Morning Announcements April 18, 2012

Happy (and hopefully not hectic) Wednesday! It’s the middle of the week, so in between thanking your lucky stars that it’s not Monday or Tuesday and praying for Friday, get caught up on the latest in education news.

Presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney is coming under fire for expressing his intent to largely slash the Department of Education. The two-time Harvard professional degree recipient told a room full of campaign donors that he'd slim down the U.S. Department of Education if he were elected president, according to Education Week.

That battle for public schools continues in Chicago; between teacher unions, schools days, and funding, every day is a different fight. With changes to the length of next year's school day, a continuing budget deficit and ongoing teacher contract talks that pose the potential for a strike,  Chicago Public Schools principals are Read Entire Post

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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Morning Announcements: August 30, 2010

Nineteen states are participating in the Teacher Performance Assessment Consortium, a pilot program to develop performance-based assessments for teacher candidates.

Washington Post columnist George Will writes about black children’s “Daunting divide in achievement and family life.” And education columnist Jay Matthews takes a look at how the achievement gap has been reported in the district. 

A year from now in Texas, high school students will be required to pass a new series of tests before they graduate, however early results predict that students may not be ready.

On Saturday, the New York Times ran an editorial in praise of Race to the Top.

The Chicago Tribune takes a look at the online learning opportunities available within the Chicago Public Schools district including the latest effort to add 90 minutes to the day at 15 elementary schools using online courses instead of certified teachers.

In the Wall Street Journal, a former member of the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education writes about the New Orleans education system post Katrina, calling it the “most market-driven public school system in the country”.

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