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Vulnerable children, underperforming schools: The need for cross-agency collaboration The Huffington Post Share    
As Congress debates reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we need to consider how our educational policy priorities will or will not benefit our most vulnerable students. If policymakers are interested in the underperformance of schools, they need to be interested in vulnerable children such as — but not limited to — those in foster care. More STEM education proliferating in Maine Bangor Daily News Share
The shortage of experts in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is very real in Maine as it is across the United States, a fact which has led to calls for action everywhere from the White House to the Maine governor's mansion. This has led to the proliferation of so-called STEM programs in Maine and across the country. More States hit turbulence in school overhauls The Wall Street Journal Share
The Obama administration is stepping up pressure on states to make good on their commitments under its Race to the Top competition, after all 12 winners either scaled down plans or pushed back timelines to overhaul their public education systems. The U.S. Department of Education warned that Hawaii, which won $75 million in Race to the Top funding, is so far off track that the state could lose its money if it doesn't start making good on its pledges. It was the first state to receive such a stern warning, though federal officials have threatened in the past year to withhold smaller amounts from Rhode Island and Delaware. More Poverty the problem, not our teachers The Daily Journal Share
Acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf recently reiterated his desire to be able to act more quickly to close or restructure failing schools. We could be on board with that — if we had any confidence that our state government can, with any credibility, identify truly failing schools. But we don't. It's unlikely state officials are even trying very hard to make those determinations in a fair, meaningful fashion. Instead, they appear focused on validating their own claims about the excesses of teacher unions and their impact on public education. More Google gives to local schools in 2011 Mountain View Voice Share
Christmas came early and frequently in 2011 for schools, as Mountain View, Calif.-based Google played Santa Claus — donating money, computers and the time of its employees to both the Mountain View Whisman and Mountain View-Los Altos school districts. "It's important for us to invest in science, technology and math education in our community, in order to inspire the next generation of technologists right here in Mountain View," wrote Jordan Newman, a Google spokesman. "That's why we support our local schools through donations and community service projects." More Flexibility in No Child Left Behind standards a welcome opportunity The Delaware News Journal Share
Almost 10 years ago, the federal No Child Left Behind Act began requiring states to report disaggregated student test scores. Aggregated results had masked serious deficiencies among many of our country's most vulnerable students. The law's great legacy is bringing accountability for states, districts, schools and teachers to the forefront, but it also has its flaws. Recognizing this, in September, President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan offered states the chance to apply for flexibility from certain requirements of the law in exchange for aggressive state-led reform. More District makes parent involvement a priority The Montgomery Advertiser Share
In their efforts to enrich each student's learning experience, Washoe County, Nev., school officials have made parent engagement a priority, and in January the Board of Trustees could hear potential revisions to its parent involvement policy. The board and district leadership will develop new guidelines with an eye on improving and encouraging more parental engagement. However, the district could potentially lose its Title I funding if it does not periodically update its Parent Involvement Policy, according to the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001, the law that currently outlines guidelines and funding for education in the U.S. More New York City schools missing out on aid for special needs The New York Times Share
New York City has failed to recover tens of millions of dollars in Medicaid reimbursements for services it provided to special needs students in recent years, as the Education Department has struggled to adapt to new rules imposed after a devastating federal audit forced the city to return money it received for claims it could not properly document. State Health Department data from 2006 to 2010 show that education-related claims by the city were 60 percent lower last year than they were five years ago. More 2011 policy progress report: No Child Left Behind U.S. News and World Report Share
The nation's now unpopular key education policy saw more action in Washington in 2011 than it did since it passed in 2001. No Child Left Behind has been overdue for a rewrite since 2007, and education experts agree final reform needs to come from Congress. But this year, the real action came from the executive branch. More |
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