The scandal of college admissions; DeVos and Special Olympics: NPR

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For the third year in a row, President Trump has submitted to Congress a budget request for fiscal year 2020 including cuts in education spending. If the last two years and the last few decades are a guide, Congress will decide instead to increase its spending.

A new ride this year: the House, including the Education and Workforce Committee, is now controlled by Democrats. They asked the Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, to testify in favor of the 2020 budget proposal. And things have become a bit difficult.

"In my opinion, this budget is cruel and imprudent," commented commission chairwoman Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat.

"This budget focuses on the freedom of teachers, parents, and all students," said Secretary General DeVos, according to Week of Education.

In particular, a proposal to eliminate funding for the Special Olympics was censored. On Thursday, Donald Trump reversed that recommendation, saying he would support funding for the program after all.

Other topics covered: a $ 50 billion federal bon bon proposal over 10 years, civil rights and racial disparities in school discipline, and whether private schools receiving federal funds should be able to discriminate against LGBT students.

Bipartite Bills Would Improve College Cost Reporting

Three bills introduced in the House and Senate this week are designed to make it easier for families who do not understand the cost of college. One would create a centralized calculator of net prices, a second would improve communication on federal student loans and a third would require all colleges to simplify their letters of allocation for financial assistance. All three have bipartite sponsorship.

Teachers with plastic pellets defend themselves

In Indiana last January, teachers reportedly suffered bruises after being hit by shots during an active shooter training by the local sheriff's office.

Some of the victims testified at the prison last week. The state teachers' union is pushing for an amendment to a school safety bill to prevent this from happening again.

The incident is surfacing, as there is growing debate as to whether active shooter drills, which have become ubiquitous in schools, are sufficiently effective in terms of safety and prevention to warrant anxiety and anxiety. fear that they arouse in some children and school staff.

The college admissions scandal

The fallout from the investigation continues as a result of the Justice Department investigation, which has filed a complaint of corruption with wealthy parents and for defrauding students in schools such as Stanford and Yale. The education department is currently investigating eight of the relevant colleges to determine if rules relating to federal student aid programs have been violated.

In the same vein, a new study from the Joyce Foundation points out that public universities focus their recruitment efforts on wealthy students, who must pay higher tuition fees when they come from third countries. .

We also reported on a radical proposal presented by right and left experts: a lottery of admissions.

Suicides as a result of shootings at school

Parkland, Florida, this week lamented the suicides of Sydney Aiello, a 19-year-old survivor of last year's mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, as well as a student of the school. And all over the country, Newtown, Connecticut, cried Jeremy Richman, the father of a victim of the 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, S & H. is also a suicide.

If you or someone you know is planning to commit suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799; -4889) or the crisis text line by sending a message to HOME at 741741.

Capitol Hill Students to Advocate for Climate Action

A delegation of about 150 students from elementary to high school met lawmakers this week in Washington, including US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, to advocate for an action against the climate. Among them, 17-year-old Azan Natar, struck by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and 17-year-old Izzy Ryan, whose home was destroyed by forest fires in northern California.

"Unlike many other political issues, the time is clear," said Kai Guthrie, 16, co-founder of Schools for Climate Action, who has partnered with Young Voices for the Planet for schedule the meeting on Thursday. He was lobbying his parents, grandparents and two sisters. Guthrie says that he would like schools to teach more than the science of climate change. "We need to focus more on the political side of the issue and on how to move Congress and convince the leaders of our country to change because it is really the missing piece at this stage."