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Illustration of scissors cutting row of paper dolls.
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School & District Management 3 Tips to Help Districts Navigate Educator Layoffs
Keep cuts in line with the district's overarching goals, an expert advises.
Caitlynn Peetz, March 19, 2024
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3 min read
Pencil Eraser Erasing Drawn Figure
AndreyPopov/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Teacher Layoffs Are Mounting. How Districts Can Soften the Blow
Layoffs are coming in districts large and small. Here's how district leaders can handle them.
Caitlynn Peetz & Mark Lieberman, March 13, 2024
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8 min read
Illustration of a large dollar sign with small people running, jumping and climbing to get to end.
DigitalVision Vectors
Budget & Finance School Districts Prepare for Major Staffing Cuts as ESSER Winds Down
More than half of district leaders said in a new survey that they may have to cut many of the staff they used COVID relief money to hire.
Mark Lieberman, August 23, 2023
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2 min read
Dolly Parton, left, and Miley Cyrus perform "Jolene" at the 61st annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 10, 2019. Administrators at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha, Wis., aren't letting a first-grade class perform "Rainbowland," a Cyrus and Parton duet from Cyrus' 2017 album "Younger Now," promoting LGBTQ acceptance, because they say the song could be seen as controversial.
Dolly Parton, left, and Miley Cyrus perform "Jolene" at the 61st annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 10, 2019. Administrators at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha, Wis., didn't let a first-grade class perform "Rainbowland," a Cyrus and Parton duet from Cyrus' 2017 album "Younger Now," promoting LGBTQ+ acceptance, because they said the song could be seen as controversial.
Matt Sayles/Invision via AP
Teaching Profession A Teacher Was Fired for Criticizing Her District's Move to Ban a Song. Here's What to Know
A 1st grade teacher in Wisconsin was fired for objecting to her district’s decision to ban a student performance of a song about rainbows.
Eesha Pendharkar, July 26, 2023
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7 min read
Scales of justice and Gavel on wooden table and Lawyer or Judge working with agreement in Courtroom, Justice and Law concept.
Pattanaphong Khuankaew/iStock
Law & Courts Court Backs Firing of Teacher Who Refused to Use Transgender Students’ Names
The appellate court said a teacher seeking a religious accommodation under Title VII caused undue hardship for a school district.
Mark Walsh, April 10, 2023
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6 min read
Layoffs are illustrated by an oversized pair of scissors, that looms over seven teachers of color sitting in chairs suspended by strings. The teachers using their laptop computers and mobile devices.
DigitalVision/Vectors + EdWeek
Teaching Profession Teachers of Color Are Most at Risk in Upcoming Layoffs, Report Says
They're more likely to be in their first few years of teaching—and let go under seniority-based layoff rules.
Madeline Will, March 8, 2023
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5 min read
Social studies teacher Matthew Hawn, who is accused of insubordination and repeated unprofessional conduct for teaching about racism and white privilege, sits on his couch inside his home on August 17, 2021.
Tennessee social studies teacher Matthew Hawn, who is accused of insubordination and repeated unprofessional conduct for teaching about racism and white privilege, sits on his couch inside his home back in August of 2021.
Caitlin Penna for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Educators' Opposition to Censorship Comes at a Big Personal Cost
A Tennessee teacher and a Louisiana librarian discuss their very public battles against book bans or restrictions on teaching about racism.
Eesha Pendharkar, December 29, 2022
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5 min read
Signs in support of keeping Diablo Community Day School open in Concord, Calif., on April 11, 2022. The school is being closed at the end of the school year due to budget cuts.
Signs support keeping Diablo Community Day School open in Concord, Calif. The school is being closed at the end of the school year due to budget cuts.
Ramin Rahimian for Education Week
Budget & Finance A Flood of Federal Cash and Then Layoffs. What Gives?
Some districts are cutting dozens of positions or scaling back programs to account for declining enrollment and inflationary pressure.
Mark Lieberman, April 21, 2022
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11 min read
Image of a budget sheet and someone using a red pencil to mark on it.
aprott/iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance Schools Got Tons of Federal COVID Money. Why Some Are Laying Off Anyway
The realities of school district finance is clashing with the mainstream idea that schools are all flush with cash.
Mark Lieberman, March 30, 2022
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7 min read
David Cox, former Director of Sullivan County Schools, left, testifies during a public hearing for former social studies teacher, Matthew Hawn.
A hearing for former Sullivan County teacher, Matthew Hawn.
Caitlin Penna for Education Week
Curriculum Teacher Fired for Lesson on White Privilege Loses Appeal
Matthew Hawn told students, "white privilege is a fact," and was accused by administrators of breaking the state's teacher code of ethics.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 26, 2021
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4 min read
Social studies teacher Matthew Hawn is accused of insubordination and repeated unprofessional conduct for sharing Kyla Jenèe Lacey's, 'White Privilege', poem with his Contemporary Issues class. Hawn sits on his couch inside his home on August 17, 2021.
Matthew Hawn is accused of insubordination and repeated unprofessional conduct for lessons and materials he used to teach about racism and white privilege in his Contemporary Issues class at Sullivan Central High School in Blountville, Tenn.<br/>
Caitlin Penna for Education Week
Curriculum He Taught About White Privilege and Got Fired. Now He's Fighting to Get His Job Back
Matthew Hawn is an early casualty in this year's fight over how teachers can discuss with students America's struggle with racism.
Eesha Pendharkar, September 13, 2021
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13 min read
People listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Washington shortly before the attack on the U.S. Capitol building.
People listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Washington shortly before the attack on the U.S. Capitol building.
Evan Vucci/AP
School & District Management Disciplining Educators: How Schools Should Tackle Conduct Concerns After the Insurrection
School employees and officials in at least eight states have drawn criticism and reprimands following last week's U.S. Capitol insurrection.
Mark Lieberman, January 13, 2021
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9 min read
Quincy, Ill., student Bobby Smith gets some help opening a PowerPoint on volcanoes from his teacher, Jared Holman, Nov. 4.
Quincy, Ill., student Bobby Smith gets some help opening a PowerPoint on volcanoes from his teacher, Jared Holman, Nov. 4.<br/>
Jake Shane/Quincy Herald-Whig via AP
Education Funding Fact Check: What Joe Biden Got Wrong About Teacher Job Loss
President-elect Joe Biden said 666,000 teachers have been laid off during the coronavirus crisis. But the real number isn't as big.
Evie Blad, November 20, 2020
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4 min read
Karen Lewis sits outside her home on Sept. 13. She was one of about 100 teachers and social workers in the Schenectady, N.Y., district who were recently laid off via a Zoom call.
Karen Lewis sits outside her home on Sept. 13. She was one of about 100 teachers and social workers in the Schenectady, N.Y., district who were recently laid off via a Zoom call.
Roger Richardson for Education Week
Teaching Profession How COVID-19 Is Hurting Teacher Diversity
Layoffs that are based on seniority can disproportionately affect Black and brown teachers.
Madeline Will, September 14, 2020
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10 min read
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