Afternoon Announcements: January 26, 2012

Don't fret. It is Thursday and the incentive to Thursday is... it's almost Friday. But since we're not quite there take a break from the huslte and bustle and get up-to-date in the world of education and educational reform.

The Alliance for Excellent Education is highlighted in the New York Times as they pinpoint President Obama’s call during the State of the Union address for every state to require students to stay in school until they turn 18. This would be the federal government’s first direct involvement in an issue that many state and local governments have been reluctant to address. Alliance President Bob Wise in the article mentions that the policy is a tough sell but would ultimately benefit the economies of all states that comply.

In other news, underperforming schools are the topic of the day and around the country proposed measures to address these institutions are creating a lot of controversy. In Washington D.C, a new study commissioned by Mayor Vincent C. Gray recommends that the city increase the number of high-performing charter schools. But according to the Washington Post, this would result in the turn around or closure of more than three dozen traditional public schools in D.C.’s poorest neighborhoods.

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Afternoon Announcements: January 12, 2012

Don't fret, you're almost there. One more pit stop on the road to an extended weekend. In the meantime, enjoy the latest in education news.

 

The Huffington Post reports that parents in Middletown, Connecticut  are protesting the use of what they're calling "scream rooms" by Farm Hill Elementary School as a way of disciplining misbehaving students. The rooms have essentially been used as a “time-out” space for students who have become unruly or disruptive.

 

District of Columbia Public Schools is set to receive $21 million to cover cost overruns after the District Chief Financial Officer revised the revenue forecast to include an additional $42.2 million. But the Washington Post reports that the city’s charter schools are objecting to Mayor Vincent C. Gray asking the D.C. Council to appropriate half of it to the city’s 123-school system and are looking to stake a claim for some of the revenue.

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Afternoon Announcements: December 9, 2011

In just a matter of hours you can kick back and relax for the weekend; you've earned it. In the meantime, enjoy the winding down of the work week with the latest in education news.

Schools around the country are venturing away from requiring students to "test out" of a grade or graduate in general. According to Education Week, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee are changing their policies so that students will no longer be required to take those tests, according to a new report by the Center on Education Policy.

 

 

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Afternoon Announcements--November 18, 2011

Here are today's afternoon announcements courtesy of Bill DeBaun, the Alliance's policy intern.

Good afternoon and happy Friday! It's a pretty quiet day in the world of education news, which means you can consume these tasty tidbits and then get on with your weekend!

The Indianapolis Star reports that some district officials are nervous about the Indiana State Board of Education taking over more public schools who fail to improve under the state's accountability system. Earlier this year, the state took over five public schools, but new rules proposed by the board would expand the number of schools subject to takeover to over 100. Under the current accountability system, schools whose state test scores earn them an F grade for six consecutive years are subject to state takeover or other reforms. "When I know the rules, I can play the game," Superintendent Jeff Butts of Wayne Township said. "I'm not as good when someone changes the rules in the middle of the game."

A recent poll by the University of Southern California-Dornsife and the Los Angeles Times reveals that 52% of respondents had a favorable impression of charter schools. Only 12% of respondents had an unfavorable view. 48% of respondents said that they thought charter schools provide a better education than traditional public schools. Meanwhile, only 24% said traditional public schools provide a better education. While these results might seem like a coup for charter school advocates, the results also revealed that respondents favored increasing funding for traditional schools over charter schools by a 64-21% margin. Respondents were also disinclined to hand control over low-performing schools to outside operators.

 

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Stats That Stick: November 2, 2011

Here are this week's Stats That Stick courtesy of our policy intern, Bill DeBaun:

Percentage of eighth graders reading below the basic level on the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card: 24%

Number of points, on average, that fourth and eighth graders improved in math on the 2011 NAEP over the 2009 NAEP: 1
The Washington Times reports on yesterday’s release of the 2011 NAEP results. The 1-point increase in 2011’s results over 2009 is modest but also represents a 20-point increase since 1990, when math was first administered on the “Nation’s Report Card.” Forty percent of fourth graders and 35 percent of eight graders reached proficiency in math in 2011.

Difference between the nation’s fourth-grade NAEP reading scores in 2009 and 2011: 0 points
The same article from Washington Times highlights that reading scores for fourth graders were unchanged from two years ago. Eighth graders improved by 1 point in 2011 over 2009. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan noted, "The modest increases in NAEP scores are reason for concern as much as optimism. It's clear that achievement is not accelerating fast enough for our nation's children to compete in the knowledge economy of the 21st century."

 

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Morning Announcements: September 29, 2011

Education Week reports that the Republicans running for president may be working to stand out from the pack on some issues, but it already appears that most of the nine current candidates are largely united when it comes to K-12 policy: They want to dramatically shrink the federal role. Some candidates, including Reps. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Ron Paul of Texas, are outspoken in saying they want to see the U.S. Department of Education scrapped.

On Friday, Education Sector is hosting the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at 9am at the Capital Hilton in DC, where he’ll announce a new plan for teacher education reform.

According to Education Week, several high-profile teacher-training and -professional-development groups that recently lost federal set-asides—from Teach For America to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards—will have an opportunity to recapture some of that funding under the terms of a newly unveiled $25 million federal competition.

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Morning Announcements: September 22, 2011

President Obama is poised to broaden federal influence in local schools by scrapping key elements of No Child Left Behind, the Bush administration’s signature education law, and substituting his own brand of school reform, according to the Washington Post. While unpopular with Republicans in Congress and some in the educational establishment, the move is drawing applause from governors around the country struggling to meet the demands of the nine-year-old law.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced it will fund more charter school-district collaborations, benefiting schools in Boston, Central Falls, R.I., and Sacramento, Calif, among others.The districts still have to formally apply for the Gates funding, but they can win up to $100,000 once they do, according to Education Week.

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September 19 Issue of Straight A's Is Available

The September 19, 2011 issue of Straight A's, the Alliance's biweekly newsletter, is now available. This week's issue focuses on recent congressional activity on NCLB, two new Alliance reports, a study on the United States' global competitiveness, and more.

Individual articles from this week's issue are listed below, or you can download a .pdf of the entire newsletter here.

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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

Morning Announcements: September 14, 2011

Education Week reports that not even half of the school districts in states that have adopted the common standards are taking essential steps to implement them, and most cite inadequate state guidance as a major problem in moving forward. This information come from a new surevey released today by the Center on Education Policy. The report shows districts are also deeply divided about how rigorous the new standards are and how much they demand new curricula and instructional strategies.

According to the New York Times, President Obama visited a high school in the potentially politically crucial state of Ohio Tuesday in order to pitch his jobs bill. His $447 billion proposal, which includes tax cuts and stimulus projects to improve the economy, also calls for billions to be invested in renovating our nation’s schools. Obama said Tuesday the $25 billion for education construction and improvements in the plan would achieve two goals at once: modernizing American schools and putting construction workers back on the job.

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