Giving Compass' Take:

• Andrew Brownstein explores the top priorities of fifteen American school districts in 2019 - from chronic absenteeism to sexual violence. 

• What does your school district need to work on in 2019? 

• Learn why poor school districts have trouble turning around.

ffer a quick recap on where the country’s top 15 districts stood at the end of 2018 and some of the most pressing issues, debates, and decisions awaiting America’s top district leaders in January.

Chicago — New Office on Sexual Violence Fields 600 Complaints Since Start of School Year: A new Chicago Public Schools office created to investigate cases of student-on-student sexual violence has fielded more than 600 allegations since September, according to district officials.

Palm Beach County — District Seeks Harvard’s Help to Curb Student Absenteeism Crisis: For the past decade, the rate of Palm Beach students who miss more than 10 days of school a year has hovered just above 20 percent.

Orange County — As Orlando Looks to Expand AP Class Offerings, Parents Push Back: Orange County school leaders have recently pushed to expand Advanced Placement course offerings in the school district’s 20 traditional high schools.

Los Angeles — L.A. Braces for First Teachers’ Strike in 30 Years: Los Angeles teachers have set Jan. 10 as the date of their first strike in 30 years if contract talks between the union and the district don’t break out of their current stalemate.

Clark County — In Two Years, Las Vegas’s ‘Achievement District’ Sees Slow, Steady Growth: More than two years after its initiation, Las Vegas’s Achievement School District — a state initiative that uses charters to fix underperforming schools and neighborhoods — is showing slow but steady growth after initially facing public backlash.

Hawaii — With 1 in 4 School Buildings Now More Than 100 Years Old, Repair Budget Eclipses Funds for School Modernization: The budget for repair work for the Hawaii Department of Education’s 256 aging school buildings is so high that it eclipses that for desired classroom upgrades, including facilities for new STEM labs.

Read the full article about priorities of school districts for 2019 by Andrew Brownstein at The 74.