Headlines

Students in the class of 2027 have the opportunity to receive college access support beginning in seventh grade. GEAR UP Iowa, a federal grant administered by Iowa College Aid, is looking for partner school districts to increase college and career access and readiness, with particular emphasis on underserved and low-in…

More than 167 school districts and nonpublic schools will benefit DES MOINES - Gov. Kim Reynolds today announced $883,097 in annual awards that will prepare K-12 teachers in more than 167 school districts and nonpublic schools to teach computer science. “Computer science is an essential skill set for student su…

The Iowa Department of Education is seeking licensed Iowa educators to develop online courses for inclusion in Iowa e-Learning Central (ILC). ILC is being developed as a new resource to provide access to courses and tools to support educators as they navigate virtual learning environments and incorporate online instruc…

About one-third of districts saw increases DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Education today released new 2020 fall enrollment statistics for Iowa’s 327 school districts showing a decrease of nearly 5,935 students from last year. Overall this decrease represents a 1.21 percent decline in certified enrollment t…

Partners within the Iowa Farm to School and Early Care Coalition have been awarded a Farm to Early Care and Education Implementation Grant (FIG) from the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN).   One of the grant strategies focuses on improving child nutrition by investing in Iowa agriculture…

Educators are asked to wear many hats these days, including monitoring for bullying and other potentially dangerous acts. Why not engage students in those efforts?   Students? Yes. There’s a program that is designed to put students at the forefront of preventing violence in their schools. Called Mentoring in…

Business, industry and education members to convene Dec. 8 DES MOINES - Gov. Kim Reynolds today announced the members of a new Computer Science Work Group created by a 2020 state law that for the first time requires Iowa’s 327 school districts and 116 accredited nonpublic schools to offer computer science instruct…

The Iowa Department of Education is hosting a Choose Iowa Student Culinary Competition for students enrolled in a culinary arts class or foods-based course. Students are invited to put on their chef hats to cook up creative school meal recipes that incorporate locally grown food items. The concept for the competitio…

Iowa’s Seal of Biliteracy continues to grow in popularity among school districts, with 15 percent more high school students being awarded the seal. During the last school year, 662 students earned the seal, compared to 575 the year before. The vast majority of students earned the seal for being biliterate in Engli…

As we near the end of 2020, and undoubtedly one of the most unconventional school years any of us have experienced, it is important to take note of how far we have come since the pandemic changed the face of our education system nearly nine months ago. What seemed insurmountable in the spring became part of our lear…