activities, with many saying they feared stigma if they did so. In its ruling on …

Publicly funded, but not for all? Call to review Flintshire schools as Catholic super school planned – Humanists UK

Publicly funded, but not for all? Call to review Flintshire schools as Catholic super school planned – Humanists UK

Published by Sam Flores

Rear view of male and female students walking towards school entrance on way in to school Plans for a new Catholic super-school could soon be revived despite overwhelming public opposition. Wales Humanists has called for a full review of school provision in Flintshire to make sure it reflects the needs and beliefs of the local population, following reports that proposals could be resurrected as early as next week.  The proposed plans would see four Catholic schools closed and replaced with a single 3-18 Catholic school in Flint, backed by Flintshire County Council, the Diocese of Wrexham, and the previous Welsh Government. Public consultations previously found significant opposition to the proposals, with concerns raised about long travel distances for pupils, safeguarding, environmental impacts, and the loss of local schools.  The debate also raises wider questions about whether the school system reflects modern Wales. The Catholic Dioceses report the number of Catholics in Wales to be approximately 7% of the population. Based on the 2021 Census, Christianity overall fell below half the population for the first time, …

Duchess Sophie schools us on styling white skinny jeans for spring in your 60s

Duchess Sophie schools us on styling white skinny jeans for spring in your 60s

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Duchess of Edinburgh, 61, handled the unpredictable British weather with ease on Sunday, as she visited the Royal Windsor Flower Show. Embracing spring, the royal, who co-designed the Plants with Purpose Garden, wore summery white skinny jeans, which act as a clean canvas for summer’s brighter wardrobe.  While they can be more difficult to style than traditional blue denim, Sophie looked effortlessly elegant in her neutrals, teaming the jeans with a pale shirt layered under a Max Mara beige striped blazer, and finishing her look with matching espadrille heels. Proving layering is king, Sophie chose the ‘Sartoriale’ blazer, made from an alpaca-wool blend fabric to ensure she remained warm for the outside engagement. The meaning of white Historically, the colour white is associated with purity, but Colour Psychologist Tash Bradley also noted that when it comes to modern-day clothing, it can also be synonymous with confidence. “White means clarity of thought. To wear white, you’ve got to have a lot of confidence, you know. You’re not hiding anything – you want to show purity. If …

Oregon’s schools rank last in reading. This candidate wants to help : NPR

Oregon’s schools rank last in reading. This candidate wants to help : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

J. Schuberth, who is running for Oregon governor as Pencil, speaks with voters and curious passersby as they walk around downtown Portland, Ore., to campaign on April 23. Schuberth is an advocate for reforming the state’s K-12 school system. Eli Imadali/OPB hide caption toggle caption Eli Imadali/OPB PORTLAND, Ore. — The downtown Saturday farmer’s market is one of this city’s bedrock institutions – a blocks-long parade of vendors and buskers in the shade of soaring elms. And on a recent Saturday, gladhanding through it all, came a six-foot-tall talking pencil. “My name is Pencil,” the pencil told an attendee, pressing a flyer into her hand. “I’m running for governor because we need to raise awareness about education.” “You’re running as a pencil or a person?” the surprised woman asked. “As a pencil.” Picture a smiling office supply store mascot: Pointy lead tip just above its bespectacled face. Big yellow barrel of a body. Pink eraser down around the knees. That’s Pencil, Oregon’s most unlikely gubernatorial candidate this year. Dead last J. Schuberth, who is running …

NEU to formally ballot teachers on strikes

NEU to formally ballot teachers on strikes

Published by skeptic

The National Education Union is set to formally ballot its members for strike action over pay and funding, in a move blasted by the education secretary as “irresponsible and massively premature”. The sector is still awaiting the outcome of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) report and its recommendations on teacher pay – as well as final decisions by government on future pay rises and how they will be funded. But the NEU said early reports indicated this “will not result in a fully-funded pay offer for teachers that exceeds inflation, nor in sufficient funding for schools to prevent redundancies and rises in workload”. The ballots of teachers and support staff across England’s state schools will take place “if the government does not take urgent action to address these issues”, the union said. Ballots are set to open on 3 October, and close on 15 December. ‘Schools are running on empty’ Announcing the move, NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said schools were “running on empty” while pay and workload issues “are driving many out of …

Canvas System Is Online After a Cyberattack Disrupted Thousands of Schools

Canvas System Is Online After a Cyberattack Disrupted Thousands of Schools

Published by Sam Flores

Tens of thousands of students studying for final exams around the world Friday regained access to a key online learning system after a cyberattack had earlier knocked it offline, throwing schools and universities into turmoil. Elizabeth Polo was in a creative writing class at the University of Maryland late Thursday afternoon when a classmate shouted, “Canvas got hacked.” A message from a hacking collective flashed on her computer screen. “Our whole class just like was like freaking out about it,” said Polo, a junior. “Our poor professor was trying to get everyone to calm down but it was just kind of chaos.” Across academia, the outage set off panic and confusion as students and faculty members found themselves locked out of a platform they rely on to manage grades and access course notes and assignments. Colleges scrambled to reschedule final exams as students lost any way to access materials they needed to study. Instructure, the company behind Canvas, said in an update late Thursday that the system was available for most users. “Instructure discovered the …

Cyber attack advice line launched by DfE to help schools

Cyber attack advice line launched by DfE to help schools

Published by skeptic

The government has launched a new advice service for schools on how to deal with cyber attacks, amid concerns education is “disproportionately targeted” but has weaker defences than other sectors. The DfE’s Cyber Security Hub is an online service which aims to provide schools with clear, practical guidance to help improve their IT security. It includes resources and support for schools, guidance on how to create a cyber support plan along with a template, and information for schools in response to specific cyber attacks. A presentation about the new service was delivered at the Schools and Academies Show. Arati Patel-Mistry, the DfE’s cyber security sector lead, said the new service would provide “digestible, clear and understandable” information for all members of staff in the event of a cyberattack. The service was tested across different types of schools before it was launched, including primaries, secondaries, special schools, trusts and local authorities. Martin Sivorn, deputy director and chief information security officer at the DfE, said they had “a body of evidence” that showed education was “disproportionately” targeted by …

Schools and Academies Show: Live blog

Schools and Academies Show: Live blog

Published by skeptic

The government’s SEND reforms, Ofsted inspections and school improvement are all on the agenda at the Schools and Academies Show in London. Speakers from the government, inspectorate and schools and trusts across England will address delegates at the event today. Schools Week’s team of journalists is on-site at the Excel centre to report on the most interesting talks and discussions.   Source link