But researchers with The University of Chicago say such data points represent a mere snapshot of student achievement for those still learning a new language, telling just a fraction of a greater story. 

They鈥檝e been turning their attention instead to a different group of children: Former English learners who, by the time they reached ninth grade, had graduated from language support programs.

Their of 78,507 Chicago Public School students who started high school in the fall of 2014, 2015 and 2016 shows this group is thriving: They had better cumulative grade point averages and SAT scores and were more likely to graduate high school than the district average.

Their two-year college enrollment rate was also higher. 

鈥淭here is this perception that English learners are particularly struggling, that they don鈥檛 do well 鈥� that they are perpetually behind,鈥� said Marisa de la Torre, a managing director and senior research associate at the . 

Incoming Vice President JD Vance furthered the notion that these students are a burden, when he pointed to the tens of thousands of school-age children in whose parents are undocumented.

鈥淣ow think about that,鈥� he said in October. 鈥淭hink about what it does to a poor school teacher, who鈥檚 just trying to get by with what they have, just trying to educate their kids, and then you drop in a few dozen kids into that school, many of whom don鈥檛 even speak English. Do you think that鈥檚 good for the education of American citizens? No, it鈥檚 not.鈥�

Xenophobia and race-baiting were central to Donald Trump’s re-election efforts. The incoming president has said he will to drive millions of undocumented people from the country, a plan and  

de la Torre said the belief that all children associated with English learner programs are forever adrift is misleading and unfair to students and their teachers: It鈥檚 a far smaller subset of active English learners 鈥� those who struggle to make it out of English learner support programs 鈥� who tend to have lower grades, she said.

Jorge Macias, now a senior consultant to the Latino Policy Forum, led Chicago Public School鈥檚 multilingual program for years. He said the narrative must be changed to reflect reality. 

鈥淪tate-level data and national data doesn’t capture this group properly,鈥� Macias said, noting that 78% of English learner students in the Chicago school system transitioned out of the program by 8th grade, according to an earlier study. 鈥淎nd once the students exit, they actually show just as much success 鈥� if not more 鈥� in the factors that matter most for postsecondary success. 鈥�

UChicago researchers divided active English learners into categories, including long-term English learners. These students were in the program for at least six years: Many had learning disabilities and Individualized Education Programs outlining their mandated special education services.

The final category consisted of late-arriving students, those who came to the district after the third grade and remained active in the English learner program in their freshman year of high school. 

Former English learners represented 23% of the school system鈥檚 ninth graders in the years the study covered. Long-term English learners without IEPs made up 4%. Their performance was substantially lower than the district average. 

These students were more likely to enroll in a two-year-college and less likely to enroll in a four-year college 鈥� and when they did enroll in a four-year college, they had lower persistence rates., they had lower persistence rates.聽

Long-term English learners with IEPs made up 3% of ninth graders in the study. Their high school performance and college enrollment and persistence rates were similar to non-English learners with IEPs.聽

Late-arriving English learners, who also made up 3% of the study鈥檚 ninth graders, graduated high school at similar rates to their peers: 81% compared to the district average of 84%. But their college entrance exam scores were lower. 

Despite this, their two-year college persistence rate was markedly higher than most other students who enrolled in college.

Researchers found that while late-arriving English learners struggled with standardized tests, their grades were strong. And they were more successful than their native English-speaking peers 鈥� and former English learners 鈥� in college, suggesting their poor test performance was not predictive of later success. 

This new report builds upon earlier research in this area. Another de la Torre of Chicago Public Schools found that English learners who demonstrated English proficiency by eighth grade had higher attendance levels through elementary and middle school, better math test scores and core course grades compared to students never classified as ELs.

It found, too, that English learners who did not achieve English proficiency by eighth grade struggled with declining attendance by the middle grades and also had considerably lower grade point averages.

Rebecca Vonderlack-Navarro, the Latino Policy Forum鈥檚 vice president of education policy and research, said quality bilingual programs and other supports can help active English learners succeed. 

The achievements of former English learners, she said, are “a powerful reminder that bilingualism is not a barrier, but a bridge, to greater opportunities.鈥�

The presidential election hasn鈥檛 focused much on education 鈥� but the nation got to witness an in-depth debate this week on the partisan responses to school shootings. 

Democratic VP candidate Tim Walz, who said his 17-year-old son witnessed a shooting last year, focused on limiting guns used to perpetrate mass attacks. JD Vance highlighted how schools could better defend against their bullets. Heightened physical security, Vance said during the Tuesday evening vice presidential debate on CBS, is the key response to school shootings. 

鈥淲e have to make the doors lock better, we have to make the doors stronger, we鈥檝e got to make the windows stronger and, of course, we need to increase school resource officers,鈥� he said. 

Yet, while school shootings have reached record levels in recent years, so too have the number of campuses that deploy various forms of campus hardening, including locks, perimeter fencing and armed police. 

The market for school-hardening products is fast and growing: AI-enabled notification systems, panic buttons, bulletproof windows, bulletproof marker boards, bulletproof shields, bulletproof blankets and even bulletproof hoodies with a guarantee: 鈥淚f you get shot (God forbid) with our hoodies on, we鈥檒l send you .鈥�

I made this handy chart 鈥� based on 鈥� to show how school security measures have changed in the last two(ish) decades (1999-2000 and 2021-22). 

According to the latest data, 45% of campuses 鈥� and 63% of high schools 鈥� had sworn police officers. That tally doesn鈥檛 include non-sworn security personnel. Random contraband sweeps are conducted in more than half of high schools. 

Nearly all schools 鈥� 97% 鈥� control access to buildings with locks and monitors, and a similar number require visitors to sign in and wear badges. Security cameras have been installed to monitor 93% of schools. 

The feds have since expanded the types of hardening measures they track. According to the most recent data, 76% of schools have locks on classroom doors and 43% have silent alarms directly connected to the police. during last month鈥檚 mass shooting at Georgia鈥檚 Apalachee High School. 

Though there are a handful of cases where school police and other security prevented or mitigated mass shootings, research suggests they鈥檙e ineffective at preventing attacks overall and . Armed guards were stationed on campus during a quarter of school shootings over a 30-year period.  

Vance said during the debate that 90% of 鈥済un violence in this country is committed with illegally obtained firearms,鈥� likely of federal prison inmates who possessed guns during their offenses. Yet of mass shooters obtain their weapons legally. School shootings 鈥� the topic at Tuesday鈥檚 debate 鈥� are by aggrieved students who get guns from their parents. 

In the news

High schools have become a 鈥渃esspool of sexually explicit deepfakes鈥� as AI-generated images of child sexual abuse flood the internet. |

Hoax threats of shootings and bombings have caused disruptions in schools nationwide, a majority of which have been spread by teens on TikTok and Instagram. |

A new California law to standardize active-shooter drills bans simulated gunfire after the use of a masked man with a fake gun stirred controversy. |

• President Biden signed an executive order last week that seeks to ensure active-shooter drills are effective without traumatizing students. | 蜜桃影视

Indicted New York City Mayor Eric Adams is in no shortage of controversy. Add this to the list: The school district is piloting school bus surveillance cameras from a company run by a former high-ranking administration official. |

As a ransomware group takes credit for a cyberattack on the Providence, Rhode Island, school district, school officials have kept quiet. |

District leaders can assess their schools鈥� cybersecurity vulnerability with a new resource guide from the Education Department and Federal Communications Commission. |

A Florida father notified the police after his 10-year-old son threatened on Snapchat to shoot up a high school. |

ICYMI @The74

• Feds Zero in on Maker of LAUSD鈥檚 Failed AI Chatbot, Hint at Criminal Charges

• Under Tennessee鈥檚 Stricter School Library Law, Some Books Quietly Disappear

• Study Finds COVID Harmed Cognitive Skills of Students 鈥� and Teachers

Emotional support

We could all just use a nap. 

Correction appended Sept. 30

Educators and advocates from across the country 鈥� many of whom say they have already seen the effects of anti-immigrant political rhetoric on their students 鈥� convened Wednesday night to strategize on how to counter it in their schools. 

Adam Strom, director of Re-Imagining Migration, told the webinar鈥檚 93 attendees to take an active role in combating prejudice by facing the issue head-on. He encouraged participants to address bullying against immigrant students specifically in school policy 鈥� and to teach about stereotypes without unintentionally reinforcing them. 

鈥淴enophobia harms all kids,鈥� he said, 鈥減articularly immigrant youth.鈥� 

The meeting came two weeks after former President Donald Trump claimed during a presidential debate that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, . Debunked by multiple official sources, Trump and his Republican running mate, JD Vance, have persisted in repeating the lie, which resulted in bomb threats that shuttered six Springfield schools and two local colleges. 

Less than 30 miles away in Dayton, Joni Watson, a retired public school teacher, works for an adult literacy nonprofit that helps participants earn their GED. Watson’s group also helps Dayton-area newcomers learn to read and write English through free one-on-one tutoring. 

鈥淭his topic is near and dear to my heart as I am really in the thick of it on a daily basis,鈥� she told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淚 am just sick about what Vance and Trump are doing and saying.鈥�

In a pre-webinar survey of 74 respondents, 31% said they knew of immigrant children who had reported being bullied or teased at school. Twenty-three percent said they heard students make anti-immigrant comments on campus this school year while another 23% heard staff make such statements since the beginning of the year. Eleven percent said they heard or witnessed staffers make anti-immigrant comments to families and caregivers.  

Strom advised educators to reach out to young immigrants and their families to check in on how they are feeling during this turbulent time and to tell all students that bullying of newcomers is unacceptable. He said, too, that educators should respond immediately when such incidents occur. 

During the session, Strom unveiled Re-Imagining Migration鈥檚 new . The AI-powered tool, which fed off thousands of pages of information from the organization鈥檚 website, including reports and lesson plans, was developed to help users identify misinformation. 

It encourages them to check the validity of such claims by consulting credible fact-checking sites such as 鈥� and to learn and spread correct information to their school communities. Since putting Springfield , Trump has moved to inciting false fears over immigrant communities in and .

Psychotherapist Liz Carrasco said she wanted to attend the webinar because she鈥檚 seen the impact of hate speech on her students. 

鈥淢any worry that their families could be torn apart, or that they will face discrimination in their pursuit of education and work,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or these students, political rhetoric is not just words 鈥� it has very real and immediate consequences for their safety and their future.鈥�

A U.S. citizen who was born in Mexico, Carrasco works with UNLV PRACTICE Nevada Rural Communities Mental Health Outreach Program, which supports young people ages 12-25, and teaches at the university’s School of Social Work. Carrasco, who was not speaking on behalf of UNLV, said she works with immigrants who have gone through horrific ordeals, including some who were victims of human trafficking.

Strom asked participants to be honest about whether and how they teach about migration and instructed them to develop better, more robust lessons that capture immigrant students鈥� experiences. 

He said this can be done at all grade levels.  

鈥淭hink about how you might use childrens鈥� books to normalize the stories of newcomers,鈥� he said during the hour-long event.  

Anindita Das, community engagement strategist at an Iowa college, said she was compelled to attend the event because reducing prejudice helps build a more inclusive and harmonious society.

鈥淏eing an immigrant myself, I know immigrants bring diverse cultures, perspectives and experiences, enriching the social fabric of the host country,鈥� she said. 鈥淚mmigrants contribute significantly to the economy through their labor, entrepreneurship and innovation. Addressing prejudice ensures they can fully participate and contribute.鈥�

Correction: An earlier version of this story had an outdated description of Liz Carrasco’s job with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

As vice presidential candidate and Ohio Sen. JD Vance makes clear  to the public on the campaign trail, his fake claims have caused real panic at schools in his home state. 

As Vance and GOP presidential running mate Donald Trump spread a vile and racist rumor that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are abducting and eating their neighbors鈥� pets, six local  temporarily after receiving bomb threats. Two area colleges were also pushed into remote learning after the Republican duo鈥檚 disinformation campaign prompted .

 were deployed to Springfield鈥檚 public schools Tuesday after they received dozens of bomb threats in the last week alone. 

鈥淥ur students, staff and school community  by senseless threats of violence,鈥� district Superintendent Bob Hill said.

The false claims coming from Trump and Vance spurred a response from Ohio鈥檚 Republican governor, Mike DeWine, who said the rumors are harmful and 鈥渘eed to stop.鈥� Springfield officials have erected a security tower with surveillance cameras outside City Hall as the candidates double down on the unfounded claims despite the growing number of bomb threats against city agencies 鈥� 

Big picture: Schools are routinely haunted by copycat perpetrators. Now, the politically fueled disruption of schools in Ohio 鈥� and a mass shooting at Georgia鈥檚 Apalachee High School this month 鈥� have reportedly contributed to a national surge in these unnerving events. | 

In the news

More on the disinfo campaign trail: In a Moms for Liberty speech, Trump made the baseless claim that schools perform surgery on transgender youth. Children go to school and come home 鈥渁 few days later with an operation. The school decides what鈥檚 going to happen with your child.鈥� | 

The Federal Communications Commission has opened applications for its $200 million cybersecurity pilot program, designed to defray school and library expenses for firewalls and other data security services. | 

• What they鈥檙e saying: 鈥淪chool districts and libraries across the country have proven to be prime targets for cybercriminals,鈥� FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a media release. 鈥淭he vulnerabilities in the networks are real 鈥� and growing.鈥� 
• Big picture: A quarter of young people’s identities will be stolen before they turn 18 as cybercriminals run up major debt using the minors鈥� credit. | 

ByteDance bites back: Chinese-owned ByteDance, which runs the teen obsession/social media platform TikTok, was in a federal appeals court this week to fight a law that would force the company to sell the app or face a nationwide ban over national security concerns. | 

New Mexico officials have sued social media app Snapchat after an undercover investigation accused the platform of being a leading source 鈥渇or sharing child sexual abuse material鈥� and using an algorithm that 鈥渟erves up children to adult predators.鈥� | 

As social media platforms face scrutiny over their effects on youth mental health, Instagram is rolling out 鈥渢een accounts鈥� that limit their screen time, the types of content they see and the people they鈥檙e able to message. | 

A free teletherapy program launched in New York City public schools could misuse students鈥� information and run afoul of state and federal student privacy laws, data security advocates allege. | 

School (in)Security exclusive: Education technology company AllHere, which built a much-hyped $6 million chatbot for the Los Angeles school district that allegedly violated students’ privacy, has filed for bankruptcy. | 

The Department of Homeland Security awarded a $450,000 grant to a gun violence research consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government to study mass shootings, including those in schools, and develop bystander intervention training to prevent assaults. The training will be piloted at 10 New York school districts. | 

Teachers split on active-shooter drills: Less than half of teachers said active-shooter drills have prepared them for a school shooting, according to a new RAND survey. More than two-thirds said the drills have had no impact on their perceptions of campus safety and just a fifth said they make them feel more safe. | 

The Charlotte, North Carolina, school district broke the law when leaders withheld records that detailed incidents of student rape and sexual assault, a court ruled. | 

An Oklahoma school resource officer was credited with using a tourniquet to save the life of a teenager who, in an act of apparent rage over bullying, punched through a school bus window, cutting an artery in his right arm. | 

Colorado student suspensions have surged 25% since 2018, as schools struggle with children鈥檚 post-COVID mental health challenges. | 

A West Virginia elementary school custodian was arrested on charges he stored a gun in his car in the campus parking lot and that an 11-year-old threatened to use the weapon to shoot a classmate and himself. | 

How a poppy seed salad from Costco upended a mother鈥檚 life: Inaccurate drug tests have taken a toll on parents nationwide, an investigation found, as they face scrutiny from 鈥� and sometimes lose their babies to 鈥� child protective services. | 

An Apalachee High School Spanish teacher describes how she kept her students calm during the deadly campus shooting in Georgia earlier this month: 鈥淚 lied.鈥� | 

ICYMI @ 蜜桃影视

Emotional support

鈥淚鈥檓 not floofy, YOU鈥橰E floofy!鈥� 

– Marz

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