Morning announcements: Why I hate school but love education

A new viral video incorporates rhythmic spoken word and overlay text to tell a perspective on schools and education. “If education is the key, then school is the lock,” the UK spoken word artist says. It has gotten over 800,000 views. What do you think of it? YouTube

Big news in the DC education community yesterday is that the College Board has recruited Stefanie Stanford, a big-name policy/advocacy specialist. David Coleman, new head of the Board, recruited her. Education Week

Congressional House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Republican-Virginia), sent a letter to his fellow republicans post-election. He expressed disappointment in the results but also encouragement at room for compromise with democrats. Specifically, he pointed out education, saying that it’s necessary for Congress to make it easier for “parents and students to make informed decisions about what type of post-high school education is right for them.” New America Foundation

If the Obama Administration were to make a to-do list for education in the next four years, what would be on it? Here’s a comprehensive list. The Quick & The Ed

In Kentucky, there’s a battle raging among legislators over raising the dropout age, again. They’ve had this argument before, and proponents of raising the age from 16 to 18 have previously been outvoted over funding questions. WFPL – NPR
Read Entire Post

Everyone's getting Straight A's!

The question on everyone’s mind: the election is over… what next? For the Obama Administration, the answer might be “stay the course” when it comes to education. Obama plans to continue his education reform initiatives – Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers. The President has committed to keeping education as a top priority in his second term.

The man at the forefront of Obama’s education initiatives, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, defended NCLB waivers in his first post-election speech . “Contrary to what you may have read, these waivers will push states to dramatically accelerate achievement and attainment for disadvantaged students and students of color.” He also importantly noted that education is not “just an expense on a budget linet hat can be sacrificed” – it’s an “investment for all our children.”

In 2012, a record 33 percent of the nation’s twenty-five- to twenty-nine-year-olds completed at least a bachelor’s degree, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of newly available data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Overall, 31 percent of the U.S. population over age twenty-five holds a bachelor’s degree or more , according to the report, Record Shares of Young Adults Have Finished Both High School and College.

At the end of each school year, students with perfect attendance often receive recognition, and maybe even an award. There’s a strong emphasis placed on ensuring students’ presence in the classroom. But what about teachers? A new report from the Center for American Progress analyzes data on teacher absences that shows a disconcerting trend: schools that serve high percentages of African American and Latino students are more likely to have higher teacher absences. Findings show that teacher absences slow student learning.

See other articles and read the full Straight A’s newsletter here - http://www.all4ed.org/publication_material/straight_as/11122012 . If you’d like to join our e-newsletter mailing list and receive Straight A’s in your inbox, email jamos@all4ed.org.

Read Entire Post

Morning announcements: November 9, 2012

On-time graduation rates for DC high schoolers has risen to 61 percent this year, up from 59 last year. This comes a year after new, more rigorous standards for reporting graduation rates were implemented. Washington Post

US Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan spoke to Education Trust’s national conference last night, making it his first postelection speech. He focused on No Child Left Behind waivers. Will we see this as a major focus of his next four years? Politics K-12

The fiscal situation for Philadelphia schools couldn’t be more dire. The Philadelphia School Reform Commission approved a move to borrow $300 million to keep schools running – that is, to pay teachers, buy books for the school year and keep buildings up and running. Philly.com

Is there a generational divide between teachers? New research from the Boston-based policy organization Teach Plus shows that there may be. Younger teachers – those with fewer than 10 years of experience, are more likely to support student performance-based pay and other reform initiatives that veteran teachers may not. Ed Week

The Khan Academy in Silicon Valley has 10 million students, and teachers them all through online videos. The man behind the Academy – Salmon Khan, believes he can offer a worldclass education to anyone, anywhere. Forbes

Read Entire Post

Afteernoon announcements: November 8, 2012

It’s not every day a university mathematics professor uses his sabbatical to teach math in a public high school. But one professor did just that – not for research but for his own personal gain, and now our gain. He wanted to learn what it’s like in the classroom, the challenges teachers face and because, simply put, he’s concerned about the direction of mathematics education at the high school level. This is a captivating, albeit long, read. American Mathematical Society

With the Obama administration headed for four more years, Arne Duncan will have more time to confront a slew of education issues, including waivers, Race to the Top, NCLB reauthorization, fiscal issues and common core. How will he handle it? Politics K-12

What happened in individual state ballot measures? Here’s a roundup of how all your major education-related issues panned out across the states. Washington Post

Texas is balking the federal government’s authority to mandate accountability systems for public schools. Ninety Texas school districts are asking state education officials to disregard the call for Adequate Yearly Progress ratings. Washington Post

Education turned out to be a key issue in this year’s presidential election. Some results find that voters were torn over the issue. Wall Street Journal

Proposition 30, a California ballot measure to raise income taxes on the state’s wealthiest and temporarily increase the state sales tax to fund K-12 schools, community colleges and state universities, passed. It’s expected to raise more than $6 billion in revenue. Huffington Post

Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: November 7, 2012

Last night saw some major victories… and some major upsets. In education-related elections, one of these big upsets came in Indiana – where the electorate voted in Glenda Ritz to take the place of controversial state Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Bennett. Washington Post

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr – a popular leader, found himself staring at goat guts recently. The Maryland-based superintendent shadowed a student to his lab class for a true ‘hands on’ experience. Washington Post

President Obama has won re-election, and the majorities in house and senate have stayed the same. What does that mean for education? Will Congress stay divided and continue to gridlock on education issues? Politics K-12

For the first time, children brought to the states illegally will receive tuition breaks at Maryland’s public colleges and universities. These “Dreamers” celebrated last night. “This means so much to me, my parents and my family – who are the other dreams,” one student said. Baltimore Sun

Georgia voters said “yes” to approve Amendment One – which will amend the state constitution to allow the state to approve charter schools and establish a commission to consider applications for them. Atlanta Journal Constitution

Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: November 6, 2012

Today’s #ednews focuses on Election Day, what else?

Of course everyone will pay attention to the presidential race tonight, but for what should education enthusiasts be watching? Tonight’s election could have a large impact on education – federally and in individual states. This is a nice resource for education issues to keep an eye on tonight. Huffington Post

So there’s a lot at stake for education in tonight’s election. What’s most important? There are two ballot measures, in particular, of note: one in Washington State on the future of charter schools, and one in Missouri, where hiking the tax on tobacco could raise revenue for K-12 and higher education. The Atlantic

In Georgia, voters today will be deciding on the fate of not only the next four years but of the state’s charter schools. Residents will vote on a ballot measure that would allow an amendment to the State Constitution to appoint statewide commissioners who would gain the authority to authorize new schools. New York Times

The candidates are finally done with their sweeping tours and long campaign season. But what happens to the myriad supplies leftover from their campaigns? A New Jersey teacher has launched a change.org petition calling on the candidates to donate the supplies… to public schools! Huffington Post

Who would be president if high schoolers could vote? According to a nationwide ‘mock election’ of 54,000 students across 130 high schools, Obama would win with 52.2 percent. Romney received 41.2 percent of the vote. Huffington Post

We know what would happen if high schoolers could vote for president, but what would happen if first-graders were the president? There are five finalists in the national “If we were president” contest – in which first graders created a video answering what they would do if they were president. “I would make sure kids get a good education,” one student said. Miami Herald
Read Entire Post

Everyone's getting Straight A's!

The newest edition of the Alliance's bi-weekly e-newsletter, Straight A's, is live online. Read the full publication here, or continue reading for the highlights.

Are you sporting an “I voted” sticker yet? If not, you still have time! Most polls close between 6-8:00pm. Check your individual polling location for times. And before you go vote, here’s an overview of what the presidential candidates – Barack Obama and Mitt Romney – have said on education.

Americans are torn when it comes to many spending cuts – military, healthcare, etc. – but not when it comes to education. Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that three out of four Americans oppose reducing federal education funding to reduce the debt and deficit.

How can we help English Language Learners (ELLs) achieve college- and career- ready success? That’s the topic of a new Alliance report, “Rethinking Policy and Practice in Support of English Language Learners.” The report identifies ways that we can align teaching ELLs to common core state standards (CCSS) success.

A new study of Texas high school graduates reveals that students who participate in dual enrollment – taking courses in high school that count towards high school graduation and college credit – graduate from institutes of higher education at a higher rate than their peers who do not. The researchers found their results consistent across race and income.

Read our full e-newsletter at http://www.all4ed.org/publication_material/straight_as/10312012 and email jamos@all4ed.org to receive the newsletter in your inbox!

Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: November 5, 2012

New York City schools are open, and the picture on the front of this story – of a music teacher hugging individual students as they come back to school, says it all. New York Times

It’s education in the election news all day long today. Obama and Romney lay out their views on education one final time in this video. Did they answer all your platform questions? Washington Post

Election is a hot topic issue in statewide ballots, not just in the federal election. Here is a breakdown of state-by-state ballot measures and initiatives to help you decide how you’ll vote. National Conference of State Legislatures

George Lucas, Star Wars director, will donate $4 billion to an education foundation. The funds come from the sale of Lucasfilm Ltd. to Disney. Huffington Post

Jeb Bush defends Indiana’s new grading system. He argues in a new opinion column that “by adopting an A-F school grading system last year, Indiana took an important step in providing families with clear and concise information regarding student performance at their schools.” He says the state deserves credit. Indy Star

There are other ways to assess student growth and mastery of skills and concepts than traditional tests, Monty Neill, executive director of the non-profit National Center for Fair & Open Testing, known as FairTest, writes. He references one alternative by the New York Performance Standards Consortium that uses performance-based assessments. Washington Post
Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: November 2, 2012

DC public schools will soon receive $7 million to upgrade their infrastructure and internet connections. The District’s lowest-performing schools will receive the bulk of the funds. In addition, DC’s charter schools will also receive $7 million. Washington Post

The Obama campaign recently released a pamphlet outlining its education goals for a second-term in office. One of his goals is to have the highest percentage of college graduates in the world by 2020. Washington Post

Thousands of students are getting extra time to study for their SATs because of Superstorm Sandy. The College Board announced on Thursday that the tests have been postponed. New York Times

A new study out of North Carolina finds that year round schooling may not be an effective way to increase learning. American Economic Journal

Want to know exactly how Romney and Obama differ on education issues? See this convenient side-by-side comparison. Ed Week

Florida had plans to work with a software development company to develop a website intended to provide practice lessons and tests for students to help prepare them for new rigorous standards. That is no longer. They have terminated the contract. Huffington Post

Read Entire Post

Morning announcements: October 25, 2012

DC school enrollment has long been on the decline, but that trend is finally changing. This fall, the number of students enrolled in public and public charter schools rose more than five percent. The majority of the gain is in charter schools. Washington Post

Several states are looking to provide public school students with computers to increase learning. Both Idaho and Hawaii are currently trying to secure funding. Ventura County Star & Idaho Statesman

With the election quickly approaching, there’s not much more time to convince undecided voters of why to vote and for whom to vote. The federal government has an increasing amount of influence in education policy. Here’s where the candidates stand on education and why the topic matters in this election. Huffington Post

If Obama wins a second term, what will his administration look like on education policy in the next four years? Yesterday, his campaign announced next steps for education, including cutting college tuition, strengthening public schools, expanding No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers and more. Politics K-12

Do you often ask Siri for directions or to schedule meetings and social commitments for you? Have you integrated the iPhone’s feature into your daily life? Siri’s benefits may extend beyond personal use… into the classroom! One teacher shares the benefits of utilizing Siri in the classroom. Power Learning Practice Network

One way to increase students’ writing skills would be to encourage one-on-one teacher-student editing sessions. It would be time consuming, but the rewards may be worth it. Washington Post
Read Entire Post