Los estudiantes de la Universidad de North Texas participan en el programa nacional Inside Out Prison Exchange. En su tercer año en la universidad, el programa brinda a los estudiantes la oportunidad de tomar una clase dentro de un centro correccional junto a personas encarceladas. La profesora asociada de Justicia Penal de la UNT, Haley Zettler, dice que los estudiantes deben ser de tercer o cuarto año y pasar por una entrevista para participar.
"Una de las cosas que me aseguro de que sepan durante el proceso de entrevista es que no vamos a intentar estudiar o psicoanalizar a las personas que están encarceladas y preguntarles sobre su historia de vida. Vamos a entrar allí para que tomen la clase juntos," explicó Zettler.
Ella agrega que para que los estudiantes participen, sus especialidades deben estar relacionadas con el trabajo con personas en prisión, como justicia penal, psicología o ciencias políticas.
El Inside Out Prison Exchange Program se inició en Temple University y ahora se replica en más de 100 universidades e instalaciones correccionales en todo el mundo. Zettler indica que le da a la persona encarcelada la oportunidad de ver un futuro diferente para sí misma.
"En promedio, ponen mucho más esfuerzo que mis estudiantes externos, en sus tareas, lectura y participación. Por eso, varios de ellos han expresado: 'Ahora estoy pensando en lo que puedo hacer afuera en términos de continuar mi educación'," insistió además Zettler.
Para que puedan participar personas privadas de libertad, deben tener un diploma de escuela secundaria o GED. Zettler agrega que el curso también les enseña otras habilidades que serán beneficiosas una vez que sean liberados.
"Es posible que hayan pasado muchos años y las únicas interacciones que han tenido son con funcionarios penitenciarios, por lo que tener lo que ellos llaman personas normales del exterior que vienen una vez a la semana y les hablan a nivel humano les ha ayudado con sus habilidades generales de comunicación, su confianza," argumentó también Zettler.
El apoyo para este reportaje fue aportado por la Fundación Lumina.
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Jude Bruno, president-elect of the Florida Parent Teacher Association, is leading a charge against two controversial education bills which would reshape the state's school system, even as Republican lawmakers tout the measures as expanding parental choice.
The legislative battle comes in what is supposed to be the session's final week, with high stakes for public school funding and governance. His organization opposes House Bill 123, which would permit municipal charter schools to bypass local district oversight, arguing it creates unequal standards for taxpayer-funded institutions.
"We are not against charter schools but we are against mechanisms and rules that would circumvent the governance of our local public schools and our communities," Bruno explained.
The bill's companion, Senate Bill 140, which passed the Senate 30-7 last week, would allow traditional public schools to convert to charter schools with approval from 50% of parents, while explicitly excluding teachers and staff from the voting process. Supporters argued the measures empower families, particularly in underserved communities.
The PTA is raising concerns about proposed budget reductions, which could affect mental health services for students and funding for advanced academic programs. Bruno stressed the growing need for student support services.
"Even coming off the pandemic, we realize how important it is that we address the social and emotional needs of our students," Bruno emphasized. "That can only be effectively done by having licensed practitioners in that field be in our schools."
The PTA's legislative priorities come amid a broader debate over education funding that has pitted parent groups against lawmakers supporting school choice initiatives.
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Tennessee educators are expressing concern over President Donald Trump's push to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and return control to the states.
The Tennessee Department of Education serves more than 1 million students in 147 districts.
Tanya Coats, president of the Tennessee Education Association, said states already oversee most aspects of public education. She argued the plan risks key student services and could lead to defunding and privatizing public schools, resulting in larger class sizes, less individual attention and fewer resources for students with disabilities.
"Since there's only less than 30 days for most schools in the state of Tennessee to be in service, that it would cut our after-school programs come the next year," Coats pointed out. "And particularly our summer programs that augment this in school learning and skill building."
She noted educators would lose access to programs helping low-income students and those with disabilities go to college.
Gov. Bill Lee supports keeping education control in Tennessee's hands. In his State of the State address, he announced an additional $580 million for public education, including more funding for the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement formula and another teacher pay raise.
Coats argued if the Department of Education is dismantled, vulnerable students could lose essential academic resources, civil rights protections and life skills, putting their futures at risk. Federal programs like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have transformed lives, ensuring crucial support for students with disabilities.
"When we think about if it's transferred to another department, it will likely cause chaos," Coats emphasized. "Chaos for those students with special needs and their families. But students and their families who currently have these Individualized Education Program and students with special needs will adversely be the most impacted by this change."
According to National Education Association, more than $308 million is allocated for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funding in Tennessee.
Coats urged legislators, the governor and local communities to recognize the risks of unequal access to vital educational services. She stressed it is crucial every child, regardless of their ZIP Code, receives the support they need.
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Mississippi's decade-long focus on early literacy has transformed the state.
According to the Mississippi Department of Education, the state's fourth graders are making the nation's largest gains on reading assessments. They once ranked last on the tests. Media reports have dubbed the transformation the "Mississippi miracle."
Harry Patrinos, professor of education policy at the University of Arkansas, said the turnaround is anything but luck.
"Mississippi was 49th in the state in fourth grade reading. In just a decade, they went to 21st place in reading, and these gains continued to impress," Patrinos explained. "The country was hit with the school closures during COVID-19 but since then, Mississippi has not lost anything in terms of learning outcomes, which is rare in the country and the world."
The state's progress stems from its 2013 Literacy-Based Promotion Act, which emphasized speech-based instruction, early intervention and retention for students not meeting reading benchmarks.
Michelle Nowell, executive director of elementary education and reading for the Mississippi Department of Education, said the so-called "miracle" comes from sustained reforms focused on teacher training.
"We have renamed it the Mississippi Marathon," Nowell noted. "When I say we, I mean the department, the literacy coaches, because it really was a marathon, not a miracle because so much hard work went into it."
Nowell believes it is the human element behind the policy success, describing how literacy coaches from the state's education department built trust in schools across the state.
"In the past, anytime you mentioned MDE and MDE visiting a school district, it wasn't always a good thing," Nowell acknowledged. "It was either for an audit, and we wanted to change that perception. It's not a gotcha, we're here to help you. So we had to really build those relationships."
According to Patrinos, the reforms had an extra cost of $32 per student annually. The Trump administration recently announced $132 million in cuts to Mississippi's education funding, threatening the long-term success of its literacy programs.
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