New federal data on bullying, discipline, and school safety should prompt tough questions about why certain groups of students are unfairly singled out. Could it also prevent Education Secretary Betsy DeVos from rescinding Obama-era guidance on school discipline?  Today’s Federal Flash addresses that question, highlights new people taking over top positions at the U.S. Department of Education, and covers interesting comments on education coming from top Republicans on Capitol Hill.

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Research shows that students who experience rigorous course work in their secondary schools demonstrate readiness for college-level work and complete postsecondary credentials at substantially higher rates than their peers experiencing less-rigorous preparatory course work.^[1] Two efforts, early college high schools (ECHSs) and dual-enrollment programs, offer students the opportunity to pursue college-level credit-bearing course work while still in high school.

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How must education change to prepare students for success in today’s jobs—and for the jobs that haven’t even been invented yet? This week’s digest features a brand-new video from the Alliance for Excellent Education on how deeper learning is preparing students for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Also check out new policy briefs on supporting teachers, a deeper learning showcase in Kentucky, and a “self-paced” learning model in Wyoming.

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This week’s Federal Flash checks in on the U.S. Education Department’s approval of state plans created under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), plus the first meeting of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s Federal Commission on School Safety. It also covers new federal reports on internet access, school discipline, and the latest results from the Nation’s Report Card in math and reading.

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Although the nation’s eighth graders show a slight improvement in reading, their math scores remain basically unchanged since 2015, according to results released April 10 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card. Fourth-grade scores in reading and math also remain flat since 2015. Education observers seized on the flat scores and achievement gaps that failed to narrow. There is, however, one important component of NAEP that has improved over the years: a decrease in the percentage of students who score at NAEP’s lowest achievement level, “below basic.”

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A long-awaited report on access to digital learning hit the newsstands last week with a familiar headline: a digital divide, known as the homework gap in education circles, persists, especially for students of color, students from low-income families, and students in rural areas.

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Did you miss the Deeper Learning 2018 conference in sunny San Diego last week? We have the highlights, including key takeaways and a deeper dive into this “powerful adult learning” opportunity from Getting Smart. Plus, news on Louisiana’s proposal to join six other states and pilot a new, innovative, high-quality assessment under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

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