Afternoon Announcements: Obama requests $300 million for high school transformation in 2014 budget

The Next Generation Science Standards were publicly released on Tuesday and will help shape science education around the nation. The next step for states will be deciding whether to adopt them. Education Week

A bipartisan bill focused on improving mental health in schools is slated to be considered by the Senate education panel tomorrow. Senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) are sponsoring the bill. Politics K-12

A lot of focus has been given to the student debt crisis. But what about the amount of debt owed by college-goers who don’t complete their programs? New federal data focuses on debt incurred by noncompleters. National Center for Education Statistics

Obama released his budget plan today, and it includes a $300 million increase for high school reform, along with $659 million for School Turnaround Grants. The White House

Georgia will receive $17.2 million in federal grant money to improve consistently low-performing schools, as part of the School Improvement Grants program under the U.S. Department of Education. Education Week Read Entire Post

Afternoon Announcements: Student Loan Rates Set to Increase July 1

Elementary school children in Richmond, Virginia will be incentivized to read, as part of a program to ensure that all students are reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade. The program is called “Earning to Learn.” Education Week

The Common Core State Standards, set to be implemented in 45 states next year, expect students to be competent typists by fourth grade. Keyboarding replaces cursive in many areas, and some states are opting to include a cursive writing requirement. The Star-Herald

A Kenyan Maasai warrior studying at Clemson University talked with students at the University of Georgia as part of a cultural exchange program. He had to run nine miles each way to receive an education. He hopes to return to Kenya with the skills and knowledge to make education more accessible to children in his village and community. The Red and Black

Student loan interest rates will rise from the current 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1 if Congress does not half the increase. Student advocacy groups released an issue brief calling for the federal government not to profit from student loans. New York Times Read Entire Post

What's the Big Deal? Fisher v. University of Texas

The following blog posts comes from Ashley Cheung, a policy intern at the Alliance for Excellent Education. Ms. Cheung is a graduate student in the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at the George Washington University.

My interest in the relationship between education and law was sparked by one of my graduate courses that took a deep dive into the world of Supreme Court cases starting with Brown v. Board. The timing of this course couldn’t have been better- the oral arguments of the Fisher v. University of Texas case were being heard, and I have been glued on this topic ever since. I want to take this opportunity to introduce what the case is about, and ask you how you feel about court cases that take into account race as a factor in admissions. Think about it.

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Everyone's getting Straight A's: Alliance expert on higher education testifies before Congressional committee

Every other week, the Alliance for Excellent Education posts a new edition of Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress, an online newsletter. Here are excerpts from this issue. You can read the entire articles online here.

This month, the U.S. Congress passed a Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 spending package that avoids a government shutdown by keeping the federal government funded through the end of the fiscal year on September 30. The bill provides $65.8 billion in discretionary funding for the U.S. Department of Education—an amount that reflects the 5 percent across-the-board cut mandated by the sequester—compared to $68.1 billion in FY 2012. Congress passes fiscal year 2013 spending bill

Federal student aid spending increased to nearly $237 billion this year, but students entering college find the system obtuse and financial support difficult to obtain. This summer, federal student loan interest rates will be up for debate again, and will rise, if Congress does not act. These two issues were the primary focuses of a March 13 U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing on improving the federal student aid system. Dr. Charmaine Mercer, vice president of federal policy at the Alliance for Excellent Education, testified before the committee, referencing the recent Alliance paper, Repairing a Broken System: Fixing Federal Student Aid. Keeping college within reach  

On March 19, the Alliance for Excellent Education and Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University opened enrollment for a first-of-its-kind Massive Online Open Course for Educators (MOOC-Ed). Titled “Digital Learning Transition,” the free course will examine how the effective use of digital learning can help school districts meet educational challenges, including implementing college- and career-ready standards for all students and preparing teachers to make effective use of technology to enhance teaching and learning. Massive online open course for educators (MOOC-Ed)

States are optimistic that waivers will help ease some of the unrealistic requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and improve learning for all students, but they are concerned about what will happen to the programs and policies in their waiver plans if the law is reauthorized, according a new report from the Center on Education Policy (CEP) at George Washington University. States' perspectives on Waivers

As the new national accreditor for educator preparation, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) is seeking public comments on the draft of the next generation of accreditation standards for educator preparation developed by the CAEP Commission on Standards and Performance Reporting. All stakeholders in education and educator preparation are encouraged to review the draft standards and submit feedback by March 29, 2013. Feedback on accreditation standards for educator preparation due March 29

If you would like to receive Straight A's in your inbox, please email jamos@all4ed.org.

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Afternoon announcements: Obama administration faces lawsuit over new federal student aid standards

Instead of stagnating or even cutting teacher pay, Montgomery County in Maryland is increasing it. Teachers could see $18 million in raises if they approve a tentative contract agreement with the public school system. Washington Post

Schools around the country are being designed and built with digital learning in mind. One in Texas strives for a “net zero” when it comes to energy used and energy produced. Other schools have classrooms grouped to foster collaboration and share technology. Education Week

A 17-year-old high school senior won $100,000 scholarship from the IntelScience Talent Search competition for growing algae under her bed. Of course, it was a lot more technical and scientific than that. “I was trying to use guided evolution, so artificial selection, to isolate populations of algae cells with abnormally high oil content,” Sara Volz told NBC News. NBC News

Historically black colleges and universities are contemplating suing the Obama administration over new federal student aid policies. In particular, the standards enacted in October 2011 to PLUS loans make it harder for parents with less than outstanding credit to obtain loans. The HBCUs argue those new rules disproportionately affect their students. Huffington Post Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: Federal student aid should focus on access and completion

Alliance president Bob Wise writes that Congress must review and fix the federal student aid process to focus on completion, not just access to college in his opinion piece today. Huffington Post

Speaking of money for college, an increasing number of higher education institutes are offering tuition guarantees to incoming students who graduate in four years. The fine print in this good looking offer includes students maintaining the same major across all four years, taking inconvenient classes, and/or forgoing study abroad. CNN Money

Another article on college financing finds that state and local financing for higher education declined 7% in fiscal year 2012. Tuition is going up as funding for college goes down. New York Times

The issue of states setting different goals for different races under new academic standards set in states with waivers under the No Child Left Behind Act is going mainstream. NBC Nightly News will air a story filmed in D.C. on this issue. Politics K-12 Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: SAT exam gets a makeover

The SAT is set to change again. The standardized test used in part for entrance to colleges and universities around the country will get a makeover, according to David Coleman, president of the College Board. In an email to the College Board’s 6,000 members, Coleman said the changes will reflect the “core set of knowledge and skills” that high school graduates need to succeed in college. Washington Post

The publisher of Education Week, Editorial Projects in Education, released a study finding that teachers are unconcerned about preparedness when it comes to implementing the Common Core standards. Education Week

Deposits, paperwork, and fees are just as few of the ways low-income students are kept out of attending colleges, even after they’re accepted. This feature is a must-read. The Atlantic

President Obama’s plan for a new competition to redesign high schools across the nation is still a work in progress. Little details have been announced, and there’s a looming question of whether Congress would approve it as they’re trying to make cuts. Education Week Read Entire Post

'I am the first' campaign prepares students to complete college

I am the first in my family to graduate from college.

I am the first.

Downtown College Prep (DCP) is a charter school in San Jose, California that serves an underserved student population; the school is 90 percent low-income and 96 percent Latino. Over 40 percent of the students’ parents don’t have a high school diploma. And yet, DCP alumni have among the highest rates of college matriculation and are more than four times likely to complete college than their peers nationwide. What kind of miracle is DCP working? Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: Minnesota superintendent champions ELL reforms

Digital Learning Day is a mere two days away. In anticipation, here are three websites that high school teachers should try in 2013. High School Notes

The U.S. Department of Education recently issued a progress report on the Race to the Top competition. The majority of winners seem to be struggling to implement teacher – and principal- evaluation systems, and building and upgrading digital infrastructure. Politics K-12

Higher education has long been an incentive for joining active military duty, but what is that experience like? New York Times

Opponents of the Common Core State Standards, now adopted in 46 states, are targeting their lobbying and media campaigns in Colorado, Idaho, and Indiana. All three states have adopted the standards. Education Week

A Minnesota Superintendent is focusing her efforts on reforming programs for English Language Learners. A Chilean native, the matter is close to her heart. Education Week

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Afternoon announcements: High school graduation rates highest in 40 years

After stagnating for three decades, the high school graduation rate has reached its highest level in almost 40 years, according to federal data released this morning. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 78 percent of all high school students across the country earned a diploma. Washington Post

Obama mentioned education three times in his second-term inauguration address yesterday. See here for the quotes. Washington Post

We’ve been hearing a lot about the new reading standards in the Common Core State Standards. Reading scores for American students are dropping, and the new standards could be a solution. NPR

In order to make proactive, informed decisions about where to attend college, students and parents need to know how much to expect to pay and how much financial aid they will receive. The University of Dayton in Ohio may be the first college to tell prospective students the cost of a four-year degree and lock it in. Chronicle of Higher Education

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