Articles Tagged: Iowa Department of Education

In her first extended statement since Friday’s arrest of Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Saturday called the incident “shocking“ and said, ”We must enforce the law every time to protect our families and our future.“

Iowa students have rebounded to pre-COVID performance across multiple subjects, including math, reading and writing, and saw an improvement in rates of chronic absenteeism last year, Gov. Kim Reynolds said Wednesday.

Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education announced that Iowa was one of six states selected for a 2025 federal Charter Schools Program Grant to State Entities issued by the U.S. Department of Education.

Twelve schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District improved their rating on the Iowa School Report Card by one to three categories.

Iowa Republican leaders and school officials are condemning reports that a teacher celebrated the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, calling the alleged remarks “reprehensible” and demanding swift accountability.

Also in today’s Capitol Notebook, the Iowa Department of Education announced $8 million in a new round of grant funding to recognize and reward teacher excellence.

Iowa schools — particularly those in districts with fewer than 1,000 students — are the “lifeblood” of their communities. But student numbers are declining, and data shows that trend will only intensify in the coming years. Many school leaders are turning to modern facilities, career education and innovation to attract and retain students.

Also in the Capitol Notebook, Iowa is partnering with a nonprofit organization that provides mentoring and STEM education for high-achieving math students in the state.

The task force would make recommendations about adding nuclear energy to Iowa’s energy portfolio.

The move by the Trump administration will withhold $8 million in 21st Century grants from Iowa. The grants fund after-school and summer school programs that serve more than 10,000 Iowa kids. No immediate changes are being made to current grant contracts, but if the funding is not reinstated by next fiscal year, it would be ‘devastating.’

Metro High School is sending six students and five teachers to Prague, Czech Republic in August as a part of a new state-funded pilot program to provide students career-connected learning opportunities throughout the summer.

Iowa’s 15 community colleges in 2024 made year-over-year enrollment gains in 2024 thanks largely to record joint enrollment by high school students wanting to earn community college credit at no cost to them or their families.

Following vocal criticism of an initial revision to Iowa’s science education standards that stripped away phrases like “climate change” and “biological evolution” from what students should learn throughout their K-12 education, a second draft has returned references to those terms.

Governors in several Republican-led states -- spurred by Iowa -- are pressing the Trump administration to cut strings attached to their federal education money, a goal conservatives have long dreamed of that now appears within reach.

Iowa's governor this week praised President Donald Trump's plan to dismantle the Department of Education, while some other state politicians and education leaders warned of dire potential impacts for schools and students.