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NJ Spotlight--A Beautiful Picture: NJ Schools Offer Art Classes for Almost Every Student
Art educators say it’s about more than painting or music or drama; art helps students explore who they are and can help them find their way in life
As New Jersey’s public schools celebrate arts education this month, the state is on the verge of finally being able to say every child has full access to classes in painting, music, theater, and the other arts.
Educators say an arts-inclusive curriculum gives students the freedom to express themselves effectively, explore their interest areas, and present themselves as well-rounded individuals when they look for a job.
Carly Sitrin | March 23, 2018
Star Ledger--When students brandishing guns are 'none of your damn business' | Editorial
A few weeks after the Parkland school massacre, a New Jersey school district gets a call from a nervous parent, who flags a photo on social media of two students with four rifles, magazines and a gun duffel bag, captioned, "fun day at the range."
If you're a school official, what do you do?
In Lacey Township, they reportedly gave the two high school seniors a five-day, in-school suspension. Problem was, this photo really was taken on a visit to a gun range - a perfectly legal session of sport-shooting. So the district blew it.
Star-Ledger Editorial Board| Updated Mar 22, 5:32 PM; Posted Mar 22, 5:30 PM
Education Week--Federal Spending Bill Would Boost Education Aid, Reject Trump Choice Push
Lawmakers sent a message to President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in their bill to fund the federal government: We're not the biggest fans of your big education ideas.
Congress would increase spending at the U.S. Department of Education by $2.6 billion over previously enacted levels in fiscal year 2018, up to $70.9 billion, under a new omnibus spending bill that could finally resolve a months-long logjam on Capitol Hill.
In addition, funding for Title I, the biggest pot of federal money for public schools, which is earmarked for disadvantaged students, would increase by $300 million from fiscal 2017 enacted spending, up to $15.8 billion.
The fiscal 2018 spending bill, released late Wednesday, doesn't contain several key changes sought by Trump in his first budget plan. In fact, Trump's budget plan for fiscal 2018 would have cut discretionary education spending by $9.2 billion. So Congress' bill is a significant rebuke of sorts to the president's education vision.
Andrew Ujifusa on March 21, 2018 9:52 PM
