Morning Announcements: September 2, 2010

Today the U.S. Department of Education awarded two state coalitions a total of $330 million in federal aid for the design of new assessment systems aligned to the recently developed common-core standards.

A nonprofit group in Connecticut has developed a five-year plan to change cultural views toward math and science and get students to take personal responsibility for their own learning.

A new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute identifies nine cities, including New Orleans, Washington, D.C. and New York, as having the most reform friendly  ecosystems in the country.

The Houston Chronicle reports that in an attempt to ensure that public school districts aren’t disguising high school dropouts, the Texas Education Agency is conducting an audit of students who withdrew under the auspice of home schooling.