Latest news with #EnglishLanguageLearners
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
CTU threatens to sue over proposed CPS budget cuts
The Chicago Teachers Union is threatening to sue the Chicago Board of Education over budget plans proposed by outgoing schools chief Pedro Martinez that it says constitute unfair labor practices and violations of the recently ratified contract. CTU President Stacy Davis Gates sent a letter to the school board on Tuesday, June 3, characterizing Martinez and his team's proposals to balance the Chicago Public Schools' 2026 fiscal budget as 'attempts at vindictive sabotage.' The new fiscal year begins on July 1. The union settled a new $1.5 billion four-year contract in late April, following a year of negotiations. CPS has said there is enough money to cover the first year of the contract, but has not specified plans for the other three. In recent weeks, CPS suggested delaying the proposals outlined in the new union contract to balance the budget for next year, given challenging financial circumstances, according to the CTU letter. Those delayed proposals would affect agreements around class size and staffing levels, the letter states, affecting English Language Learners and students with disabilities. 'To be clear, the district does not have the option of delaying investments it is contractually obligated to make under our (collective bargaining agreement), for FY26 or any other year of the agreement,' Davis Gates writes in the letter. Facing a $529 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2026, district officials pushed back. They indicated in a statement to the Tribune that they may need to review new proposals under various labor agreements to ensure long-term sustainability. Salary increases, they assured, are already in motion and included in the budget. 'If any changes to the collective bargaining agreement are needed, the District will work in partnership with our labor partners to identify solutions together,' the statement reads. The proposals in the new teachers contract include increased salaries for veteran teachers, more librarians and nurses, and mandates around class sizes, among hundreds of other asks. In the letter, Davis Gates writes that 'the terminated CEO is recommending the school district expose itself to massive legal liability by breaking these contractual promises.' She adds that the district's proposed cuts could trigger 'state investigations, monitorship, and costly compensatory services.' Ultimately, she strongly urges board members to reject Martinez's plan. Typically, when a dispute arises regarding the interpretation or enforcement of any of the proposals in a teachers contract, CTU initiates a grievance process that may be submitted to arbitration, where an impartial arbitrator makes a binding decision. But if any party believes that the contract has been violated in a manner not addressable through arbitration, they may seek legal action. Facing a $529 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2026, CPS had planned for months on how to make cuts in a way that minimizes the impact on schools. At a school board meeting last week, Martinez publicly stated that the district would attempt to make cuts at the administrative level to avoid affecting schools as much as possible. The school district released its school-level budgets on May 15, which are based on $300 million in new revenue. That still leaves $229 million in debt, and the necessity for some cuts, CPS said in its Wednesday statement. 'The proposed reductions — totaling up to 15 percent of CPS' budgets for more than 40 departments — aim to protect school funding and critical investments in District programming and operations,' the statement reads. Davis Gates, a close ally of Mayor Brandon Johnson, repeatedly attacked Martinez for his handling of the contract negotiations process. She nodded to that in Tuesday's letter, saying that his 'unfamiliarity with how contract negotiations work resulted in months of avoidable confusion, tension, and turmoil, delaying the settlement of our contract.' In the letter, she says that Martinez has gone on to brag about the accomplishments of the contract. Those are the very same measures — she says — that he is seeking to cut. Martinez is leaving the district June 18 after a long, drawn-out battle with Mayor Johnson and the union over district finances.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Randomized Control Trial Finds Statistically Significant Gains from Littera's Virtual Math Tutoring for Middle School Students
NEW YORK, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new randomized control trial (RCT), funded by Accelerate, found that middle school students who received virtual small-group tutoring from Littera Education made statistically significant academic gains compared to peers using other intervention tools and software. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Chicago Education Lab and MDRC as part of Accelerate's Personalized Learning Initiative, which aims to identify effective, scalable strategies to combat unfinished learning. Littera's program, which matches students with high-quality tutors in a 1:3 virtual setting, outperformed control groups across key learning metrics. The work took place in Greenville County School District 1, a 77,000-student district in South Carolina. Littera provided high-impact math tutoring services for approximately 750 students in grades 6-8 across three Title I middle schools as part of a three-arm randomized control trial with over 2,000 students participating. The 2023-2024 school year program consisted of two 10-week tutoring sprints with training, site-visits, surveys, and progress monitoring as part of the implementation. On average, students who received Littera's virtual tutoring made a statistically significant improvement of .11 standard deviations (p value=.006) as measured by an index of end-of-year math scores. This acceleration equates to approximately 32% of the math that an average middle school student learns in a school year. Of the participants, 87% were students of color and 46% were English Language Learners. "This study breaks new ground as the first large-scale randomized controlled trial to demonstrate statistically significant gains in middle grades math through virtual small-group tutoring," said Dr. Matthew Steinberg, Managing Director of Research and Evaluation at Accelerate. "These findings are a major step forward in identifying scalable, cost-effective tutoring models that can help school systems address existing and longstanding learning gaps and accelerate student progress in core academic subjects, and adds to a growing body of evidence on the promising effects of virtual tutoring." "Skilled math tutors for upper grades content are difficult to source locally at the scale necessary to address the needs of school districts," says Justin Serrano, Founder and CEO of Littera. "Demonstrating that significant results can be achieved in a small group, fully virtual format speaks to the transformative potential of high-impact tutoring." This study marks Littera's second study focused on virtual tutoring for middle school math. The first study, conducted by Brown University, compared 1:1 and small group tutoring outcomes. The current research further illustrates effectiveness with small group tutoring. Littera Education and Greenville County School District are excited to continue the collaboration this fall through South Carolina's Palmetto Math Project. Read the full study findings here. About Littera EducationLittera partners with K-12 districts to customize high-impact tutoring, designed to unlock student potential and foster success in Reading, Math and English Language Acquisition. Littera provides customized tutoring solutions to drive student outcomes. With our virtual tutors, curriculum integrations, and the Littera Tutoring Management System, schools can reach every learner with individualized support. For information, visit Contact Person:Alison Burkealisonb@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Littera Education Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal threats cited in push for student immigrant protections
BOSTON (SHNS) – Education was the 'lifeline' towards stability and opportunity for Emily Romero Gonzalez, who moved to the U.S. at the age of three. 'I grew up undocumented, and knew from a young age that I was different from other students. I couldn't travel to visit my family in Peru, I didn't qualify for certain programs that my peers did, my parents and I couldn't own our own home, and I was constantly visiting lawyers' offices,' Romero Gonzalez, now an education advocate at Massachusetts Advocates for Children, recalled. 'But the one thing I knew that I had access to, no matter what, was school, was an education,' she added. Gonzalez and other education, immigrant and disability advocates are flagging urgent concerns about federal threats to education rights for immigrant and disabled students. Immigrant parents, attorneys and teachers told legislators at a hearing Tuesday that passing a bill codifying federal student protections into state law would help quell fears in immigrant and disability communities under the Trump administration, which has cracked down on its enforcement of illegal immigration and may look to adjust disability services policy since President Donald Trump took office in January. The Sen. Pavel Payano and Rep. Frank Moran bill (S 436 / H 650) would not add new legal protections, but would codify four different protections related to English Language Learners, immigrant students and students with disabilities established by federal statutes and guidance. 'One in eight Massachusetts students is an English Language Learner, and one in six Massachusetts students has a disability,' Payano said. 'Federal rollbacks threaten the rights that protect these children. By codifying these rights into state law, we ensure that Massachusetts continues to uphold equity and education, no matter what.' The bill would codify the right to public education for students regardless of their documentation status and codify provisions in special education law protecting students with disabilities from inequitable school suspensions or expulsions directly related to their disabilities. It would also codify federal guidance addressing needs of English Language learners with disabilities, along with those ensuring interpreters are provided by schools and are not just bilingual, but trained and qualified. Chief Deputy Attorney General Abby Taylor called on the state to codify the protections, harkening back to when Massachusetts codified the right to abortion five years ago, before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. 'In 2020, more than a year before the Supreme Court overturned 50 years of legal precedent when it issued the Dobbs decision, the Massachusetts Legislature took action, had the foresight, to pass the Roe Act and to codify abortion rights into statute,' Taylor said. 'Today, we find ourselves in a similar situation with a federal government that is hostile to civil rights and to longstanding protections for our students,' she continued. Taylor said the AG's office continues to uphold the federal laws still in place, but the office is flooded with concerns, especially in the context of changes and cuts to the Department of Education, some of which could impact student civil rights. President Donald Trump has filed an executive order to close the Department of Education and 'return authority' back to the states, which he said 'would provide children and their families the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them.' There has been discussion among Massachusetts elected officials, Attorney General Andrea Campbell included, about whether the United States is facing a constitutional crisis under the Trump administration. 'We drafted it out of concern based on what we were hearing during the election, and then given the outcome of the election, our concerns have only, I think, deepened since the inauguration,' said Diana Santiago, legal director at Massachusetts Advocates for Children. Representatives from groups like nonprofit Reimagining Migration and Mass. Advocates for Children spoke about threats specifically to Plyler v. Doe, the landmark 1982 U.S. Supreme Court case establishing that states must provide free K-12 education to all students, regardless of their immigration status. In New Jersey, Oklahoma and Texas, action challenging free public education for undocumented students has been recently proposed, and in Tennessee, recent action has been paused. The state of California has codified Doe. Numerous mothers of ELL students also spoke in Spanish, with English translators, about the aspect of the bill that would bolster translation services. Mothers talked about their experiences being unable to participate in their children's educations, or speak with their teachers, because of a lack of available and adequate translation services. Some of the mothers have students in Boston Public Schools, which states that it enrolls over 17,000 English Learner students, 31% of the district's total student population. Jessica Lander, the 2023 Massachusetts history teacher of the year, teaches immigrant students and spoke about the lack of access to translators for both teachers and parents. 'I see the ways in which our immigrant origin parents are excluded from [Individualized Education Program] meetings, which is absolutely not okay. And so ensuring that we have translators there, available, easily accessible, is really essential to ensuring equal access to education for our kids,' Lander said. Local News Headlines WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WWLP.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Judge orders New Mexico's PED to create plan for better educating ‘at-risk' students
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Seven years after a district court judge ruled the state isn't meeting its obligation to give at-risk students a good education, that judge is now giving the New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) just months to get their act together. Story continues below Environment: Fire in bosque area near Socorro grows to 400 acres Community: Bookstore pushes back against plans to remove homeless camp on property Don't Miss: APD retires Mounted Unit horse that has served for nearly a decade That order is tied to the 11-year-old 'Yazzie Martinez' lawsuit, which says that under-served students have a constitutional right to be college-ready. Plaintiffs say the state's taken too long to figure out a plan, and today the judge agreed. 'The PED and the state of New Mexico is not in compliance with this court's final judgement in order. The defendants are ordered to develop a comprehensive remedial plan to address the continuing violation of at-risk student's constitutional rights,' said Santa Fe District Court Judge Matthew Wilson. Those affected by this court case include Native American students, English language learners, low-income students and those with disabilities. The argument is that those groups face significant educational disparities. As part of the ruling, the plaintiffs in the case have been waiting for the Public Education Department to submit a plan to address teacher workforce issues, class sizes, and a wide range of other factors. Today, Judge Matthew Wilson ordered ped to work with a legislative committee to make a new plan by July. Attorneys for the plaintiffs call it a win. 'Across the state of New Mexico, this is a big problem that we've been dealing with – not only for the past seven years, but generations beyond that… Today's court ruling affirms the fact that we've come this far, we got what we came for, and now we wait to see what the state of New Mexico does next,' said Preston Sanchez, attorney for plaintiffs. While a draft is due in July, PED has until December to submit a final plan. The courts also require the PED to work with families and educators in order to develop that plan. Reacting to today's ruling, PED released the following statement: 'The New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) welcomes Judge Wilson's decision to lead development of a plan providing all New Mexico students an excellent education, that will lead to resolution of the Martinez-Yazzie lawsuit for students, parents and families. Improving student outcomes is central to our mission and this plan will support lasting improvements to our educational system. The Martinez-Yazzie lawsuit highlighted longstanding systemic challenges state education. The Court directed increased funding and programming for at-risk students, including those from economically disadvantaged homes, English Language Learners, Native American children, and children with disabilities. Since 2019, the state has substantially increased funding and taken significant steps to improve student performance and educator recruitment and retention. ' PED Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NYC school system pauses parent council elections over ballot problems
New York City paused school board elections just hours after voting opened on Friday, following reports of invalid and out-of-date ballots. Parents began reporting issues with their online ballots in the early morning, including candidates who had dropped out of the race or appeared on ballots for councils they were not running for. The Education Department emailed parents around 10 a.m. to say voting was on hold, according to screenshots obtained by the Daily News. 'Our vendor is currently addressing any technical issues that have arisen,' said Onika Richards, a public schools spokeswoman. 'In the interest of ensuring a fair and accurate process, we have temporarily paused voting. We are working diligently to resolve any issues by this afternoon, and we expect to resume voting promptly thereafter.' Voting had yet to resume as of 4 p.m. on Friday. Parents have until May 13 to cast their ballots, though the city's school system could extend that deadline if the gaffes persist. Parent elections are held every two years. There are 32 Community Education Councils across the five boroughs, as well as four citywide councils: On high schools, English Language Learners, special education, and District 75 for students with more serious disabilities. The councils are mostly advisory, but help inform key policy debates. This year's parent elections are particularly high-stakes after controversies on the school boards prompted former Schools Chancellor David Banks to remove two members. One of them sued in federal court to regain her seat.
