Latest news with #NationalEducation
Time Magazine
10 hours ago
- General
- Time Magazine
Trump Fired Education Experts, Including Me, From White House Board
A federal judge has blocked the Trump Administration's attempts to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. Lawsuits have been filed against the Administration for slashing the staff and budget of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the federal education department's research arm. Massive cancelations of education-related research grants also are being contested in the courts. Given all this, I fully anticipated that the Trump Administration would eventually get around to firing the National Board for Education Sciences (NBES). It finally happened four months into President Donald Trump's second term when he removed 13 Biden appointees from the National Board for Education Sciences on May 23. 'On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the National Board for Education Sciences is terminated, effective immediately,' the email read. 'Thank you for your service.' As just one of the Americans who received this two-sentence message, I wonder if the sender or anyone else in the Trump Administration even knows who we are or what our service entailed. President Joe Biden appointed 13 of us to this bipartisan White House Board in October 2022. We were selected because of our deep expertise on education research, evaluation, and development. Members included three past presidents of the American Educational Research Association, National Academy of Education inductees (including the Academy's current president who chaired NBES), a dean of two academic schools at a Historically Black University, and a mayor who worked for two decades as a teacher and school administrator and served five terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. We committed to spending four years in the unpaid role because we all want the best for our democracy, we value the production and use of research, and we understand how high-quality studies and evidence-informed tools can improve educational opportunities, experiences, and outcomes for all students. Nothing about what we were asked to do qualifies as any version of wokeness or extremism. We approached our work as experts, not as politically-polarizing activists who somehow sought to advance anti-American agendas. The voting NBES members met with and served alongside nine ex-officio members: Director of IES, Director of the National Science Foundation, Director of the Census, Commissioner of Labor Statistics, Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and commissioners of the four National Education Centers. It was a brilliant group of people who were united by our deep appreciation for rigorous, useful research. During the second year of George W. Bush's presidency, Congress established NBES as part of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002. We were responsible for advising the IES Director on policies and procedures, collaboratively establishing priorities for the Institute's roughly $900 million annual budget, soliciting and providing input from educators and researchers, and strengthening peer review for grant-funded research projects, plus several other responsibilities related to scientific inquiry and innovation. The IES website specifies another role for NBES: 'Advise the Director on opportunities for the participation in, and the advancement of, women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in education research, statistics, and evaluation activities of the Institute.' Without knowing or even asking what this entailed, it is possible that the Trump Administration presumed this to be a hotbed of DEI activities that privileged wokeness over merit and somehow discriminated against white men who applied for IES research grants. I never participated in nor witnessed this. There is no evidence of such wrongdoing. Being invited by a U.S. president to serve on a White House board was a significant honor; I will forever appreciate the faith that the Biden-Harris Administration placed in me as a citizen and scholar. I do not wear termination by the Trump Administration from my position as a badge of honor. It is disgraceful. Again, I anticipated that the Trump Administration would terminate my position prior to the conclusion of my four-year term. And I also anticipate that eliminating the federal education department, defunding IES, and ousting its law-abiding NBES partners will weaken the production and quality of education-focused studies and evaluation activities. Consequently, students with disabilities will be even more underserved. Inequities between rich and poor, as well as white and racially diverse learners will widen. Solutions to antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and sexism in schools will be stifled. Also, new educational disparities will emerge but will not be systematically tracked, communicated, studied, and addressed. Congress and educational leaders will have even less access to trustworthy, high-quality research on what works, what undermines excellence and innovation, and where the U.S. is falling short in fulfilling its educational promises to students and taxpaying families. Terminating NBES members is yet another example of the Trump Administration's attack on research, researchers, and research universities. Yanking hundreds of millions in federal research grants from Harvard and Columbia, two of the world's highest-impact producers of science and innovation, is indeed an assault on research itself. These actions are anti-American, as they will surely place our nation further behind others that pursue solutions to educational inequities, climate change, disease and health disparities, poverty, and other vexing problems. I accepted Biden's invitation to serve on NBES because I wanted better for our country and the people educated in its schools, colleges, and universities. I also said yes because I value research. Inasmuch as I despise our undeserved and unjustified dismissal, I have greater grief for IES leaders and staff who lost their paid full-time jobs— its national statistics unit reportedly has just three remaining employees, down from around 100 before Trump began his second term. These hardworking, law-abiding professionals are far more negatively affected by the Administration's actions than are other NBES members and me. We will be fine.
Ya Biladi
5 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Morocco approves decree to enhance educational support for children with disabilities
The Government Council, meeting on Thursday in Rabat, approved Decree No. 2.23.152 implementing Article 13 of Framework Law 97.13 on the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities (new version). Presented by Mohamed Saâd Berrada, Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, the decree sets out the composition and functions of the regional commissions established within the Regional Academies of Education and Training, as provided for in Article 13 of Framework Law 97.13. Speaking at a press briefing following the meeting, Mustapha Baitas, Minister Delegate for Relations with Parliament and Government Spokesperson, explained that these commissions are tasked with reviewing the cases of school-aged children with disabilities in educational and training institutions. Their responsibilities include recommending placement or reorientation where needed, as well as monitoring the children's educational progress. Baitas added that the decree specifies the composition of the regional commissions and how they operate. It also empowers the commission president to create, by decision of the director of the relevant Regional Academy, local commissions to oversee the schooling of children with disabilities. Additionally, the regional commissions will prepare annual reports summarizing their activities. These reports will be submitted to the central offices of the Ministry of National Education, Preschool, and Sports; the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Integration, and Family; and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.
Ya Biladi
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Morocco introduces new regulations for private schools : Annual contracts and fee transparency
On Tuesday in Rabat, Mohamed Saad Berrada, the Minister of National Education, Preschool, and Sports, announced new regulatory measures aimed at formalizing the relationship between private educational institutions and families through the signing of a written contract. Speaking before the Education, Culture, and Communication Committee at the House of Representatives, Berrada explained that the contract, which will be renewed annually, will outline the objectives, duties, and obligations of both the institutions and the parents of students. In this context, he reviewed the key provisions of Bill 59.21 related to school education, including the establishment of a list of fees and service charges, which will be published both within private educational institutions and on digital platforms. Berrada added that the new measures include a ban on fee and charge increases during the current school year, the institutionalization of written contracts with legal guardians, and a prohibition on private schools refusing to re-enroll or expelling any student currently enrolled.
L'Orient-Le Jour
07-05-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Israel plans take over of Gaza, US claims Houthis 'surrender' after airport bombing: Everything you need to know this Wednesday
Want to get the Morning Brief by email? Click here to sign up on yesterday's live May 7, by Abbas Mahfouz. Some key things to watch today:Updates on India-Pakistan conflict, following overnight surge of violence between the two nuclear-power nations.9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. Parliamentary sessions including by the National Economy, Industry, Trade and Planning Committee, National Education, Higher Education and Culture Committee, Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Committee, the Finance and Budget Committee and the fact-finding committee of Public Works, Transport, Energy and Water.10 a.m. Telecommunications Minister Charles Hajj toured a number of Alfa, Touch and Ogero transmission stations in southern Lebanon that were damaged by the Israeli aggression.11 a.m. Press conference by the...
Morocco World
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Morocco's School Dropout Crisis: 280,000 Students Abandon Education Annually
Doha – Morocco faces a severe educational challenge as nearly 280,000 students abandon school each year, with 160,000 dropping out at the middle school level. This alarming statistic was revealed by the Minister of National Education, Mohamed Saad Berrada, during a press briefing in Rabat on Tuesday. Speaking after a meeting on the implementation of the government's employment roadmap, Berrada said his department aims to cut dropout rates by half. The ministry plans to direct at least 80,000 at-risk middle school students toward 'second chance schools' where they can receive vocational training to prepare them for the job market or return to traditional education. 'These institutions will provide professional training that equips students with skills needed for employment or reintegration into the school system,' Berrada told reporters. The ministry is battling this phenomenon through several initiatives, including 'leadership colleges' that monitor students and provide educational support alongside confidence-building extracurricular activities such as music, sports, and theater. Berrada said the ministry is also establishing psychological and educational monitoring units for children at risk of leaving school. These units will use data from the Massar platform to identify vulnerable students, who will then automatically join parallel activities and receive personalized support to prevent dropout. 'Social support programs in rural areas are crucial,' Berrada said, pointing to the provision of school transportation, canteens, and accommodation facilities as essential to ensure students aren't forced to abandon education due to social factors. Read also: HCP Report: 127,000 Children Are Victims of Child Labor The government has developed an employment roadmap with eight initiatives, the seventh specifically addressing school dropout. The objective is to reduce the number of students prematurely leaving school from 295,000 in 2024 to 200,000 by 2026. This latest push comes after limited success with previous initiatives. Official statistics for the 2022/2023 school year showed 294,458 students abandoned their education – 58,819 from primary schools, 156,998 from middle schools, and 78,651 from high schools. While former Education Minister Chakib Benmoussa claimed a 14.6% reduction in middle school dropouts and an overall 12% decrease from 334,664 dropouts in 2021/2022, the crisis remains acute. Ministry documents revealed 62% of dropouts were over 16 years old, despite education being mandatory at this age. Most concerning, 230,904 students never re-enrolled, while 63,554 left after being expelled. The ministry reported that 50,448 dropouts were reintegrated during the same school year – 31,830 through class council decisions and 18,610 through other specific measures. Despite these efforts, the educational system continues to hemorrhage students at an alarming rate, representing what Benmoussa called 'a significant loss of human capital.' Tags: drop out of schoolsEducation in Morocco
