Morning Announcements April 17, 2012

It's Tax Day! If you were one of the millions of Americans who dilligently filed their taxes early or online, kick back and relax. If not, hurry up and get your returns filed before the post offices close! Here are your latest headlines in education news.

The Alliance for Excellent Education continues its discussion on the limits of teacher privacy and personal life. The Huffington Post  poses the question of whether students and teachers should be allowed to interact via text messaging. This year has already seen a slew of controversial incidents involving teachers texting students. Earlier this month, Pennsylvania teacher Timothy Moll was accused of texting one of his students and offering good grades for naked pictures.

States budget battles and education spending are the hotbed issue around the country. The Associated Press reports that Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and states legislators appear headed toward a stalemate over spending on public schools that could block any significant increase in aid or change in how dollars are distributed.

The Alliance mentioned before that Chicago Public School teachers appear ready to strike. Now the Chicago Tribune updates that Chicago Public Schools officials and the city's teachers union have again failed to reach an agreement after several months of contract talks, setting in motion the first of several steps that must be taken before a strike can be called.

In New York City, Public school students throughout will be sitting down on today for a series of federally mandated tests that will be influential in everything from students' promotions to teachers' tenure. According to the New York Times, a small but determined group of parents who have had their children opt out from taking the tests have been applauded by commenters as "brave" and "pioneers."