EduClips: Embattled Administrator Sues Clark County Schools; After NYC Middle School Integration Battle, Parents Turn Attention to Harlem — and More Must-Reads From America’s 15 Biggest School Districts

EduClips is a roundup of the day’s top education headlines from America’s largest school districts, where more than 4 million students across eight states attend class every day. Read previous EduClips installments here. Get the day’s top school and policy news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for the TopSheet Education Newsletter.

Top Story

CONGRESS —A blue wave of support for Democrats is coming, many election handicappers say, one that could have a big impact on federal education policy.

If party control of the U.S. House changes, and Democrats take the reins on the Education and the Workforce Committee, the panel could switch from one that has largely adopted a hands-off approach to federal education policy, particularly K-12, to one with an intense focus on civil rights, equity, and oversight of the Education Department and its controversial secretary, Betsy DeVos.

Predictions on how many seats Democrats will pick up — and if they will be enough to retake the majority — seem to shift daily, as the whiplash news cycle changes public perceptions of President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. And that’s even before accounting for the dynamics of individual races and the House candidates themselves.

As of July 24, Real Clear Politics predicted the Democrats would win 199 seats, including those they judge as “likely” and “lean” Democratic, while Republicans would win 202 seats. Another 34 are rated as toss-ups, 32 of which are currently held by Republicans. (Read at The74Million.org)

National News

CIVIL RIGHTS — Students Seeking Equal Access to Education May Find Federal Help Harder to Come By (Read at NPR)

DEVOS — Betsy DeVos to Conservative High Schoolers: Are You ‘Bored’ in School? (Read at Politics K-12)

MILITARY FAMILIES — At the Military Child Education Coalition Conference, a Clearer View of How School Choice Is Expanding for Military Families — and the Unique Hurdles That Remain (Read at The74Million.org)

District and State News

NEW YORK — After a battle to integrate middle schools, parents turn their attention to Harlem (Read at Chalkbeat)

NEVADA — Embattled administrator sues Clark County School District, officials (Read at the Las Vegas Review-Journal)

CALIFORNIA — Judge allows suit accusing California of providing inadequate education to kids (Read at the San Francisco Chronicle)

FLORIDA — At Elite Miami Private School, Black Students Challenge Culture of Racist Bullying (Read at the Tampa Bay Times)

ILLINOIS — Possible key to black boys’ academic success: Hire black men as elementary school teachers (Read at the Chicago Tribune)

NEW YORK — Why teachers spend so much of their own money on students (Read at the New York Post)

CALIFORNIA — Education is a critical area for Latino voters to exert influence as immigration furor fuels newfound political activism, experts say (Read at LA School Report)

TEXAS — Commentary: How Texas schools benefit from unbiased energy curriculum (Read at the Austin American-Statesman)

Think Pieces

BLACK TEACHERS — Black teachers leave schools at higher rates — but why? (Read at Chalkbeat)

SCHOOL REFORM — Enough With Top-Down Education Reform. It’s Time for a Grass-Roots Approach (Read at Education Week)

APPRENTICESHIPS — Lake & Gross: From Switzerland by Way of Colorado, a New Approach to Apprenticeships That Rethinks the Path From High School to College to Career (Read at The74Million.org)

GENETICS — Why We Shouldn’t Embrace the Genetics of Education (Read at Inside Higher Ed)

STRESS — OPINION: Child victims of toxic stress face a long road to healing (Read at The Hechinger Report)

Quote of the Day

“Just because I’ve filed more than one complaint, that doesn’t make me a ‘frequent flyer.’ It makes me a repeat victim.” —Joy Orton, who has repeatedly filed civil rights complaints with the U.S. Department of Education on behalf of her daughter, who is blind. The department has recently cracked down on those who file repeat complaints. (Read at NPR)

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