Latest news with #DepartmentOfEducation
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Daventry school makes improvements after funding warning
A secondary school has said it has made improvements after it was sent a government letter warning it could lose its funding - following a critical Ofsted report. The Department of Education (DofE), wrote to The Parker E-ACT Academy, Daventry, Northamptonshire, in June, stating that it had not acted quickly enough to address its "weaknesses".It said that levels of pupil absence were too high and there were several issues with staff who did not address gaps in school said the DofE had told the academy it was "satisfied" it "was able to "deliver higher standards at the school rapidly and sustainably". The action comes after an Ofsted report in May rated the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes and leadership and management as DofE letter, written by Carol Gray, regional director, said: "The school, including the trust, has not taken effective action, or acted quickly enough to address the school's weaknesses."It "requires significant improvement", the letter added. It said school work had declined and it should "ensure swift action is taken to address the priority issues that have been identified".This includes ensuring that staff have the right knowledge, expertise and ongoing support to bring about the required absence was too high and children, including those with special educational needs (SEND) were "regularly absent from school, which means they miss out on learning". The letter said pupils were not learning as well as they should and the school had to "ensure that staff check pupils' understanding so that misconceptions and gaps in learning can be addressed"."In too many subjects, staff do not make appropriate adaptations for pupils with SEND to access the curriculum," it Gray said: "I need to be satisfied that the trust has capacity to deliver rapid and sustainable improvement at the academy. "If I am not satisfied, I will consider whether to terminate the funding agreement in order to transfer the academy to an alternative academy trust." 'Journey of transformation' An E-ACT Academy spokesperson said the DofE had told the school it had "confidence in the trust to deliver higher standards at the school rapidly and sustainably". It said a new head teacher, Maughan Johnson, was put in place in April, as well as a new deputy head teacher and education the team, "we have acted quickly and decisively to address the issues raised in the January report", they said. "We are confident that this administrative process will end shortly as we continue to make the necessary improvements to our school."The Parker is already a very different place to the one inspected over half a year ago and we are fully committed to finishing this journey of transformation."They added that since the letter had been sent a month ago, it had "made significant strides, and the Department for Education has now confirmed that they have no plans for termination." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
When Politics Dominate the Education Beat
Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. Dana Goldstein covers education at The New York Times. She writes about curriculum and textbooks. She reports on test scores. And lately, she has been covering education politics. President Trump swept into office with plans to scale down the Department of Education. This week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could fire more than a thousand workers there. And earlier this month, the Republicans' domestic policy bill included a tax credit that could vastly expand access to private school vouchers. 'I've been on the beat for almost 20 years,' Ms. Goldstein explained in an interview with Times Insider. 'There are years where politics emerge as a bigger story line. And I just think there's no avoiding that this is one of those years.' The conversation below, which was conducted Wednesday, has been edited and condensed. The Supreme Court ruled that President Trump could go ahead and effectively dismantle the Department of Education. What is the department's role? The vast majority of the Department of Education's budget is devoted to the federal student grant and loan program, which helps students pay for their college education. The department has a much smaller role in funding K-12 schools. The federal funding for K-12 education is about 10 percent of total funding for K-12 education across the country. The federal government has very limited power over K-12 schools. For example, it's up to states to set curriculum standards, to decide how they want to handle standardized testing. Districts decide which books kids read. So a lot of the questions about education that can be controversial really are state and local decisions. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
More mastodon bones found in NY backyard: What to know about the rare discovery
After a complete mastodon jaw bone was unearthed from the backyard of a residence near Scotchtown last year, a handful of students and instructors from SUNY Orange felt there was more to uncover. They were right. In only six weeks of archeological work, 12 students and two professors found multiple vertebrae, additional jaw fragments and rib bones of the same mastodon, which they're estimating to be between 10,000 and 13,000 years old. "This is such a big deal," student Kierra Moore said. "How often can you be in the right place at the right time to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience?" Here's what to know about the latest discovery. What led to the initial discovery? In 2024, a full, well-preserved mastodon jaw belonging to an adult, a piece of a toe bone and a rib fragment were recovered after the homeowner decided to take a closer look after initially finding two teeth covered by the leaves of a plant on their property, unearthing two additional teeth buried mere inches underground, before calling the discovery in. The fossils underwent carbon dating and a comprehensive analysis to find out the age, diet and habitat of the mastodon over the course of its lifetime, according to the state Department of Education. Over 150 mastodon fossils have been found statewide to date, with about a third discovered in Orange County, the state Department of Education said at the time of the first discovery. See the photos: Mastodon jaw unearthed in New York backyard What's next? The mastodon findings have been sent to the New York State Museum for examination and curation while a number of other smaller unidentified bones and skeletal fragments found during the dig are currently being stored at SUNY Orange's Middletown campus. 'When I visited the site, it filled my heart to see our students out there digging, sifting, discovering, and learning,' SUNY Orange President Dr. Kristine Young said. 'SUNY Orange was uniquely positioned. I'm so proud of our faculty for stepping up to offer this opportunity, and just as proud of our students for grabbing hold of it with both hands ... It's the kind of moment that reminds you what's possible when talent meets opportunity at community colleges.' Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network's New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@ This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: More mastodon bones found in NY backyard: What to know about discovery Solve the daily Crossword
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Traveller and Roma culture to be included in school curriculum, says Department of Education
The Department of Education is working on a plan to promote better understanding of Traveller and Roma identity in schools, an Oireachtas committee has heard. The committee also heard 15 link workers will be employed in areas with high enrolment of Travellers and Roma children to encourage better communication between schools, children and their parents. These link workers will be 'very much rooted in the community' and will act as culturally sensitive mediators, said Grainne Cullen, principal officer at the Department of Education and Youth. Two national co-ordinators have already been appointed, the Joint Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community heard. This policy is modelled on the Supporting Travellers and Roma (STAR) programme, piloted in schools between 2019 and 2024. [ Greater Traveller representation needed in Irish politics, says UN committee Opens in new window ] Latest figures from the department say 31.4 per cent of Traveller children sit the Leaving Certificate, compared to the national average of 91.7 per cent. Traveller and Roma children are also much more likely than non-Travellers to be on a reduced school hours programme. Social Democrat TD Jen Cummins said that in her experience from a recent visit to the Ballyfermot Traveller Action Project, motivating children on reduced hours to go to school is difficult. 'There is nothing less motivating for a child than to get up, get ready and go to school for only an hour,' she said. 'We must try harder.' The department said it was changing the way schools report reduced school hours and was engaging with the Traveller and Roma community to develop a national campaign to tackle issues of attendance. Among the other policies contained in the strategy is a three-strand approach to respecting and promoting understanding of Traveller identity in schools. Ms Cullen spoke about educating student teachers about Traveller history and culture, providing opportunities and resources for professional learning, and including Traveller histories in the school curriculum. [ 'I had to hide my identity': Traveller students on their experiences in higher education Opens in new window ] The department drew particular attention to their new video resource for teachers produced by education specialist Dr Hannagh McGinley. Cliodhna O'Neill, assistant secretary general at the Department of Education, said the 'work is essential to promoting understanding, respect and pride in Traveller culture among all students'. Ms O'Neill said the department understood how important it was for young people to have a visual representation of their culture. This decision received positive feedback from the committee, with Sinn Féin TD Dessie Ellis saying this was 'very worthwhile'. Members of the committee agreed the department should maintain a focus on eliminating intergenerational barriers to education, such as through adult literacy initiatives.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
NM joins lawsuit over mental health funding for students
New Mexico AG Raúl Torrez on July 1, 2025 announced another lawsuit against the federal government, this time for cancellation of school mental health grants. (Photo by Justin Garcia / Las Cruces Bulletin) The New Mexico Department of Justice announced on Tuesday it has joined 15 other states in a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education's discontinuation in April of grants under the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The law, which U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) played a role in crafting, included enhanced measures to address gun violence, including more funding for school-based mental health programs. Specifically, a news release from New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez's office notes, the bill allocated $1 billion to expand access to school-based mental health services. However, the federal education department in April 'issued boilerplate notices discontinuing the grants based on vague and unsupported claims of conflict with current policy priorities,' the news release said. 'The coalition lawsuit argues this violates federal law, including the Administrative Procedure Act and statutory protections under the Safer Communities Act' and has asked the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington to block the cuts. 'It is one of our greatest responsibilities to protect the mental health and safety of our children,' Torrez said in a a statement. 'This funding was secured by Congress—thanks in large part to the leadership of Senator Heinrich—to address the trauma and mental health challenges students face after school shootings and during an ongoing youth mental health crisis. The Department's decision to abruptly eliminate this funding is not only reckless, but it also defies the law and threatens to dismantle programs that are saving lives.' The state in April also joined in a lawsuit against the federal education department's cancellation of funds for three programs funded through the American Rescue Act to help vulnerable school children recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. AG Torrez joins lawsuit over federal education funds The new suit comes as the Trump administration puts on hold $6.8 billion in federal funds for K-12 schools, according to an Education Department notice obtained by States Newsroom. The agency informed states on Monday that it would be withholding funding for several programs, including before- and after-school programs, migrant education and English-language learning, among other initiatives. Solve the daily Crossword
