Afternoon Announcments: December 15, 2011

Good Afternoon, it's almost the weekend so hurry through your evening. But don't rush through the latest in education news.

It looks like someone in the Department of Education needs to reassess their calculation skills. According to the New York Times, a new study by the Center for Educational Policy found that the Secretary of Education largely overstated the percent of schools nationwide that are failing under the No Child Left Behind act. While Secretary Arne Duncan initially reported 82 percent of schools are failing, it turns out that in reality, it is slightly above half of that- 48 percent.

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Afternoon Announcements: December 14, 2011

More like evening announcements? Enjoy the latest in education news as you make your way through the rush hour commute. 

Being unemployed in this economy is not uncommon and incredibly difficult. But being unemployed and uneducated may just set you back even more. Education Week reports that the U.S. House of Representatives is considering a bill that would require Americans filing for unemployment insurance to have a high school diploma or GED in order to receive benefits. Those who don't must be working toward one. Ouch.

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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 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 16, 2011

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

Number of finalists receiving 2011 Investing in Innovation (i3) grants from the U.S. Department of Education: 23
587 applicants were competing for almost $150 million in funding. This is the second year of the i3 grant competition, which funds innovative and promising education strategies that have a good record of success. Last year, 49 grants worth approximately $650 million were awarded. The largest grant awarded this year is likely to go to Old Dominion University Research Foundation, which asked for almost $25 million for a grant “providing high-need middle schools with increased access to challenging math courses.”

Number of states (including DC) that have signed on to the Common Core State Standards Initiative: 47
Montana became the 47th state (including the District of Columbia) to support the English/language arts and math common core state standards on November 4. That number almost dropped back to 46 less than a week later, but Alabama’s State Board of Education passed a resolution by a 6–3 vote reaffirming its commitment to the standards.

Price poor families will pay for broadband internet service under an initiative from the FCC: $9.95 per month
One-third, or approximately 35 million, of American households do not have access to broadband internet. Starting next summer under the Connect-to-Compete initiative, homes with children eligible for free school lunches will also be eligible to receive broadband internet at a discounted rate for two years. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “cobbled together” the deal, which includes all of the nation’s major cable companies. "The broadband adoption gap in the U.S. is very large, and the costs of digital exclusion are high and getting higher," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said.

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Morning Announcements: June 28, 2011

The New York Times reports 165 Washington teachers were fired last year based on a pioneering evaluation system that places significant emphasis on classroom observations; next month, 200 to 600 of the city’s 4,200 educators are expected to get similar bad news, in the nation’s highest rate of dismissal for poor performance.

In a letter to state superintendents, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan stresses testing integrity, according to the Baltimore Sun.

A recent Education Week blog post begins with, “Teachers from across northwestern Maryland arrived here Monday on buses and in carpools, many of them lugging thick binders containing the ‘common standards’ recently adopted by their state. Their mission: to make sense of those standards, figure out how to apply them in their classrooms, and bring those lessons back to their schools.” Read the complete post.

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Governors Bush and Wise Convene Digital Learning Council

Yesterday, former governors Jeb Bush and Bob Wise launched the Digital Learning Council to identify policies that will integrate current and future technological innovations into public education. The council unites a diverse group of more than 50 leaders from education, government, philanthropy, business, technology, and think tanks to develop the roadmap of reform for local, state and federal lawmakers and policymakers.

“The members of the Digital Learning Council share a sense of extreme urgency about the need to bring digital learning to every school, every classroom and every child,” stated Governor Bob Wise, co-chair of the Digital Learning Council. “We must not squander the opportunity to promote digital innovation to reform our nation’s schools and ensure that all students are prepared to confront the challenges in our economy and society with the tools and skills that digital technology offers.”

During the council’s first phase of work, they will develop a list of best practices that would cover a wide range of issues including online and virtual schools, classroom technology, equity, security and privacy, and digital content. The second phase would be focused on encouraging states to adopt these best practices. The strategy was developed with the Data Quality Campaign in mind and their efforts to encourage states to implement the 10 essential elements of a longitudinal data system.

To see the full list of council participants, read the press release. For more information, check out a recent story on the initiative by Education Week.

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