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Texas News
State allows for UISD to offer remote learning in historical waiver
Remote learning in the State of Texas is something not funded by the state; however, in a historic meeting between United Independent School District (UISD) representatives, the state commissioner of education and other local representatives amid the ongoing water crisis in the city affecting various campuses, UISD was able to receive a waiver to go remote.

According to Emma Leza, the associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction on Feb. 25 at 4 p.m., UISD Superintendent David H. Gonzalez spearheaded the meeting with Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath to provide updated information on the current situation in Laredo and the urgent need to provide remote instruction for over 18,800 students in 22 campuses affected by the water shortage.
Keeping folklórico alive in the Permian Basin
A group is trying to keep a dance tradition alive. For the first time, the Hispanic Cultural Center of Midland hosted its Ballet Folklorico for Midland ISD students.

Some students said they hope more people will now consider joining.

This story hits home for Anchor Ozzy Mora.

“It has been part of my upbringing for more than 17 years and it’s important I help tell the story.”
Eight San Antonio teachers receive H-E-B’s Excellence in Education Awards
It’s a difficult time to be a teacher. Teaching through a pandemic, on top of already working long hours, teachers everywhere are exhausted. Luckily, H-E-B is preparing to honor those who devote their time to their classrooms.

Eight San Antonio-area educators were surprised as finalists this week for the 2022 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards. For 20 years, the grocery giant has given out awards to teachers. Since the awards’ inception, it has grown to become the largest monetary awards program for educators in Texas. Recently, H-E-B dropped a new Creamy Creation’s ice cream flavor to celebrate the award-season. 
Several Texas Republicans against “critical race theory” advance in State Board of Education primary races
All 15 seats of the State Board of Education are up for grabs in November, and there were more than 50 candidates vying for their parties’ nominations.

Several Republican State Board of Education candidates who ran in opposition of so-called critical race theory in public schools advanced in Tuesday’s GOP primary election.
Progressive Greg Casar Trounces Competition in Central Texas Congressional Primary
Longtime State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, meanwhile, flops.

With about 60 percent of the vote, ex-Austin City Council Member Greg Casar—a staunch progressive and former labor organizer endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—trounced his competition Tuesday evening in the Democratic primary for Texas’ Congressional District 35.

“Our campaign has built a movement of working people, from San Antonio to Austin, who are ready to fight because our futures depend on it,” said Casar in a press release declaring victory. “Progressive policies are popular. And we’re going to pass them for Texas working families.”
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National News
Biden urges increased mental health supports for students
“Let’s take on mental health,” he said during the State of the Union address, “especially among our children, whose lives and education have been turned upside down.”

During the State of the Union address on March 1, President Biden highlighted national challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and urged congressional support for his proposals to expand mental health services to all Americans.
New L.A. Schools Chief Alberto Carvalho on Declining Enrollment, Academic Recovery and How ‘Failure is Not in My DNA’
Alberto Carvalho, who took over as superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District just two weeks ago, wasted little time in setting ambitious goals for his new administration. In a 100-day plan unveiled last week, he said he would focus on academic recovery and consider shifting funds from the district’s expensive COVID testing program to pay for it. 

He also wants to reduce class sizes, expand early learning and streamline hiring to address staff shortages. The agenda, which he discussed during a virtual welcome reception Thursday, came after an already jam-packed two weeks in which he attended his first school board meeting, met with each one of the district’s union presidents and taught two biology classes. 
California, Oregon, Washington ending school mask mandate after March 11
California, Washington and Oregon will end their school mask mandates after March 11, the states’ three governors jointly announced on Monday.  

The announcement from three Democratic governors adds to a flurry of moves to lift mask mandates in schools and other mandates that remained for the broader public.  
Home visits give educators and families time to connect
The strategy has been shown to contribute to increased academic performance and reduced chronic absenteeism.

When Katrina Branch got a note from her niece’s elementary school saying educators at the school were visiting students’ homes, she was immediately concerned.

Branch had lost her mother and sister in quick succession and had recently moved to Washington, D.C., from Pennsylvania to raise her sister’s five children. 
New Study Finds Expanding Full-Day Pre-K Boosts Enrollment, Attendance
Enrollment and attendance in pre-K — especially among Black and Latino preschoolers — improves when programs operate for a full school day instead of a few hours in the morning or afternoon, a new study shows.

Enrollment more than quadrupled among Black children and tripled among Latino students when the Chicago Public Schools expanded full-day pre-K, according to researchers from the Consortium for School Research at the University of Chicago. The findings also focused on an expansion effort in the city’s North Lawndale community.
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