Afternoon Announcements: Why Don't More Students Finish College?

Virginia’s largest full-time statewide virtual school is likely to close, affecting more than 350 students in the next school year. The decision comes as the Carroll County School Board plans to end its partnership with the contractor that operates the virtual school. Washington Post

A Georgetown sociology class on hip-hop got a surprise when Jay-Z called in from Europe. The class was studying the artist’s life and work and his role in black culture. “He’se a friend of mine, so teaching this class on him was an exercise in both the critical engagement with a towering icon and an attempt to understand the nature of his craft and his appeal in the world,” class professor Michael Eric Dyson said. Washingtonian

Some students in Indiana, Oklahoma, and Minnesota have extra time to study for end of year high-stakes tests because of computer glitches that occurred the first, and regularly scheduled, time they were administered. The students have been kicked offline when they attempt to take the assessments. New York Times

Too many students who enter college do not complete their program. A new infographic looks at the statistics. Civitas Learning Read Entire Post

Afternoon Announcements: MRIs Can Predict Student Receptiveness to Math Tutoring, Study Finds

Indiana’s NCLB waiver eligibility is under question now that is has announced a ‘pause’ on implementing the Common Core State Standards. The state filed for its waiver saying it had adopted the Standards and joined a consortium developing aligned assessments. Politics K-12

The newest group of critics attacking the Common Core Standards are conservatives railing against the costs and impediment to local education decision-making. Some union leaders have come out against the Standards as well because of their perceived implications on teacher evaluations. Wall Street Journal

An interesting study at Stanford University School of Medicine finds that the size of certain areas of children’s brains predict how they’ll respond to math tutoring. The study found that the children’s IQ and math scores did not predict tutoring outcomes but brain scans from MRIs that measured the size of different areas of the brain, could. Pasadena Star News

The recent National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators Conference included a discussion on how to improve learning and student outcomes for English language learners. While the number of ELLs continues to grow, their progress stagnates in part because of a lack of access to the same courses and teachers as their English-speaking peers. Education Daily Read Entire Post

Afternoon Announcements: NYC Students Will Have Longer School Days

Debate still rages around the adoption and implementation of the Common Core State Standards in multiple states. Critics claim the cost to implement is too high, while others are skeptical of the exams that will accompany the Standards. Washington Post

Speaking of states with the loudest Common Core debates, the Indiana state legislature voted to “halt” implementation of the Standards this weekend. The Governor is positioned to view the measure this week, which calls for more analysis of costs, among other things. Washington Times

Students in Utah will no longer take fill-in-the-bubble tests as of next year. The state has adopted a new computer testing system called SAGE (Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence) that caters to the students’ strengths and weaknesses. The Salt Lake Tribune

Students in 20 middle schools throughout New York City will experience school days that are 2.5 hours longer than usual next fall. The city is experimenting with how more time in class will improve student achievement and outcomes. The extra time will be devoted to reading tutoring and “other educational activities.” Education Week Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: Obama gets graded on education policy

In an Upper West Side elementary school, where black and Hispanic students make up the majority, gifted, or advanced classes, are predominantly white. New York Times

Glenda Ritz, new Indiana superintendent of schools, who defeated Tony Bennett, during November’s election, may look to overturn some of the state’s reform initiatives. “Without a doubt there is going to be a difference for how we approach school improvements in Indiana with the election of the new superintendent,” David Dresslar, executive director of the Center of Excellent in Leadership of Learning at the University of Indianapolis, said. Education Daily

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is serving on the Obama administration’s task force on school gun violence, and his background in Chicago may influence his recommendations. As school chief in Chicago from 2001-2008, he dealt with multiple gun deaths. Education Week

The tireless debate over extending the U.S. school year continues on with new proposals to lengthen the school year. It would mean longer intermittent breaks but a shorter summer vacation for students. US News & World Report

Last week, Education Week released their rankings of states based on education policy and attainment. This week, is it time to grade Obama on education? Huffington Post Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: Tony Bennett moves to Florida

Tony Bennet has been selected as Florida's new state education commissioner. Bennett lost his seat as the Indiana superintendent of public instruction in the November election. Huffington Post

Some states are deciding that the art of cursive writing is one that should be prserved. THe Kansas State Board of Education believes cursive belongs in schools and adopted a policy statement this week encouraging educators to continue teaching it. Lawrence World-Journal

The D.C. teacher of the year has been named. Julia King is a 7th-grade teacher at D.C. Prep Public Charter School. Mayor Vincent Gray surprised her in her classroom last week with the announcement. Washington Post

It's well known that standardized tests quantify what students know in core subject areas, but what about health and sex ed? D.C. released standardized test scores from 5th and 8th-graders in health and sexual education for the efirst time this week. The students performed well on the health section but lacked knowledge on human anatomy. Washington Post

Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: If Indiana won't have Tony Bennett, maybe Florida will

Is your school district hanging on the edge of the fiscal cliff? The cliff, or the situation the nation will be in if sequestration (automatic spending cuts) go into effect, may affect some school districts more than others. Politics K-12

Tony Bennett may have lost his re-election bid for Indiana State Superintendent of Public Instruction, but it doesn’t mean he’s out of politics. He’s seeking the same job in Florida. In Florida, the position is appointed by the governor, not elected. Indy Star

What if, instead of standardized homework, students were able to work at their own pace? Some educators in the Urbandale school district are allowing their students to do just that. Instead of homework, students take on “quests,” that give them the opportunity to take their education into their own hands. Des Moines Register

It has long been touted that university classrooms may not be the best place for teachers to learn to teach. Maybe the same is true for principals learning to lead. Principal-preparation initiatives – programs that train principals-to-be in the districts and schools they may end up leading, are growing. Education Week

Jeb Bush writes an opinion piece arguing that one solution to the fiscal challenges in higher education is an increased emphasis on online classes. Learning online is inexpensive – it doesn’t involve dorms, gyms or debt. Newsday
Read Entire Post

Reports of the Common Core Standards' demise are premature

Journalists say three events constitute a trend. In education policy, apparently, it only takes one.

In Tuesday’s election, Tony Bennett, the state superintendent of education in Indiana, lost his bid for re-election to Glenda Ritz, a teacher. Bennett had been a strong advocate of the Common Core State Standards, and a couple of commentators, in the wake of the election, suggested that his defeat spells doom for the standards.

It might be time to take a deep breath.

 

Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: November 7, 2012

Last night saw some major victories… and some major upsets. In education-related elections, one of these big upsets came in Indiana – where the electorate voted in Glenda Ritz to take the place of controversial state Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Bennett. Washington Post

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr – a popular leader, found himself staring at goat guts recently. The Maryland-based superintendent shadowed a student to his lab class for a true ‘hands on’ experience. Washington Post

President Obama has won re-election, and the majorities in house and senate have stayed the same. What does that mean for education? Will Congress stay divided and continue to gridlock on education issues? Politics K-12

For the first time, children brought to the states illegally will receive tuition breaks at Maryland’s public colleges and universities. These “Dreamers” celebrated last night. “This means so much to me, my parents and my family – who are the other dreams,” one student said. Baltimore Sun

Georgia voters said “yes” to approve Amendment One – which will amend the state constitution to allow the state to approve charter schools and establish a commission to consider applications for them. Atlanta Journal Constitution

Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: November 5, 2012

New York City schools are open, and the picture on the front of this story – of a music teacher hugging individual students as they come back to school, says it all. New York Times

It’s education in the election news all day long today. Obama and Romney lay out their views on education one final time in this video. Did they answer all your platform questions? Washington Post

Election is a hot topic issue in statewide ballots, not just in the federal election. Here is a breakdown of state-by-state ballot measures and initiatives to help you decide how you’ll vote. National Conference of State Legislatures

George Lucas, Star Wars director, will donate $4 billion to an education foundation. The funds come from the sale of Lucasfilm Ltd. to Disney. Huffington Post

Jeb Bush defends Indiana’s new grading system. He argues in a new opinion column that “by adopting an A-F school grading system last year, Indiana took an important step in providing families with clear and concise information regarding student performance at their schools.” He says the state deserves credit. Indy Star

There are other ways to assess student growth and mastery of skills and concepts than traditional tests, Monty Neill, executive director of the non-profit National Center for Fair & Open Testing, known as FairTest, writes. He references one alternative by the New York Performance Standards Consortium that uses performance-based assessments. Washington Post
Read Entire Post

Morning Announcements: June 11, 2012

Good morning and welcome to your Monday edition of Morning Announcements here at High School Soup! Shake out the weekend cobwebs and let’s get down to this morning’s developments.

We told you recently that the U.S. Department of Education had released a draft of its rules for a proposed Race to the Top competition at the district level. Education Week  reports that “the department has received hundreds of comments, from the big organizations representing governors, state schools chiefs, and state and local school board members to well-known think tanks, like the Center for American Progress, and random interested folks who just go by their first names, Madonna-style.”

Read Entire Post