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Chris Burke is looking forward to reconnecting. No, it has nothing to do with the pandemic. The 2019 Iowa Teacher of the Year is ending his tenure on May 31, and he cannot wait to get back to his classes “When things were shiny and new as the Teacher of the Year, I fully immersed myself into this experience,”…

Hannah Groos, a 16-year-old sophomore at Norwalk Senior High School, has joined the State Board of Education as its student member. The appointment lasts for up to two years. Hannah is the daughter of Christopher and Jennifer Groos. In order to get to know the youngest member of the board, we asked her some quest…

Don Anderson, Math teacher, Belle Plaine Junior/Senior High School “Touch the ceiling, D.A.! Touch the ceiling!” Students in Don Anderson’s math classes at Belle Plaine High School will occasionally break into that resounding chant, and for good reason. Known only as D.A., his impressive, six-foot,…

Hannah Groos (student member), Brian J. Kane, John Robbins, and Georgia Van Gundy, have joined the State Board of Education. The State Board is made up of nine voting members who serve six-year terms and one non-voting student member who serves up to a two-year term. Hannah Groos Hannah Groos of Norwalk was selec…

DES MOINES - The Iowa State Board of Education’s next regular business meeting will take place virtually on Thursday, May 7.  A work session will begin at 8 a.m. followed by the business meeting, which is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Members of the public may join remotely through video conferencin…

DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Education today announced that the state has received over $71.6 million in federal relief for PK-12 schools through a fund to address costs incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The amount is Iowa’s share of the more than $13.2 billion emergency relief provided in the Elemen…

To say that this spring has brought some unexpected challenges is definitely an understatement. Instead of getting to know my colleagues at the Iowa Department of Education in person, I spent my first day on the job at the State Emergency Operations Center. Rather than welcoming students back from spring break, our sch…

A district plunges head first into uncharted waters At some schools, cars lined the street for two blocks waiting to receive their Chromebooks. “We are all dealing with this really foreign territory. It requires patience and it requires grace.” That’s how Jane Lindaman, the superintendent of …

The demand for volunteers during the COVID-19 epidemic is growing exponentially, especially at the state's health-care facilities and food banks and other free food providers that are overwhelmed with requests. Gov. Kim Reynolds is asking for health-care professionals, particularly nurses but even chaplains, to volu…

Isaac Blandin, a student on the robotics team at Central DeWitt High School, has been creating ear savers with the team’s 3D printer.” WAUKEE – When Andrew Hauptmann got a call asking if he could help the state’s frontline medical personnel, he didn’t think twice. Hauptmann, an industrial te…