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HURCA

A NEW PLAYBOOK FOR WOMEN IN EDUCATION LEADERSHIP

Following the large number of resignations among school leaders in the wake of the pandemic, the nation missed the opportunity to address the lack of female leaders in an overwhelmingly female workforce, according to Women Leading Ed. “The problem is not a lack of female talent,” says the group, which is a network of district and state education leaders. “It’s that women face both systemic and informal obstacles to advancement that seldom impede—and in some cases, advantage—many male leaders.” The organization has put together a playbook of strategies to transform the education leadership ladder and address those obstacles to advancement, which include:

  • Discrimination
  • An absence of family-friendly policies and leave practices
  • Biased leadership pipelines
  • Pay inequities
  • Prejudicial recruitment and hiring processes

Read the playbook at bit.ly/3Ju2mDk.

Principal Todd Quarnberg and students make the “H” sign for Herriman High School. PHOTO COURTESY OF TODD QUARNBERG

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP AMID THE U.S. IMMIGRATION DEBATE

At a time of divisive debate in our country about immigration, Todd Quarnberg, the principal of Herriman High School in Herriman, UT, says we can’t forget the essential need for compassion. Three years ago, his school received hundreds of refugees from South America over six months, which left the school without the resources or staff to manage the increased needs. However, he says, “my job is to help students see a glimpse of what the future holds for them. I also help them determine and manage the tools they will need to navigate that future. Our students who are refugees didn’t have a choice in where they live.” Quarnberg adds that his dedication to students has nothing to do with politics. “I don’t want to talk about how politically red or blue I am,” he says. “I will only say that I take great pride in the Red, White, and Blue. Humanity is worth the fight. My commitment is unwavering to refugee students and to all those in dire need of basic human kindness.” Read more at bit.ly/49PdNjG.

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OZCAN YALAZ

TUTORING INCREASES STUDENT ATTENDANCE IN D.C. SCHOOLS

Research on high-impact tutoring programs in Washington, D.C., schools shows that students who participated in the tutoring were less likely to be absent from school on those days. The study by the National Student Support Accelerator at Stanford University shows the promise of tutoring, which has been a common strategy for dealing with pandemic-related learning losses. The research found that absences were reduced by almost 7% among students on days when tutoring was scheduled, which translates into attending 2.3 more days of school over the course of the year. The impact was even higher for middle school students and for students who had missed more than 30% of school days the previous year. Read more at bit.ly/3UsrjWi.

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ILUSTRADANI

MANY HIGH SCHOOLS OFFER LIMITED CIVICS-FOCUSED EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Public education plays a critical role in preparing youth to participate in our democracy. The Brookings Institution looks at one “proven practice” to increase civic development among students: participation in extracurricular activities (such as debate teams, student government, and Model United Nations). Among the findings:

  • Most U.S. high schools (eight in 10) offer students the opportunity to participate in student government. However, other civics-focused extracurricular offerings are less common.
  • High-poverty high schools are less likely than low-poverty high schools to offer a range of civics-focused extracurricular activities.
  • Not only do many students lack access to diverse civics-related extracurricular activities, but access is also highly unequal.

Read more at bit.ly/3UeiZYU.