Afternoon Announcements: May 22, 2012

Happy Tuesday! Did you know that on this day in 1990, Microsoft released Windows 3.0? This was the first version of Windows that included Solitaire. Just a little trivia for you to think about as you navigate the work day!

Yesterday’s big news was the Department of Education’s announcement of a school district-level Race to the Top contest. This round of RTTT will focus on individualized instruction as well as on evaluating district superintendents and school board members. Two takes on this development, first from Education Week and then the New York Times.

Bad news for school budgets in the Golden State. As the Sacramento Bee reports, California State Superintendent Tom Torlakson said yesterday that school districts covering 2.6 million of the state’s 6 million K-12 students are in “financial jeopardy.”

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Afternoon Annoucements: December 2, 2011

Happy Friday!  If you haven’t headed to happy hour already, kick back and enjoy as we ease you into the weekend with today’s education news.

The editorial board at the Washington Post applauds Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s call to tackle the spiraling cost of college education by actually addressing the cost side of the equation as opposed to government solely focusing efforts on increasing federal aid and reducing interest costs on loans. Although acknowledging Secretary Duncan’s initiatives will not be a complete resolution to the enormous problem, the Washington Post calls it a “welcome dose of straight talk.”

 

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Stats That Stick: November 23, 2011

Here are this week’s Stats That Stick, courtesy of Alliance Policy Intern Bill DeBaun.

Consolation prize up for grabs for nine runner-up Race to the Top finalists: $200,000,000
Education Week reports that the U.S. Department of Education will accept proposals from nine runner-up states for a chance to win some of a $200 million prize dedicated to improving STEM education. This money is the third round in the Race to the Top series, which has been an education focal point for the Obama administration.

Number of students the average school counselor was responsible for in 2009–10, according to the American School Counselor Association: 459
Ed Sector's "Quick and the Ed" offers this post about the importance of guidance counselors in high schools, especially for helping to ensure students are college and career ready. Randy A. McPherson, 2011 ASCA Counselor of the Year, says, “In some aspects, my role looks like a college recruiter or a career placement director.”

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Afternoon Announcements: November 15, 2011

Alliance Policy Intern Bill DeBaun helps out today by supplying us with some education news. Thanks, Bill!

Good afternoon and happy Tuesday! Here are your afternoon announcements.

The Huffington Post details a proposed California Student Bill of Rights that education advocates are trying to get onto the ballot for next November. The bill would expand online education and offer students in rural and urban communities more educational opportunities. California was ranked last in states open to online learning by Digital Learning Now!, a project of the Foundation for Excellence in Education and the Alliance for Excellent Education.

The Associated Press describes a new plan in the Lafayette County School District that allows students to take one of three different paths to get a diploma. The traditional pathway, which is designed to help students transition to a four-year college or university, remains as an option. It is joined by two other paths set up for those wanting to attend community college after graduation or to go directly into the workforce or military. Lafayette High School Principal Patrick Robinson notes, “We want to make sure we are offering options for students.”

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The Long Beach Way: A Systemic Approach to Educating Every Child in Every School

Last week I did a site visit at Long Beach Unified and was reminded of what is really possible in urban education. When we hear of great, transformative superintendents, we often hear names like Michelle Rhee or Joel Klein. While I wouldn't take away anything from other leaders, to me, Chris Steinhauser and the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) staff should be at the fore of any conversation on great district leadership and the types of district systems to which the nation should aspire.

The district has not been short on honors over the years. LBUSD received the prestigious Broad prize for urban education in 2003 and has been one of only two school districts to be a finalist five times. In a 2010 McKinsey Company report, LBUSD was identified as one of the world's twenty leading school systems in terms of improved and sustained performance. Yet, it's not awards or numbers that make Long Beach great. At Long Beach, it's all about the system.

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Report Round-Up: September 23, 2011

Check out this week's education-related reports! Read Entire Post

VIDEO: Deeper Learning at City Arts and Technology High School in San Francisco

The world has become a complicated place. We hear this refrain in almost every aspect of American life. For U.S. students, it is heard loud and clear in the hallways and classrooms of the American high school. Preparing students for college and career has never been more important or more challenging. But even if we can get the public to understand and accept why college and career readiness is so important, what is the answer to “how?” In this era of ever-tightening state budgets, how can schools and districts possibly educate all students to a higher level of rigor and readiness? Read Entire Post

Stats that Stick: August 31, 2011

High school graduates who think their high school diploma is not enough to compete in today’s society: 90 percent
A new report shows that roughly 90 percent of 2010 high school graduates believe it’s not enough to be able to compete with a high school diploma, and they believe college is important. The report, released by the College Board – which administers the SAT and Advanced Placement exams – surveyed roughly 1,500 students who graduated in 2010 one year later. Three-fourths of students said they had a “good” or “great” 2010, and only 9 percent said they were dissatisfied with their high school experience. However, nearly half said they wish they had enrolled in different classes in high school, especially more difficult science, math, and writing courses. Read Entire Post

Morning Announcements: August 23, 2011

Many Missouri teachers are not happy with the state’s new law banning them from Facebook “friending” their students. And now they’re suing over it. Forbes Magazine reports the Missouri State Teachers Association filed suit, claiming the law is unconstitutionally overbroad and seeking an injunction against the law that is set to go into effect on August 28.

Philadelphia’s embattled schools superintendent Arlene Ackerman is being bought out of her multiyear contract with a combination of public and private funds for the amount of $900,000 in severance. The Associated Press reported Ackerman had a “tumultuous  tenure that included increased test scores and graduation rates but also clashes with community members, the teachers union, and elected leaders.” “This decision, as difficult as it was for Dr. Ackerman, is consistent with her history, as well as recognition that for the district to best move forward, it must do so with new leadership,’’ said Robert Archie Jr., chairman of the city-state commission that oversees the schools.

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Morning Announcements: October 5, 2010

In the Science section of the New York Times, reporter Natalie Angier picks a bone with “the odious and increasingly pervasive term ‘STEM education.’”

In the New Yorker, Joel Klein responds to a story written last week by Nicholas Lemann on how things aren’t so bad in American public education. Robert Rothman, policy fellow at the Alliance, also thought Lemann’s story required a response and posted his thoughts on Lemann’s story here last week.

A special report in eSchoolNews discusses the student learning possibilities available in an interactive math classroom, writing, “technology can breathe life into abstract concepts.”

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed legislation that would allow school districts to water down requirements for foreign language and art education in high schools, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

In Indiana, the state Department of Education is touting a new "parents pledge" it hopes will increase parent involvement in schools.

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