EduClips: Special Ed Crisis in NYC; IL Governor’s Budget Asks Schools to Pay Millions Toward Teachers’ Pensions — 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

IMMIGRATION — The Trump administration is considering making it more difficult for immigrant families to become lawful permanent residents of the United States if they use certain social services, such as Head Start, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or food stamps.

Reuters and Vox were the first to write about the possibility. Vox posted a draft of the proposal, which has not been officially published by the administration. If the policy were to become a reality, however, it would mark a sharp departure from current rules, which do not allow authorities to negatively evaluate a green-card applicant who uses most taxpayer-funded public benefits. (Read at Education Week)

National News

PHILANTHROPY — Blackstone CEO Schwarzman Gives $25 Million to His High School (Read at The Wall Street Journal)

GATES FOUNDATION — To fight poverty in U.S., Bill and Melinda Gates say they may move beyond education (Read at Chalkbeat)

SECESSION — Citing Racial Motive, Federal Appeals Court Blocks Alabama School Secession Plan (Read at The74Million.org)

SCHOOL DANCE — A school made children say ‘yes’ to any classmate who asked for a dance. Then a parent spoke up. (Read at The Washington Post)

District and State News

NEW YORK — NYC’s Special Education Crisis, Where 1 in 4 Families Doesn’t Receive Guaranteed Services and Students Are Forced to Wait 60 Days (or More) for IEP Meetings (Read at The74Million.org)

ILLINOIS — Rauner’s budget will ask local schools to pay millions more toward teachers’ retirements (Read at the Chicago Tribune)

NEW YORK — Mayor de Blasio’s second-term education agenda? More of the same. (Read at Chalkbeat)

PUERTO RICO — A Pair of Rural Schools Struggle Back in Puerto Rico (Read at Education Week)

TEXAS — TEA: Some school districts’ innovation plans don’t require teacher certification (Read at Valley Central)

CALIFORNIA — Science education funding still in Trump’s crosshairs, despite being saved by Congress (Read at EdSource)

NEVADA — Fund Our Future campaign highlights Nevada’s education woes (Read at the Las Vegas Review-Journal)

PENNSYLVANIA — Philly schools ditch Styrofoam trays, embrace a greener lunch option (Read at the Philadelphia Inquirer)

CALIFORNIA — Poll: The Majority of California Parents Like New State Report Card (Read at State EdWatch)

Think Pieces

SPECIAL EDUCATION — No Racial Quotas in Special Education (Read at The Wall Street Journal)

MISTER ROGERS — A Mister Rogers Postage Stamp Is Coming to Your Neighborhood (Read at The New York Times)

ABSENTEEISM — D.C. graduation scandal shows how chronic absenteeism threatens America’s schools (Read at The Conversation)

Quote of the Day

“It’s very upsetting and continues to be upsetting. We’re still out of compliance, which means a lot of kids are not getting services, at least on paper, that they’re entitled to. And why does this problem still persist?” —Mark Alter, professor of educational psychology at New York University, on New York City’s special education crisis. (Read at The74Million.org)

Disclosure: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supports The 74.

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