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Texas News
‘Day-of-Action’ held to protect and promote equity in public education
Some education advocates are pushing for equity in Texas education.

The Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition hosted a day of action in Austin Wednesday.

Democratic Texas Senator Roland Gutierrez says he’s pushing fellow lawmakers to improve education for all children.
2 Socorro ISD mariachi ensembles earn highest rating at state mariachi festival
The mariachi groups at Americas High School and Pebble Hills High School won Superior Rating Division 1 trophies at the 2023 Texas UIL State Mariachi Festival.

The groups showcased their mariachi programs with student musicians who sing and play instruments.

“I told them, “I know how much you all leveled up this year, no matter what happens you guys gave it your best out there.” It’s about what the learned in the,”” Jose Rios, Americas High School orchestra and mariachi instructor, said.
Harlingen CISD Coaches Parents on Tech, Social Media Safety
A Texas district’s guidance counselors hosted an event to make parents aware of how students can be affected by social media and what their options are for managing technology’s opportunities and pitfalls.

Cindy Flores now has greater power to navigate her children’s technology — and protect them from its dangers so they can more safely benefit from its resources.

“They are very tech savvy, so this I think would be very very helpful,” said Flores, who had just attended a one-hour seminar titled, “Parent Protech: A Family’s Guide to Navigating Technology Restrictions.”
Abbott Wants to Deny Undocumented Kids a Public Education
A new bill would prohibit children not authorized to be in the country from attending public school.

Texas’ GOP leaders have a sadistic penchant for booting out immigrant families on holidays. Last Christmas, Governor Greg Abbott bussed and dumped migrant families in the freezing cold in Washington, D.C. This past Valentine’s Day, Texas Senator Drew Springer filed SB 923, delivering on Abbott’s reelection campaign goal to deny undocumented children access to public education—unless the federal government pays. The bill is now in the Senate Education Committee.
Amarillo’s plan for broadband in El Barrio could be a playbook for other Texas communities without internet
Texas has had trouble getting a state of 30 million residents online for years — even before the pandemic put a spotlight on poor broadband development.

Only a few blocks separate Amarillo’s lively, bustling downtown area from the city’s historic El Barrio district.

Originally developed in 1889 to house Mexican railroad workers, the neighborhood is now home to more than 1,000 families, businesses that have been there for nearly a century and rich Hispanic history.
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National News
‘The Other Long COVID’: What Will the Pandemic Do to Kids’ Futures?
The pandemic took young people’s present. What will it do to their future?

It began on February 27, 2020. That day Bothell High School in Washington — the state where the first confirmed US cases of the novel coronavirus had occurred — announced it would close down temporarily after a staffer’s relative became ill after traveling internationally, prompting fears about what we were coming to understand was Covid-19.
Summer School Can Remedy Pandemic Learning Loss
A philanthropist-funded program in New York showed that students got back on track quickly.

The crisis in American public education caused by the pandemic has settled into a dangerous new phase: resignation. The disastrous effects of remote instruction are still with us. Students continue to lag behind where they should be—sometimes by multiple grade levels—and little is being done to help them. The good news is that we know how to overcome learning loss.
How to tackle teacher vacancies: 3 big topics and dozens of tools
‘School leaders can’t wait around. Principals need solutions they can start implementing this academic year,’ experts say

So, teacher vacancies and shortages may not be hitting every district and every subject with the same severity. It’s become clear that schools with higher-poverty rates and special education, math and science classrooms—which saw shortages prior to the pandemic—continue to experience the deepest vacancies.
Professional Development Tips for Supporting English Learners
The English learner population is growing but the number of specialized instructors for them and training for general education teachers who work with them is lagging.

Researchers and educators say professional development for all teachers and school leaders rooted in best practices for English learners is needed to fill in the gap.

But, if a district or school were to invest time and money into developing such training, where would they start, and what are some of those best practices that should be covered to ensure the best return on investment?
The evolution of higher education according to Gustavo Mellander
Leader in the field of university, Gustavo Mellander reflects on the changes throughout the years.

Gustavo Mellander has been working in the field of education for over 50 years. He has served in a variety of positions for different institutions, including being the president of two — Passaic College, in New Jersey, and Mission College, in California. He has also contributed to a monthly column to The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine. 

As an expert in the field, AL DÍA invited him to talk about the changes he has seen since he first entered higher education. Mellander included the community college’s role, the increase of Latino students and the availability of programs for working adults as some of the major differences that have happened since he became a student. 
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