Morning Announcements: November 22, 2011

The Huffington Post reports on a story of a Dallas elementary school that was given "exemplary" status for academic achievement only taught its third graders reading and math last year, and fabricated scores for every student in other subjects like social studies and science.

As the poorest U.S. city, Reading, PA also struggles with high dropout rates in its schools. Watch the latest edition to PBS NewsHour’s "American Graduate" series.

The Huffington Post reports on a new report from Stanford University that shows a dramatic illustration of the impact of income inequality on how children do in school, the achievement gap between children from high- and low-income families is far higher than the achievement gap between black and white students.

A video contest for Texas panhandle students aims to keep teens in school, reports the Associated Press.

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Afternoon Announcements: November 21, 2011

Starting in 2014, the General Education Development (GED) test will make changes with the goal of encouraging adults to continue studying for an associate's or bachelor's degree, reports U.S. News & World Report, which states that the test's five subject areas—writing, social studies, science, reading, and math—will be revised to more closely reflect the set of English and math common core state standards and topics that students are expected to learn. According to the article, New York Times columnist and author Thomas Friedman is quoted in the article saying, "If you do not have a high school degree that allows you to get through college without significant remediation, there is literally nothing for you." The article also cites this finding from an Alliance report: If half of the Class of 2010's 1.3 million high school dropouts had graduated, America would have gained nearly $7.3 billion in annual potential earnings.

While more students from all backgrounds are finishing college, the difference in graduation rates between the top and bottom income groups has widened by nearly 50 percent over two decades, reports CNN.

The Washington Post writes that failure of the congressional supercommittee tasked with reducing the federal deficit by at least $1.2 trillion could lead to across-the-board budget cuts, which would have a serious impact on already-distressed public education funding.

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Afternoon Announcements--November 18, 2011

Here are today's afternoon announcements courtesy of Bill DeBaun, the Alliance's policy intern.

Good afternoon and happy Friday! It's a pretty quiet day in the world of education news, which means you can consume these tasty tidbits and then get on with your weekend!

The Indianapolis Star reports that some district officials are nervous about the Indiana State Board of Education taking over more public schools who fail to improve under the state's accountability system. Earlier this year, the state took over five public schools, but new rules proposed by the board would expand the number of schools subject to takeover to over 100. Under the current accountability system, schools whose state test scores earn them an F grade for six consecutive years are subject to state takeover or other reforms. "When I know the rules, I can play the game," Superintendent Jeff Butts of Wayne Township said. "I'm not as good when someone changes the rules in the middle of the game."

A recent poll by the University of Southern California-Dornsife and the Los Angeles Times reveals that 52% of respondents had a favorable impression of charter schools. Only 12% of respondents had an unfavorable view. 48% of respondents said that they thought charter schools provide a better education than traditional public schools. Meanwhile, only 24% said traditional public schools provide a better education. While these results might seem like a coup for charter school advocates, the results also revealed that respondents favored increasing funding for traditional schools over charter schools by a 64-21% margin. Respondents were also disinclined to hand control over low-performing schools to outside operators.

 

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Afternoon Announcements: November 17, 2011

Today's announcements are brought to you by Alliance Policy Intern Bill DeBaun:

Wednesday afternoon is here, and so are your afternoon announcements! As the days shorten and the weather gets colder, isn’t it encouraging to know that you can warm up with a little education news?

Education Daily discusses a study from Civic Enterprises that praises early-warning systems. The article notes that Dr. Robert Balfanz of Johns Hopkins University’s Everyone Graduates Center said at a recent Alliance for Excellent Education event, “In essence, these systems come down to a seemingly simple action: making a list of the students who are predicted to need support, and acting on the list.” In 2010, the Alliance had a part in establishing the Grad Nation campaign to address America’s dropout crisis. The Civic Enterprises report notes that the Grad Nation Civic Marshall Plan was an early adopter of early-warning systems.

Bill Tucker of Education Sector’s "The Quick and the Ed" blog brings us this handy post about recent digital learning reports. After checking out some of these reports, be sure to stop by the Digital Learning Day website to find out even more about this cutting-edge and very important topic!

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Stats That Stick: November 16, 2011

Here are this week's Stats That Stick courtesy of our policy intern, Bill DeBaun:

Number of finalists receiving 2011 Investing in Innovation (i3) grants from the U.S. Department of Education: 23
587 applicants were competing for almost $150 million in funding. This is the second year of the i3 grant competition, which funds innovative and promising education strategies that have a good record of success. Last year, 49 grants worth approximately $650 million were awarded. The largest grant awarded this year is likely to go to Old Dominion University Research Foundation, which asked for almost $25 million for a grant “providing high-need middle schools with increased access to challenging math courses.”

Number of states (including DC) that have signed on to the Common Core State Standards Initiative: 47
Montana became the 47th state (including the District of Columbia) to support the English/language arts and math common core state standards on November 4. That number almost dropped back to 46 less than a week later, but Alabama’s State Board of Education passed a resolution by a 6–3 vote reaffirming its commitment to the standards.

Price poor families will pay for broadband internet service under an initiative from the FCC: $9.95 per month
One-third, or approximately 35 million, of American households do not have access to broadband internet. Starting next summer under the Connect-to-Compete initiative, homes with children eligible for free school lunches will also be eligible to receive broadband internet at a discounted rate for two years. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “cobbled together” the deal, which includes all of the nation’s major cable companies. "The broadband adoption gap in the U.S. is very large, and the costs of digital exclusion are high and getting higher," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said.

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Afternoon Announcements: November 16, 2011

Politico writes that eleven states have submitted waiver requests to get out from under provisions of No Child Left Behind, less than two months after the President Obama announced he would excuse states from some requirements of the Bush-era education reform law.

An increase in Hispanic students across the nation is forcing schools to deal with a serious shortage of teachers who share their cultural heritage, reports the Washington Post, citing that more than 21 percent of schoolchildren are Hispanic, compared with 7 percent of teachers.

The Huffington Post reports that, “given sophisticated new digital tools, increased investment in app development, and the near-ubiquity of mobile devices, educational software developers are creating more engaging and empowering content today than ever before.”

From the offices of the U.S. Department of Education come appeals for union-district collaboration and from local school districts come examples of labor and management working through divisive issues, in areas such as performance pay and teacher evaluation, writes Education Week.

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How Teachers Can Take Advantage of Technology to Improve Instruction

The following is a guest blog submitted by Jill Griebe, the District Literacy Coach for Eminence Independent Schools in Eminence, Kentucky, and a member of the Digital Learning Day Educator Working Group, which provides leadership on the Digital Learning Day toolkits and outreach development for teachers and administrators across the country.

To learn more about Digital Learning Day, which is February 1, 2012, visit the Digital Learning Day website.

In Eminence, Kentucky, on November 8, teachers arrived expecting a full day of professional development for Eminence Independent Schools. The agenda was full, including a working lunch. No one appeared to be happy to be there. However, as they entered the library, it was decorated with apples--on the tables, hanging from the ceiling, and lining the walls. The theme was about giving an apple to a teacher.

The Eminence Independent Schools' superintendent, Buddy Berry, pleasantly surprised the teachers with a video collage of students expressing their love and appreciation for their teachers while holding an apple. He went on to describe how much they are appreciated by not only their students, but also by their administration. A "sweet surprise" was handed out in the form of a wrapped gift. The teachers were expecting to receive an apple pie, but what they found was an "Apple" of the best kind....a MacBook Pro laptop. There were smiles and shouting all around, even a standing ovation. To top it all off, Buddy burned the PD agenda, literally. Instead, the day was dedicated to learning how to use their new Apples.

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Afternoon Announcements: November 15, 2011

Alliance Policy Intern Bill DeBaun helps out today by supplying us with some education news. Thanks, Bill!

Good afternoon and happy Tuesday! Here are your afternoon announcements.

The Huffington Post details a proposed California Student Bill of Rights that education advocates are trying to get onto the ballot for next November. The bill would expand online education and offer students in rural and urban communities more educational opportunities. California was ranked last in states open to online learning by Digital Learning Now!, a project of the Foundation for Excellence in Education and the Alliance for Excellent Education.

The Associated Press describes a new plan in the Lafayette County School District that allows students to take one of three different paths to get a diploma. The traditional pathway, which is designed to help students transition to a four-year college or university, remains as an option. It is joined by two other paths set up for those wanting to attend community college after graduation or to go directly into the workforce or military. Lafayette High School Principal Patrick Robinson notes, “We want to make sure we are offering options for students.”

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