Afternoon announcements: Obama gets graded on education policy

In an Upper West Side elementary school, where black and Hispanic students make up the majority, gifted, or advanced classes, are predominantly white. New York Times

Glenda Ritz, new Indiana superintendent of schools, who defeated Tony Bennett, during November’s election, may look to overturn some of the state’s reform initiatives. “Without a doubt there is going to be a difference for how we approach school improvements in Indiana with the election of the new superintendent,” David Dresslar, executive director of the Center of Excellent in Leadership of Learning at the University of Indianapolis, said. Education Daily

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is serving on the Obama administration’s task force on school gun violence, and his background in Chicago may influence his recommendations. As school chief in Chicago from 2001-2008, he dealt with multiple gun deaths. Education Week

The tireless debate over extending the U.S. school year continues on with new proposals to lengthen the school year. It would mean longer intermittent breaks but a shorter summer vacation for students. US News & World Report

Last week, Education Week released their rankings of states based on education policy and attainment. This week, is it time to grade Obama on education? Huffington Post Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: Arne Duncan to join task force on gun violence, mental health services

A roof over every student’s head, school breakfast and lunch for all eligible students, and an enriching, holistic curriculum are just a few of the items on this education wish list. The Nation

Several Cabinet officials, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan, have been asked to join a White House task force to look at gun violence, mental health services and other issues that related to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting last week. Politics K-12

The White House has a plan to avoid going over the so-called “fiscal cliff.” The GOP has a very different plan. What would these plans look like in action, and, importantly, how would they each affect K-12 education budgets? Politics K-12

With the unemployment rate still hovering around 8%, it’s critical to get Americans back to work. One way Maine Democrats are working to do this is by understanding and narrowing the “skills gap” – matching businesses with labor. Maine Business

Arne Duncan visited Newtown, Connecticut on Wednesday this week, and spoke with teachers and school district staff. Here’s a video of the message he gave them. Washington Post
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Afternoon announcements: Arne Duncan gives a statement to teachers, principals and school administrators after Sandy Hook

The 16 winners of the first Race to the Top-District competition have a little over three months to outline how they will achieve the goals of their plans. The Department of Education will work with each winner to set up a timeline, deliverables and a budget. Politics K-12

The students of Sandy Hook Elementary School will return to class after winter break in the neighboring town of Chalk Hill. The location hasn’t been used as a school since 2011. Huffington Post

Read Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s statement to teachers, principals and school administrators in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. Education Department

The Obama Administration has excited many new graduates with their income-based repayment plan for federal student loans, but is it the smartest economic decision? The American

There are two views of public education in America: utilizing private sector mechanisms and ideas, such as in charter schools, and traditional public schools. Which decision we make carries high stakes. Huffington Post

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Afternoon announcements: Arne Duncan is in for the "long haul"

Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said that he plans to serve in the Obama Administration for the “long haul.” He’s beginning to map out his goals for the next four years – including improving teacher quality and keeping the status quo and improving his initiatives from the first four years. Education Week

The Common Core State Standards are proving to work, at least in a Chicago public school testing site. The Philip D. Armour Elementary School primarily serves low-income students from high-crime neighborhoods, has seen standardized test scores increase by 16 points. Huffington Post

The philanthropic Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $25 million in grants to seven cities to increase collaboration between charter and public schools. The cities are Boston, Denver, Hartford, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia and Spring Branch, Texas. New York Times

The new Common Core standards emphasize non-fiction texts over literature in English classrooms. So what will students be reading? Here’s a list. Washington Post

There are unfilled jobs all over the nation and high unemployment. How is that possible? There is a large skills gap that needs to be fixed. In New York. Education and business leaders are thinking of a solution. Wall Street Journal
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Afternoon announcements: Five states lengthen class time by 300 hours

Will the Common Core replace Grapes of Wrath with the wrath of literature teachers? The new standards emphasize “informational texts” over fiction, but there’s a possibility that educators have misinterpreted the guidelines. Washington Post

Five states announced this morning that they will be increasing learning time in the classroom by 300 hours. The states – Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York & Tennessee, made this decision with the intention of increasing student achievement. New York Times

In DC, 20 schools will face closure next year. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson notes that while the closings will be painful, it will allow the District to reallocate resources to improve the quality of education. Similar scenarios are happening in Tucson, Ariz., Chicago and Philadelphia. Wall Street Journal

A judge in Louisiana has declared Gov. Bobby Jindal’s voucher overhaul unconstitutional. Specifically, the diversion of public money to the voucher program for private schools was ruled unconstitutional. The Times-Picayune

A Q&A session with Education Secretary Arne Duncan last Wednesday morning gives insights into his thinking on many hot-button topics, including common core. Eduwonk Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: Arne Duncan for Secretary of State?

Thomas Friedman made waves with his column yesterday in which he nominated a new Secretary of State to replace Hillary Clinton. Who is it? Unexpectedly, he picked Arne Duncan. New York Times

Responding to Thomas Friedman’s nomination of him for the next Secretary of State, Arne Duncan joked that he’d sooner be a stripper than a handle the country’s state affairs. I’m guessing he’s not on the short list of candidates after that response. Huffington Post

Students in Pinellas County, Fla. are rocketing into the future with the use of palm scanners to pay for lunches. Who needs cards when you have your DNA? USA Today

Yesterday, Robyn Young, one of our regular guest bloggers, asked educators to reconsider policies that don’t allow cell phones in the classroom. She argues that they may be the easiest, simplest “BYOD” (Bring your own device) method around. A new study that finds many American students use their phones for homework agrees with her. Education Week

Noel Harmond, the director of National Talent Divident, writes about the Alliance’s new report on the inseparable link between equity in education and growing the American economy. She says America must face the sometimes ugly realities of our past and present to focus on closing achievement gaps and setting every student up for success in our increasingly globalized economy. Huffington Post

After releasing state-by-state data of four year high school graduation rates, the Department of Education sent a letter to the states emphasizing graduation-rate accountability. Politics K-12

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Afternoon announcements: Teachers should not be "part of some collective trade union bargaining process"

There’s some good news in the education world today. The biennial report card on American youth is out from The Josephson Institute of Ethics, and it finds that cheating, lying and stealing among high school student is on the decline – for the first time in a decade! Huffington Post

Who’s in charge of Detroit’s public schools? Teachers, parents and the like seem to be confused over the answer to this question. The confusion stems from the repeal of Public Act 4, a law that allowed the state to appoint its own leaders to run school districts. Huffington Post

It seems Education Secretary Arne Duncan is finalizing his second-term education agenda, and teacher quality if as at the top of his priority list. In a recent speech at the Foundation for Excellence in Education forum in DC, Duncan said we, as a country, need to work on teacher preparation. Politics K-12

Speaking of the Foundation for Excellence in Education – Jeb Bush’s foundation, Bush railed against teachers unions in his remarks. “We need to have a teacher evaluation system that is based on teachers being professionals, not part of some collective trade union bargaining process,” he said. Washington Times
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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

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Afternoon announcements: October 22, 2012

Wendy Kopp writes a convincing opinion piece on why education should be a topic in tonight's foreign policy presidential debate. She tells the story of Malala Yousafza, the 14 year old Pakistani girl attacked by the Taliban in her pursuit of education. Time  

Fairfax County’s population of homeless students is on the rise. They’re expected to rise above 2,500 by the end of this school year, school official’s have said. If that happens, it will mark a new record. Fairfax County is one of most affluent districts in the US. Reports say that the increase is likely due to the effects of the economic recession. Washington Post

US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently gave remarks at the TIME higher education summit. You can read the full transcript at the Department of Education website. Education Department

Remember last week, we highlighted an opinion piece in The Atlantic on Advanced Placement? The author claims it’s a scam. Today, Jay Matthews, self-proclaimed as obsessed with AP, offers a rebuttal in the Washington Post. “He [John Tierney] seems unaware that AP classes and exams are designed by college professors to mimic their introductory courses, and that more than 5,000 college faculty have checked AP syllabi or graded AP exams to ensure it. Almost all colleges give credit or access to higher courses for good scores on AP exams.” Washington Post

A former Marine and current STEM teacher passionately sounds off on the current state of the teaching profession, saying, “I am a teacher. Let me teach.” Diane Ravitch’s blog

A 17-year old high school senior writes intelligently on the need for more project-based learning in the classroom. “Can creativity be taught?” She asks. “Absolutely. The real question is: ‘How do we teach it?’” MindShift

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U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Affirms Economic and Academic Value of NAF Academies

If you ’re like me and didn’t get a chance to see this speech live, check out U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s speech at the National Academy Foundation’s (NAF) annual conference, which is embedded to the right.

Secretary Duncan’s remarks demonstrate both an appreciation and understanding of the benefits of career academies. Further, his remarks highlight the essential elements of what constitutes a high quality career academy, which are supported by volumes of research and practice. These elements include ensuring that academies are small learning communities designed around a theme; integrate rigorous academic and technical education; and provide youth a continuum of work-based learning opportunities that prepare youth for both college and career opportunities.

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