Afternoon Announcements: Common Core Standards Transforming Classrooms in Idaho

According to a recent Gallup report, high school teachings often don’t instill 21st-century skills in students, such as collaboration and real-world problem solving. The report found that only 22 percent of students say that teachers prompt them to use what they have learned in real world problems. High School Notes

US Education Secretary Arne Duncan visited Atlanta at the end of last week. He addressed the annual meeting of the nation’s black mayors. He discussed the Obama administrations plans to finding the money needed to fund a national expansion of early learning programs. CBS Atlanta

Do school suspensions deter poor behavior, or simply keep some students from reaching their potential? California has recently become a battleground state for this discussion, and other states are following suit. Some of the offenses that have led to suspensions include trivial issues such as bringing a cell phone to school and public displays of affection. NPR

The Common Core State Standards present an opportunity to transform classrooms for the better. In one Idaho classroom, students use their math education to solve real world problems instead of simply solving rote equations and problems. Idaho State Journal Read Entire Post

Afternoon Announcements: Common Core Standards Create a Level Playing Field

Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent a letter to Department of Education Staff with good news: there will be no furloughs due to sequestration cuts. He fears that furloughs would put delays on getting grants to school districts, states, and universities. Politics K-12

Student loan debt hurts more than the borrowers – it hurts the national economy. Students burdened with debt are spending less and delaying big purchases like homes and cars, slowing down growth, according to economists. New York Times

Claremont Middle School in Oakland, California has seen a significant reduction in suspensions – from 25 percent of students suspended to just 7 percent – in the last year. The success has been attributed to twin brothers who took over as co-principals last year. CBS News

Some Republicans have vocally opposed the Common Core State Standards as an intrusion on states rights. One scholar argues against this claim, saying the Standards create  a level playing field: “It is more important than ever that we create a level playing field to give students from all states equal opportunity to thrive in our technology-driven world in which formulas and equations play a crucial role.” Wall Street Journal Read Entire Post

Afternoon Announcements: Arne Duncan Says Criticism Against Standardized Testing is "Merited"

Coursera, an online education platform, plans to offer massive open online courses (MOOCs) for teachers. The courses would aim to help teaches improve their technique and would have offerings from teaching experts and premier museums and universities. Washington Post

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said that there are serious flaws in standardized testing at a meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). He said that criticism about the tests is “merited.” Huffington Post

Arizona has implemented a national college-readiness program called Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) that teaches students strategies for taking notes, applying for scholarships, and how to study for college-entrance exams. The goal of the program is to narrow the college-readiness gap in the state. AZ Central

High school graduates in North Carolina will soon receive a seal on their diploma denoting whether they are ready for work or college as part of a new criteria the State Board of Education adopted this week. The three paths students can take to earn a seal are career, community college, and four-year university. Charlotte Observer Read Entire Post

Afternoon Announcements: West Virginia Partners with Project 24 to Integrate Digital Learning

West Virginia is partnering with Project 24, an Alliance for Excellent Education initiative, to integrate technology and digital learning into every school across the state. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin announced the partnership on April 17th with Alliance president and former West Virginia Governor Bob Wise. The State Journal

The Senate voted down a bill that would require background checks for gun purchases earlier this week. The bipartisan bill included school safety and mental health provisions that went down with the bill, as well, such as allowing school districts to partner with mental health centers. Politics K-12

Arne Duncan asked the question, if Congress can’t pass gun background checks, will it ever agree on reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act? at Education Wek’s Leaders to Learn from event earlier this week. Duncan called the failure of Congress to pass the gun control legislation “extraordinarily disturbing.” Politics K-12

An elementary school in Denver is taking a unique approach to arts education: students listen to live instruments during what teachers call a “silent lunch.” NPR Read Entire Post

Afternoon Announcements: Arne Duncan Stands by Common Core, Asks Businesses To Do the Same

Arne Duncan urged business leaders to support the Common Core at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event on April 16th. In talking about the business community going silent after standards were lowered with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, he said, “I don’t understand why the business community is so passive when these kinds of things happen.” Education Week

Competitive grant programs have received the lion’s share of the federal government’s K-12 budget under President Obama, in large part because Senate Democrats have continued to finance it. But what about formula grants that every school district receives for Title 1 and special education? They have been flat-funded in Senate appropriations bills. Politics K-12

An Alabama bill that could repeal the adoption of the Common Core State Standards made headway this week. State Republicans are behind the bill that got voted out of committee. Alabama.com

Philadelphia School District plans to launch an online school this summer called the Philadelphia Virtual Academy. They would adopt a blended learning approach where students learn both online and in-person from teachers. The Notebook Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: BYOT movement gaining momentum

How does our hyper-technology laden culture affect babies’ early learning? A new feature explores the ‘touch-screen generation.’ The findings may surprise you. The Atlantic

Arne Duncan co-penned an editorial today calling for fines for collegiate athletic coaches whose students don’t graduate. He proposes that coaches be fined for not promoting a healthier sports-school balance. USA Today

The Bring Your Own Technology, or BYOT, movement continues to gain momentum as a growing number of schools allow and encourage students to bring technology into the classroom. Teachers utilize learning apps in the classroom to improve learning and meet each student where they are. New York Times

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel stood behind the city’s plan to close 54 public schools, saying that it’s not perfect, but it’s necessary. “IF we don’t make these changes, we haven’t lived up to our responsibility as adults to the children of the city of Chicago,” Emanuel said. Huffington Post Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: Reporting is not the same as accountability

Some states are avoiding new graduation rate requirements by reporting the data but not including it in their accountability systems. The Quick and the Ed

The Center on Education Policy released a new reporting showing that states want a congressional rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Act, but they are uncertain about what it would mean for the accountability systems in place. States want a plan that matches with what they’re already doing. Politics K-12

Education Secretary Arne Duncan apologized for comments he made alleging that 40,000 teachers could lose their jobs because of sequestration. The choice of words was incorrect, and he apologized for “not being as clear” as he should have been. Politics K-12

New York City’s gifted program admits a disproportionate number of white students compared to their black and Hispanic peers. Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said the program “is what it is.” Wall Street Journal Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: Opening windows for learners and educators worldwide

Alliance president Bob Wise responded to a prize-winning TEDtalks speech on building a high school in the 'cloud' today on Huffington Post. Speaker Sugata Mitra's "Hole in the Wall" experiment showed that poor students are as capable of deeper learning competencies like creative thinking and problem-solving as their affluent peers. Huffington Post

In Utah, blended learning might be the new name of the educational game. The state Senate Education Committeehas approved SB79, which would provide $275,000 for grants for blended learning programs - ones that would combine year-round teaching with online learning. The Salt Lake Tribune 

Senators want to know how sequestration will practically impact federal education spending, and they're asking education secretary Arne Duncan for the answers. Senaors Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) sent a letter to Sec. Duncan questioning the expected impact of the cuts. Politics K-12 

In this great feature article, a reproter explores education in rural Alaskan villages, where students are expected to help out with the family and survival, and often don't have the luxury of thinking about college. The Atlantic 

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Afternoon announcements: Student achievement varies by state

Megan Allen, fifth-grade teacher and 2010 Teacher of the year, testifies before the U.S. House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee on Thursday about the particular, devastating impact that sequestration will have on high-needs students if Congress allows the automatic spending cuts to go into effect on March 1. Read part of her testimony. The Answer Sheet

 

New analysis from the National Center for Education Statistics, released on Thursday, looks how public school students in the nation’s five largest states performed in the standardized math and reading tests between 1990 and 2011. The results were mixed. Washington Post

Arne Duncan spent an hour talking with reporters on Thursday. He commented on NCLB waivers, sequestration, and the Common Core, among other things. Politics K-12

In another look at the results of the analysis on student test scores in the five largest states, it seems one conclusive finding is that Hispanic student achievement varies widely depending on where they live. New York Times

Schools across the country are bracing for the automatic 5 percent spending cuts that will go into effect March 1^st if Congress doesn’t act to stop them. Washington Post

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Afternoon announcements: Michelle Rhee talks education reform with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show

Michelle Rhee appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night. He challenged her about her reform ideas and stood strong on the side of teachers. Washington Post

A group of Seattle teachers continues to boycott a standardized, computerized exam. Other nearby teachers argue that the boycott is counterproductive and narrowly focused. Education Week

Since Japan got rid of Saturday school, they’ve seen a wider and growing gap in educational achievement, a new study finds. Students from well-educated families and higher socioeconomic status have fared better. Vox

Education Secretary Arne Duncan joined forced with mayors and college groups in a news conference on Capitol Hill this week to promote gun control measures. Politics K-12

While teacher evaluations, tenure, and pay have all been in the national spotlight recently, is it possible evaluating principals has been overlooked? A new study shows that there is little data on how principals are prepared, licensed, supported, and evaluated. Education Week Read Entire Post