Afternoon announcements: Hundreds of Districts want to Race to the Top

Alliance president and former governor of West Virginia, Bob Wise, visited Mountainview Elementary School in West Virginia early this week to honor them for inspiring what has become an international movement – Digital Learning Day. "I'm eager to share with Mountainview students and educators how their original thinking sparked an effort that reached around the globe. It's important that students understand in this digital world there are no limits to how far a good idea can go," Wise said. Charleston Gazette

It’s well-known that the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will raise the academic bar in all 46 states and the District of Columbia that have adopted them. But how exactly? In literacy, students will be expected to read at higher levels and read more informational texts and less fiction. The Alliance’s Bob Rothman said the standards aren’t meant to be rigid and that teachers will still choose the literature they teach. Kansas City Star

This election cycle, students were encouraged to get involved and voice their opinions through the #myparty12project. The project spanned “several weeks” and involved more than 15 schools across the nation. Students engaged in a debate on Google Hangout, during which the Alliance president, Bob Wise, asked questions on education. Huffington Post

The University of Minnesota recently released a report that reveals percentages of students who repeat grades, broken down by state. “Between three and four percent of public school first grade students were held back after the 2008-2009 academic year – an average of about one per classroom in the U.S.” The report is published in Educational Researcher. University of Minnesota News

Another university report – this time from Michigan State University – details the role principals play in why teachers quit. The report finds something you may have guessed – that principals who serve as strong, supportive leaders in their schools see higher retention rates among their teachers. Michigan State University News

The Race to the Top-District Competition (RTT-D) received 371 applications, despite the delays and problems caused by Superstorm Sandy. The Department expects there to be between 15-25 winners and will award the money by the end of the calendar year. Politics K-12