Good morning, you’re listening to the Daily Apple, your source for the latest in Education News. I’m your host Jim Kent, the date is December 16, 2019. Before we get into the news of the day, I’d like to take a moment to thank our sponsor, VictoryXR. VXR’s award-winning content, helps kids experience science and engineering in a way that they have never been able to before, while making sure to cover everything within the NextGen Science Standards, and they’ve made it accessible on every kind of VR headset you can think of. To find out more, check out VictoryXR.com But now for the news.

According to a new poll by Gallup, About half of U.S. adults (51%) now consider a college education to be "very important," down from 70% in 2013. Over the same period, the percentages rating college as "fairly important" and "not too important" have both increased, to 36% and 13%, respectively.

Perceptions that a college education is very important have declined in the U.S. among all age groups since 2013, but the drop has been especially pronounced -- 33 percentage points -- among adults aged 18 to 29. As a result, younger adults are now less likely than middle-aged adults and seniors to consider college as very important, whereas the different age groups held similar perceptions in 2013.

Consistent with what Gallup found in 2013, women today are more likely than men to report a college education is very important (57% vs. 45%, respectively), although the figures are down among both groups. In 2013, 75% of women and 65% of men said a college education was very important.

Black and Hispanic adults, two groups that are underrepresented in colleges and universities nationally, are more likely than whites to say a college education is very important. The differences in importance by race/ethnicity are generally consistent with 2013 measures, in which black and Hispanic adults were more likely than whites to view a college education as very important.

College tuition has increased at twice the rate of inflation over the past two decades -- forcing many to wonder if that investment is worth it, and how important a formal degree is to achieving a better job and a better life.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/270008/half-consider-college-education-important.aspx

The Kansas Star has published an article focusing on the struggles foster children face in education. Two years after the Every Student Succeeds Act required states to tally and report graduation rates of its foster children, the federal government has yet to make that information public.

Of the states that have reported, most are shockingly low. In Oregon, 35 percent of students in foster care graduated from high school in 2017, compared to 77 percent of the general population.

The Star spent the past year examining the long-term outcomes for kids who age out of foster care. It found that many will end up homeless, jobless and in prison because, in part, they were shortchanged on education. Shuffled from home to home, often sent outside their original school districts, they fall behind early and don’t catch up.

Zachary Lawrence, a special education teacher in south-central Kansas, told members of a legislative task force last year that many foster kids live such unstable and unpredictable lives that it’s tough for them to be able to learn each day. Most states have not collected detailed information on the resources necessary to resolve these issues, or even the outcomes currently being faced.

Brent Kent, former CEO of Foster Success, worked with lawmakers on legislation to require Indiana to track how foster kids are doing in the classroom. Once a year, a detailed report card must be published so the public is informed about how children in the state’s custody are doing relative to their peers.

The first report card was published last spring.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/special-reports/article238246264.html

The Lansing State Journal reports that A federal appeals court panel has ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by four former Michigan State University students against the university for failing to adequately respond to their sexual assault claims. The lawsuit, first filed in 2015, alleged MSU’s handling of the four women’s sexual assault claims violated Title IX and denied one of the women equal protection.

The appeals court found that the women failed to prove “the school had actual knowledge of actionable sexual harassment and that the school’s deliberate indifference to it resulted in further actionable sexual harassment against the student-victim, which caused the Title IX injuries.”

"Because none of the plaintiffs in this case suffered any actionable sexual harassment after the school’s response, they did not suffer “pervasive” sexual harassment as set out in Davis and they cannot meet the causation element," the opinion reads.

The opinion also upholds Maybank's immunity, saying while Gross was "clearly dissatisfied" with Maybank's decision to overturn the male student's expulsion, Gross "has no 'right' to her preferred remedy."

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2019/12/12/msu-title-ix-lawsuit-kollaritsch-6th-circuit-dismissal/4409968002/

According to the AP Democratic presidential candidates pledged to boost funding for public schools, increase teacher salaries and reduce college debt at a Saturday forum that cast a rare spotlight on education, an issue that has received only passing attention in recent debates.

In one camp are Warren and Sanders, who have proposed free public college for all Americans and the cancellation of all or most of the nation's existing student debt. Buttigieg doubled down on his criticism of those plans, saying there needs to be more discussion about apprenticeships, internships and other options other than a four-year degree. He has supported free college for families making under $100,000. Biden continued to push for free community college.

The candidates checked many of the boxes the unions will look for when they decide which candidate to support. Many of the candidates took shots at the prevalence of high-stakes testing, curriculum requirements and other measures that limit teachers' flexibility.

https://news.yahoo.com/democratic-hopefuls-pledge-more-money-221236629.html

The Courier Journal is reporting that Despite a pending legal challenge to its authority, a newly appointed Kentucky Board of Education on Thursday forced out the state's education chief — a swift move that fulfills one of Gov. Andy Beshear's most prominent campaign promises.

Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis resigned and will immediately vacate his position leading the state's K-12 school system. The new board accepted his resignation by a unanimous vote and acknowledged it did not have just cause to terminate Lewis.

Lewis, who earned $200,000 annually as commissioner, was required to receive written notice of his termination 90 days in advance, under his contract with the board. Lewis accepted the earlier exit — and will walk away with 120 days salary and health benefits — after nearly three hours of closed-door negotiations.

Under Lewis and the former board, the Kentucky Department of Education had planned to press for full-day kindergarten, reading interventions for the state's youngest learners and more flexibility for schools.

It is unclear whether those requests will remain the department's priority under a new board and a new commissioner.

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/education/2019/12/12/kentucky-board-education-ousts-education-commissioner-wayne-lewis/4397133002/

According to Michigan Radio, The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation into a southwest Michigan school district.

Paw Paw Public Schools is no stranger to controversy. The district has been under fire for its mascot name and image – the Redskins – for years. Now, the district is facing a federal investigation after the ACLU of Michigan filed a complaint back in January. The ACLU’s complaint alleges the school district "maintains an environment that is hostile to a variety of racial, religious, ethnic and immigrant groups."

Mark Fancher, Racial Justice Project staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan, says, “The school district has stubbornly refused to even discuss possible changes to make its programs more welcoming for Native Americans and other people of color, making this OCR investigation a victory. We are hopeful that federal scrutiny of the district will prompt concern that leads to reform.”

Back in 2017, the Paw Paw school board voted against changing the mascot name from the controversial “Redskins” name despite pressure from groups like the ACLU.

https://www.michiganradio.org/post/department-education-launches-investigation-paw-paw-public-schools

The AP reports on another school joining the modern backlash against standardized testing in admissions practices. Indiana University could soon stop requiring students to submit ACT or SAT scores with their college applications.

A university spokesman says students applying for fall 2021 could have the option not to submit college standardized testing.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports that the university’s Board of Trustees recently approved the policy change. IU’s nine individual campuses now must approve and implement their own “test optional” admissions practice.

https://www.wave3.com/2019/12/15/indiana-university-could-make-sat-act-tests-optional/

And that rounds it up for todays headlines. Thanks again to VictoryXr for making this all possible. You can find the full transcript of today’s episode, along with links to the full stories, in the description of the episode. If you have any questions, comments, or stories of your own that deserve to be broadcast, let us know on social media at dailyapplepod or by email at dailyapplepod@gmail.comThanks for listening. We’ll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early