Experimental solutions to a teacher shortage in San Antonio could be a blueprint for the nation

Plus: Researchers dig deeper than ever into how much learning students missed during the pandemic [View this email online]( [NPR Education]( May 14, 2023 This week, we looked at the continuing saga of teacher shortages, pandemic-related learning loss and the Florida governor's outsized influence over what (and who) should be taught in schools. Plus, we made significant progress listening to over 3,000 submissions to the Student Podcast Challenge! --------------------------------------------------------------- High school students get experience teaching at a new experimental high school in San Antonio, Texas. Students shown are (from left): Christopher Olivarez, Isabel Tate, Samantha Lopez, Heather Faulkner and Jayanne Garza. Kaylee Greenlee Beal for NPR Happy Sunday! Cory here, hoping your weather’s warm and your coffee (or tea) is hot. Thanks for reading. It’s been a busy week for all of us on the NPR ed team, listening to thousands of student-created podcasts for our annual Student Podcast Challenge. By the time you read this, I will have finished listening to my allotted 300; all week I’ve been laughing, cheering and even doing a little crying. I can’t wait to introduce you to the winners in a few weeks. For today’s newsletter, I want to take you to San Antonio, Texas, where something remarkable is happening at Nora Forester Elementary School, in teacher Patrice Bravo's STEM lab — a wonderland of technicolor gears, tools and laboratory doo-dads. "If the wind is going against your hand, what's your hand going to do?" Bravo asks, blowing dramatically against her open, upright hand. Today's lesson: aerodynamics. The second-graders giggle and chirp their predictions. Bravo asks student Christopher Olivarez to help by being the wind, and together they perform a playful duet between wind and wing, student and teacher. This is the remarkable part. While Christopher is a student, he is taller than the other second-graders, his voice deeper. Because he's actually a ninth-grader — part of a brand new high school, just a couple miles away, for teens who are interested in becoming teachers. At a time when [school districts across the U.S. are struggling]( with teacher shortages, including Bravo's own Northside Independent School District, Christopher represents many things in addition to the wind: a bold experiment, an expensive risk, a glimmer of hope. [You can find that story here.]( [Read More]( In other news, I reported a story Friday about new research, from a top-flight group of researchers, that digs deeper than ever into how much learning students missed during the pandemic. Take a look at [this map of the U.S. with district-by-district learning data](. — [Cory Turner]( Correspondent, NPR Ed --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Now, let’s get into some news … Florida [rejects some social studies textbooks]( and pushes publishers to change others. In one case, references to the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement were removed. The list of rejected materials included books on U.S. history, the Holocaust and psychology. — [Joe Hernandez]( Newsdesk Reporter, NPR From member station WUSF in Florida, a story about a trans teenager [fleeing the state for a better life]( up north, after new policies were enacted that restrict transgender rights. For support, call Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 or The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. — [Stephanie Colombini]( Reporter, WUSF In the United States, there have been more than 200 mass shootings so far in 2023, [according to the Gun Violence Archive.]( This week, a retired [FBI agent gave advice on how to protect yourself]( during a mass shooting. — [Julie Depenbrock]( Assistant Producer, Morning Edition And before you go, some exciting internal news ... Steve Drummond, our fearless leader on the NPR Education desk, can add another title behind his name this week as he published his first book of non-fiction storytelling titled, [The Watchdog: How the Truman Committee Battled Corruption and Helped Win World War Two.]( "I think the biggest legacy of the Truman Committee was Truman's invention of this model for scrutinizing giant public expenditures," [Drummond told host Steve Inskeep on Morning Edition this week.]( "And virtually every time we have a giant expense bill - $1.5 trillion for pandemic relief or whatever - we see calls from people all over the country saying, you know, we need a new Truman Committee to look into this. We should take a look at this." The book is available now, and if you prefer the audio version, you have the added bonus of listening to Drummond telling the story in his own voice. Congratulations, Steve! — [LA Johnson]( Art Director, NPR Ed --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [npred@npr.org](mailto:npred@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Education emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]