#boes — Public Fediverse posts

“It wasn’t the pandemic”: Some crises are important and everywhere … and, yet, you do not know about them. One is the steep, enduring decline in standardized test scores across the country. This is important because it indicates students are not learning as they once did. What’s causing the decline? Less accountability, many think, and too many screens. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/upshot/test-scores-school-districts-us.html #BOEs

What do good leaders do? They look at problems and potential solutions, seeing the right solutions and the paths they must travel. Then they guide solutions along the path. Here are two problems: K-12 school enrollment is declining so fast that #BOEs are closing #schools, and we need a big expansion in pre-K child care. Leaders: Do you see an opportunity here? https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/child-care-business-infrastructure

Why should states and cities invest in pre-K programs? Because they’re good for the kids and a major benefit for families. But there’s a knock-on effect, research shows. If the programs are in regular city #schools, families are likely to keep their children in these schools in kindergarten and beyond. Why? Because they are now familiar places. https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/universal-pre-k-offers-solution-rebuilding-public-school-enrollment #BOEs

Frederick Nietzsche said, “The most fundamental form of human stupidity is forgetting what we were trying to do in the first place.” Why did #schools spend so much money on students laptops, iPads and learning apps? To improve student performance and graduation rates. They did not deliver and, belatedly, schools are locking up the digital distractions. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/technology/chromebook-remorse-kansas-school-laptops.html?searchResultPosition=1 #BOEs

A Philly council member has legitimate concerns about what happens to school buildings once #schools are closed … and a concern that some of the closings are because of the buildings’ value to real estate developers. But rezone all schools so they can never be used for #housing? That may not serve #neighborhoods well. https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-school-closures-city-council-rezoning-plan/ #BOEs

What are the greatest problems with charter #schools? On average, they do not educate students better than public schools. They drain students and money from neighborhood schools. And some are terribly mismanaged. Two charter high schools in Chicago were recently shut down for financial reasons. They aren’t the first. https://www.wbez.org/education/2026/03/19/cps-revokes-aspiras-ability-to-operate-charter-schools-in-chicago-in-rare-move-board-of-education #BOEs

Three-quarters of public #schools in the U.S. divide students by age into elementary, middle and high schools. Will the coming wave of school closures, due to declining birth rates, cause some systems to change these age groupings? A suburban Atlanta district is considering this as it faces the possibility of closing 27 of its schools. https://www.ajc.com/education/2026/03/the-grade-debate-dekalb-schools-could-change-elementary-middle-high-split/ #BOEs

There are many things school boards should focus on, from student learning and safe facilities to prudent finances and good leadership. Then there are the things that Chicago’s school board must deal with: a political battle between a powerful labor union and a group of billionaires with an interest in charter schools. In this environment, education is beside the point. https://www.wbez.org/education/chicago-school-board/2026/02/19/big-money-expected-to-flow-in-novembers-historic-chicago-school-board-race #BOEs

In an op-ed, a school district official explains how his district will go about closing #schools and reassigning students. First, establish guidelines: age and condition of schools, distances for student travel, etc. Collect and interpret data. Engage the public on the process. Get feedback, revise guidelines. OK, and then what? Time to decide … and face the fury. https://www.ajc.com/education/2026/02/empty-seats-are-not-neutral-they-cost-our-students/ #BOEs

Sometimes problems and opportunities are two sides of the same coin. Here’s a big problem: a decline in school-age children means many #schools are below capacity and some will be closed. Opportunity: What we could do with this public property. Housing? Mixed-use developments? Community centers? Let’s be bold in our thinking. https://voiceofsandiego.org/2026/02/11/nearly-half-of-san-diego-unified-schools-may-be-underutilized/ #BOEs

Comedienne Mirja Boes ist in Viersen geboren

Es gibt da in Viersen diese eine, ganz besondere Bushaltestelle. Sie ist ein stiller Treffpunkt, ein kurzes Stück…
#Moenchengladbach #Deutschland #Deutsch #DE #Schlagzeilen #Headlines #Nachrichten #News #Europe #Europa #EU #Mönchengladbach #Boes #Bushaltestelle #erzählt #Germany #Haltestelle #Mirja #Nordrhein-Westfalen #seinerzeit #Stück #Treffpunkt #Viersen #Viersener
https://www.europesays.com/de/704689/

For years, we’ll be on the emotional and political rollercoaster that comes with closing public schools, the result of fewer children of school age. But don’t forget that what happens to the buildings when a school closes is also important. Turns out, #BOEs are not good at disposing of property in ways that build thriving #neighborhoods. Just look at the abandoned, crumbling schools of St Louis. https://nextstl.com/2024/11/an-inventory-of-70-former-public-school-buildings-in-stl/