K-12 Education

The number of students in Cedar Rapids schools charged with a crime fell by nearly 50 percent last school year, the result of work by a group violence intervention program that aims to prevent crime.

For some families, The Arc is the only skilled care option, allowing parents to keep working

Scholars — students — at Freedom Schools say the summer program is a safe place where the love of reading is nurtured, confidence is gained, friends are made and teachers demonstrate how to regulate emotions. The program operated by Tanager Place also shows an average increase in reading scores among scholars in the program one year and five months.

How career and technical education for students across the state is implemented could see drastic changes in the coming years after the Iowa State Board of Education voted to shift millions in funding for these programs away from community colleges and to K-12 school districts.

Also in this week’s Government Notes, Cedar Rapids is supporting a new initiative to address homelessness.

College Community School District is launching a program with the upcoming school year that educators hope will immerse kids in learning through play. CCSD says it is among the first school districts in Iowa to implement the learning model.

The official filing period for school board elections opens Aug. 25 and runs through Sept. 18. Candidates should file the necessary paperwork with their county auditor’s office.

Executive leadership staff span a 6 to 22 percent increase in proposed salaries as they take on new and expanded roles

The Academy for Scholastic & Personal Success’ summer program provides high school students an education they can’t find in a public school classroom. It teaches students about Black history, literature, math, science and financial literacy. The 2025 summer session concludes Friday with a closing ceremony.

The Iowa City school board unanimously voted to restore “gender identity” to a dozen antibullying and harassment policies Tuesday, a reversal of an earlier decision to remove the words to align with a new Iowa law.

There were more than 300 physical restraints of students in the Cedar Rapids Community School District during the 2024-25 school year — an increase from around 200 the year prior. But the U.S. Department of Justice reports there’s been a “noticeable improvement“ in employees’ understanding of problem solving and de-escalation.

Several executive leadership positions were removed from a revised personnel report approved by the Cedar Rapids school board Monday. It was the second time in a week the board has considered approval of a personnel report after last week’s vote failed.