Before We Begin...

Here’s what’s ahead in this webinar.

● This is a guided conversation.

● Time is not our friend.
● Ask questions at any time.
● This presentation will be available online at EWA.org.

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A Solid Foundation
Things to do or keep in mind before the school year begins.

Look back before looking ahead.

● What’s the status of big projects that are already

underway or are set to begin? (Infrastructure.)
● Who are new school board members or candidates
vying for school board seats?
● What’s the status of standardized test data from
the previous school year? (What’s happening at the
“failing” or struggling schools?)
● What issues cropped up over the summer that still
are significant? (Ex: Smith College)
● What’s the budget situation? (Financial pressures
on schools, especially small, private colleges.)
A Solid Foundation
Things to do before the school year actually begins.

Key Question: Who is coming to the schools

you cover?

● New teachers, reshuffling of administrators,

retirements, resignations, teaching assistants,
leadership searches
● Students (Get enrollment data)
● Who’s missing? (Vacancies at hard-to-staff schools
or in certain subject areas. Status of leadership
searches. Summer melt.)
● Teacher diversity (Race, experience levels,
language)
● Other demographic changes (Resegregation)
The First Day
Getting beyond the tears.

The usual stuff What’s new?

● Traffic pattern changes ● New laws going into effect

● School closings and reassignments (Ex:
Smaller colleges)
● Busing woes: Longer ride times, crowding,
fewer routes, driver shortages
● Tuition changes
● Curriculum changes (Ex: LGBTQ inclusion,
courses that are added or dropped.)
● Significant new school or district policies
● Metal detectors, armed staff, SROs, other
security changes. What training are they
getting?
● New schools, facilities opening (Also,
why? Ex: Overcrowding)

Tip: Start building sources before school starts and before any drama begins.
● Meet the teachers
● Meet the (possible) future board members
● What parents are already engaged and helping at the schools?
The “Hot” Topics
Urgent issues to localize, keep on your radar.

● Affirmative action (Ex: Harvard)

● Migrant children and immigration: What
education are detained children entitled to and
receiving? The education impact of
enforcement.
● DACA: The status quo and the response.
● Security measures: What is it like for students
who are returning? How much money is going
toward hardening schools? (EWA webinar)
● ESSA: What are states promising to do? What
new data should you look out for?
● Teacher/Faculty pay: Strikes? How will this
work in the aftermath of the Janus ruling?
● Grade inflation and standardized testing woes
The “Hot” Topics
Urgent issues to localize, keep on your radar.

● Mental health and trauma: What services are offered?

Efforts to reach entire families. Etc. (Hechinger)
● Protests/activism: Ongoing challenges, conversation
and impact (Ex: #MarchForOurLives)
● Status of federal civil rights investigations
● Sexual harassment on campus : What conversations
are happening among students, staff at elementary
and secondary schools?
● Controversial speakers: What are the costs for
security? Who is already slated to appear? What
related policies are leaders considering?
● Discrimination on campus
● Changes in student debt relief (And the burden of Click here or click the image to hear the
student debt, inequity.) podcast episode.
Additional ideas, resources
So many ideas, not enough time.

● Students with disabilities: Federal changes and what

they mean at the local level. Accommodation failures
in your backyard. Disparities.
● Again, who is coming to school? Chronic student
absenteeism. Teacher absences. Sketchy substitutes.
● How clean are your schools? (Ex: Lauren Fitzpatrick at
Chicago Sun-Times)
● How are textbook publishers adjusting to demands
for more inclusive materials (i.e. California’s FAIR Act)
or more “conservative” materials (Texas) in their
largest markets?
● What’s happening at private and parochial schools,
particularly those accepting taxpayer-funded
vouchers? (Ex: Dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark)
 Additional ideas, resources
So many ideas, not enough time.

● Follow the money: Payroll, budget, expense reports,

etc.
● Always get the data. (Ex: Fire code violations. Building
maintenance requests. Emails.)
● EWA Source Search
● Making Sense of Education Research
● Finding Data on IPEDS (Free college data.)

(Suggest other resources to add to this list. Email

mbrown@ewa.org.)