Education Policy Update: Cell Phone Bans, Teacher Evaluations, and Department of Education Dismantling

It's time for your mid-year Teacher Reality Check. Back in the summer and fall, I broke down three major education policy trends: cell phone bans, teacher evaluations, and the executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. Since then? A lot has happened. Cell phone bans jumped from 26 to 35 states. States like Illinois and Virginia are pulling back from tying teacher evaluations to test scores. And the Department of Education has lost half its staff, with programs being transferred to other federal agencies while congress fights to protect funding. In this episode, I revisit clips from those original episodes and give you the real-time update on what's changed, what hasn't, and what it all means for your classroom. No spin, no panic, just the information you need from someone who's living it right alongside you.