Articles Tagged: Iowa Department of Education

After shedding students annually for more than a decade – a post-recession trend aggravated by the pandemic – Iowa’s 15 community colleges this fall recorded their first collective enrollment uptick since 2010: a half percentage point bump, pushing the student tally to 82,251.

Also, a second Iowa store sold a $2 million Powerball ticket

Iowa will receive about $6 million in federal grant dollars to help schools address student well-being as part of the bipartisan gun violence bill signed in June.

Iowa Safe Schools director of public policy says the department is being ‘thorough’ on updating ‘oudated language’

Cedar Rapids-based Kirkwood Community College has announced plans to close two of its eight regional and county centers due to declining enrollment and a “significant decrease” in use of the locations.

Iowa’s 15 community colleges collectively are projecting a $2.3 million dip in total resources for the next budget year — contributing to a projected $36.8 million deficit — propelled largely by previous bumps in federal funding, due to COVID-19, and more anticipated facility and program expenses.

The bill calls for Iowa to adopt LEAD-K, a nationwide initiative to raise awareness of deaf or hard-of-hearing children’s experiences in language learning and to work toward school readiness and sufficient language skills by providing access to both American Sign Language and English.

Iowa community colleges are seeing a rebound in enrollment numbers since the pandemic with a growing number of high schoolers earning college credits through joint enrollment program.

Governor’s STEM Advisory Council grant to help the program expand its health science curriculum

As Iowa community college enrollment drops, tuition ticks up, perpetuating a cycle – influenced by a range of factors like COVID, the economy, and the need to balance a budget – that mirrors community college trends nationally threatening their ability to meet workforce demands.

The number of schools in the lowest two categories ⁠— needs improvement and priority ⁠— increased by seven and 21 schools respectively in newly released state data.

While declines for the first time since the 2011-12 school year occurred across most grade levels, the largest drops were in preschool and kindergarten enrollment

“Earning college credit while in high school benefits students in so many ways,” said a statement from Ann Lebo, director of the state Education Department. “While we had a record number of jointly enrolled students during the 2019-20 academic year, we still have work to do.”

Deadline to enroll in the Cedar Rapids Virtual Academy for K-12 students is extended to Aug. 16 at noon.

Speakers pleaded with the Iowa State Board of Education Thursday to ask the governor to rescind the law banning school districts from requiring masks.