More than half of Nevada schools are meeting or exceeding performance standards, according to data released late Sunday by the Nevada Department of Education. Education officials heralded the 2019 Nevada School Performance Framework results as more evidence that the state’s frequently criticized public school system is making gains despite ongoing challenges.

The Clark County School Board of Trustees approved a contract Thursday night with the union representing licensed educators, formalizing a tentative agreement reached last month amid threats of a teacher strike.

Pell Grants (federal subsidies for college students in financial need) already enable thousands of undergraduate students to attend college. The new program at UNLV aims to further facilitate students going to school with fewer financial burdens.  

For the first time this year, the Clark County School District received data from the National Student Clearinghouse showing student pathways after graduation. Here is a look at some of that data — based on the graduating class of 2018 — broken down by school.

The Clark County School District received the data for the first time this year, giving educators a school-by-school look at student pathways beyond graduation and, in some cases, the disparities between campuses and among student groups.

The Task Force on Performance Pay Administration and Support is charged with reviewing and identifying potential funding sources for faculty pay raises. Currently, more than 6,000 faculty within NSHE have no guarantee of a raise.

“We have anxiously been awaiting this report and can now better understand the events that led up to this unprecedented event,” UNR President Marc Johnson said in a statement. “We are very fortunate and grateful that while there were minor injuries, there were no fatalities, and the explosion was not criminal or terror related.”

“I have had the privilege of being a DRI faculty member for more than a decade, and I’m honored to now serve as interim president,” Acharya said in a statement. “Science is more important than ever as Nevada and our planet face growing environmental challenges, and I look forward to what the future holds for DRI.” 

The MGM College Opportunity Program (COP) was established by the NSHE Board of Regents in September of last year. The program allows any MGM employee (both in Nevada and out-of-state) to apply for online-only degree or certificate programs offered by six NSHE institutions, free of charge for all credit hours. 

In the latest installment of Education Week’s Quality Counts 2019 report card, which was released Tuesday night, Nevada earned a score of 69.1 out of 100 for academic achievement. It has also improved from when it was ranked 40th in that metric in 2018. 

The Clark County Commission on Tuesday approved a one-eighth of a cent sales tax increase that could bolster certain education and social service programs, although exactly how the money will be spent has not been determined.

Last September, the Board of Regents unanimously passed the Nevada Foster Care Fee Waiver initiative, becoming the 29th state to provide a higher education pathway for foster care children who have aged out of the system and might be struggling with where to live, let alone how to pay for college.

Legislative leaders have made their appointments to the Commission on School Funding, rounding out the group that will guide the development of Nevada’s new K-12 education funding formula.

Parra’s family is one of many thrown into uncertainty by the Legislature’s changes to Opportunity Scholarships, which were created in 2015 and help low- to middle-income families afford private school. The tax credit-based program has broad support from Republicans, but Democratic leaders who argue Nevada should be laser-focused on funding its cash-strapped public schools took steps to rein in the program.

A former Clark County School District associate superintendent and UNLV visiting scholar has been named the chair of the 11-member Commission on School Funding.

Despite a settlement announced late Wednesday afternoon, the Nevada Republican Party on Thursday morning released a television ad that attacks Gov. Steve Sisolak and Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro.

The Clark County School District and the local teachers’ union announced a tentative contract agreement late Wednesday afternoon that honors pay raises tied to professional development, averting a possible strike that loomed large over the system since the spring.

As tens of thousands of students flooded to college and university campuses across the state Monday for the first day of the new school year, many had yet to reckon with a new reality of college living — one that is defined in part by rapidly inflating costs that have fueled a national crisis of student debt.