Afternoon Announcements: June 14, 2012

Hello and welcome to your Thursday announcements! No muss, no fuss, and no introduction. Away we go!

The big news in education today is that Gene Wilhoit, the executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), will be retiring. Gene has been a tireless advocate for better education in America. Read Alliance President Bob Wise’s thoughts and thanks for Gene here.

This article from the Hechinger Report discusses how “flipped” classrooms, classrooms where students learn lessons at home through teacher-produced videos or materials, and then do their “homework” in class with student and teacher supports, have been difficult to realize in some financially strapped school districts.

Lastly, remember the 97-year-old high school graduate? Well she’s got octogenarian company. The Huffington Post  reports on Joseph Pinsky, an 85-year-old World War II veteran, who just received his associate’s degree from Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. The article notes, “Joseph Pinsky always wanted to write on job applications that he was a college graduate. And now, nearly seventy years after returning from serving in the Philippines during World War II, he can finally do just that.”

That’s it for today! Please do be sure to read Bob Wise’s thoughts on Gene Wilhoit, whose contributions to the American education system cannot be understated.