In a week that included Donald Trump’s surprise win for the presidency, national education issues dominated headlines. Trump had very little to say about education during his campaign, leaving educators to surmise what the next four years may bring.

LOCAL

Newark Public Schools 30th Annual Title 1 Parents Conference
Newark Public Schools is scheduled to host its 30th annual Title 1 Conference from Wednesday, November 30th to Friday, November 2nd. The citywide conference will cover a range of topics including: Pre-k to Eighth Grade Education; Special Education; Bilingual Education, and College and Career Readiness. The registration deadline is Monday, November 28th.

Devils Owner Bets $750K on Kids' Futures 
The Harris Family Charitable Foundation, an organization run by Josh Harris, managing owner of the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers, has made a three-year, $750,000 grant to After-School All-Stars(ASAS). The nonprofit, which provides enrichment classes like karate, hip hop, sports, music, and art, will use the money to bring its programming to 13th Avenue School in Newark this year, followed by schools in Camden and Philadelphia in 2017.

REGIONAL

Christie, Trump, and Public Education in New Jersey
With education largely getting short shrift from both campaigns, public schools in New Jersey and elsewhere have been left scratching their heads about what comes next with the election of Donald Trump as president.

 Muoio, Turner Look to Require Schools to Test Water Following Trenton Lead Results
Assemblywoman Liz Muoio and State Senator Shirley Turner (both D-Mercer/Hunterdon) are proposing identical bills that would mandate testing water for lead every five years in schools, public posting of results, and remediation of the lead in drinking water if high levels are found. Children under 6 from Trenton and 12 other municipal agencies in the state had higher blood lead levels than children in Flint, Michigan, the epicenter of toxic water, according to test results from 2014 and 2015.

ADVISORY: Publication of Three Notices of Proposed Amendments to N.J.A.C.
At its November public meeting, the State Board of Education approved three proposals for publication in the November 7, 2016, New Jersey Register. The three notices of proposal can be viewed on the Department's website; members of the public may send written comments concerning the proposals by January 6, 2017, via the website or via the mailing or email addresses contained in the notices of proposal.

NATIONAL

Trump Brings Uncertainty to Big Education Issues
Trump’s victory in the presidential race leaves widespread uncertainty about what’s in store for public schools, and he has no track record to speak of or draw on for insights into what he may propose. Trump did propose a $20 billion federal plan to dramatically expand school choice for low-income students, but has otherwise mostly dealt in sound bites with controversial issues like the Common Core State Standards, the fate of the U.S. Department of Education, and gun-free school zones.

Trump Might Want to Scrap the Education Department; How Doable Is That?
With Republican Donald Trump headed to the White House and a GOP-controlled House and Senate, Republicans have their best chance yet to scrap—or at least seriously scale back—the agency. But even in the current Republican-dominated political landscape, abolishing the department would cost Trump and his allies political capital that they might rather spend elsewhere.

Is Trump's Victory the Jump-Start Civics Education Needed?
Public schools are failing at what the nation’s founders saw as education’s most basic purpose: preparing young people to be reflective citizens who would value liberty and democracy and resist the appeals of demagogues. Just as Soviet technological advances triggered investment in science education in the 1950s, the 2016 election should spur renewed emphasis on the need for schools to instill in children an appreciation for civic values and not just a skill set for private employment.

The Fate of the Undocumented Teachers for America
Teach for America’s plan outlines responses to Trump’s vow to immediately end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the Obama administration program that allows young adults who came to this country illegally as children to temporarily live and work without fear of deportation. Efforts could include helping Teach for America teachers relocate to be closer to their families and working with school districts to navigate tricky immigration waters.

‘Will I be deported?’ Inside America’s classrooms in the wake of Trump’s Win
Across the country, educators of all political persuasions tried to offer space for students to process the surprising Election Day results, in which Clinton won the national popular vote but Trump won the White House. And in the wake of a campaign in which Trump talked about ramping up deportations, building walls, and banning Muslims from entering the country, teachers at schools that serve immigrants and their families faced intensely personal questions. Will I be forced to leave? Will my parents?

Can A President Trump Get Rid Of Common Core?  
The Common Core standards were developed by governors and state school superintendents and adopted at the state level. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) contains new rules that will make it even harder for the next administration to influence states' learning standards. But with Republicans riding a populist wave to the White House and continued control of Congress, state lawmakers may feel emboldened to challenge the Core standards where they're truly vulnerable — at the state level.