- States weigh their options to comply with Biden’s request that standardized testing resume this year. —EdWeek
- Iowa’s governor signed a bill requiring all schools to offer in-person instruction five days a week, overpowering reluctant school boards and teachers unions. —Washington Post
- “For some Black students, remote learning has offered a chance to thrive.” —NPR
- Policymakers should fund career and technical education to boost the income and marriageability of young men. —AEI
- Richard Carranza resigns as NYC School Chancellor after disagreements with Mayor Bill de Blasio over gifted and talented programs and school segregation. —New York Times
- Only 37 percent of kindergarteners are on track to be proficient readers, compared to 55 percent last year. Gaps are especially pronounced for Black and Hispanic students. —The 74
- A proposed bill in Oregon would allow school administrators to retain teachers based on merit and race/ethnicity instead of seniority when budget crises require layoffs. —MSN News
- Philadelphia parents are frustrated with school closures, and are running for office, opting for private school, and taking other actions. —New York Times
- No, it’s not racist to discuss achievement gaps or how to close them. —Ed100 Blog
- States did not lose as much tax revenue as we may have feared, with some actually taking in more money in 2020 than in 2019. —New York Times
- Our nation’s struggle with the pandemic was caused, in part, by poor leadership. But it was also a result of the inherent fragmentation of decision making in American federalism. —Matthew Yglesias
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