Afternoon Announcements: Explaining Improves Learning

Panelists at a symposium for the annual Association for Psychological Science research meeting this month discussed the benefits of asking children and students to explain what’s going on for their learning development. Explaining not only helps them reaffirm their knowledge of facts but understand the underlying concepts, as well. Education Week

Ads targeting students and parents for back to school clothing and supplies are already surfacing, even though the school year hasn’t yet finished. Analysts expect the reason is because of the faltering economy; the goal is to encourage purchasing now because of uncertainty over what the future might bring. New York Times

This blog post looks at the work that former Florida Governor Jeb Bush did on improving student literacy. He coupled it with supports. Eduwonk 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
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Afternoon announcements: October 17, 2012

Picture this: it’s last night, and the TV is tuned to the live presidential debate, and yet I’m following it on twitter on my phone. Does anyone else do that? I would miss a line, distracted reading the newest memes coming out of the debate and then go back and catch up on what was actually said. Welcome to the 21st century, alright! And with that, here’s your #ednews roundup.

Obama brought up education… while answering a question on gun violence. He referenced Common Core State Standards, though not by name, saying they are “starting to succeed.” Huffington Post

The first question of the debate pertained to education as well: “How can you assure that I’ll be able to support myself after I graduate?” Short of faking your death Tom Sawyer style to escape your loans, I assume the questioner meant. Romney & Obama linked the education back to the economy, stressing that a stronger economy will lead to more jobs. Education Week

Moving away from the debate, fifth-graders in Pennsylvania are being taught above their grade level. The Pittsburgh Concord K-5 school is teaching both 5th and 6th grade math to their students to prepare for the changes that will come with Common Core implementation. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Earlier this week, we shared a feature on Jeb Bush with you from New York Magazine. It seems Mr. Bush wasn’t too happy about some of what was said. He writes a letter back to NY Mag disputing some of their claims. New York Magazine Read Entire Post

Afternoon Announcements: Friday, August 31

Before you hit the road for that last weekend at the beach, we invite you to enjoy today's afternoon announcements. Besides, wouldn't you rather read the latest education news instead of spending hours sitting in a traffic jam?

Our first three articles for today focus on the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. The Tampa Bay Times reports on former Florida Governor Jeb Bush's speech at the convention yesterday, when he called the need for better schools "the great moral and economic issue of our time." The Huffington Post has the complete text of Bush's speech.

Also reporting from Tampa, Alyson Klein of Education Week says that the Common Core State Standards are "dividing" the Republican party. "On the one hand," she writes, "there's Jeb Bush, a key Romney surrogate and the former GOP governor of Florida. He points out that a majority of GOP governors have embraced the standards." On the other hand is Gayle Ruzeicka, president of the Utah Eagle Forum, and a delegate to the Republican National Convention," who calls the standards "Obama Core."

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Afternoon Announcements: November 16, 2011

Politico writes that eleven states have submitted waiver requests to get out from under provisions of No Child Left Behind, less than two months after the President Obama announced he would excuse states from some requirements of the Bush-era education reform law.

An increase in Hispanic students across the nation is forcing schools to deal with a serious shortage of teachers who share their cultural heritage, reports the Washington Post, citing that more than 21 percent of schoolchildren are Hispanic, compared with 7 percent of teachers.

The Huffington Post reports that, “given sophisticated new digital tools, increased investment in app development, and the near-ubiquity of mobile devices, educational software developers are creating more engaging and empowering content today than ever before.”

From the offices of the U.S. Department of Education come appeals for union-district collaboration and from local school districts come examples of labor and management working through divisive issues, in areas such as performance pay and teacher evaluation, writes Education Week.

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Afternoon Announcements: November 9, 2011

A much-anticipated hearing was held yesterday on a Senate bill that would reauthorize the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Education Week blogs that the hearing had “one of the bill's chief sponsors casting it as an important but imperfect compromise, while republicans were saying the bill wouldn't do enough to rein in the federal role in education.” The Associated Press writes that although lawmakers in Washington, DC are in agreement that NCLB needs to be fixed, finding the fix hasn’t been easy.

In Education Next, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush talks about the importance of giving every student a digital learning experience.

Some lawmakers and educators want the Alabama state school board to retract its decision to adopt a set of national core standards for teaching math and English, reports the Associated Press.

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New Issue of Straight A's Now Available

The October 17, 2011 issue of Straight A's, the Alliance's biweekly newsletter, is now available. Sign up to receive a free subscription to Straight A's.

This week's issue focuses on the Senate Health, Labor, and Pensions Committee's bill to overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB); federal funding for education programs; new federal legislation that would combine rigorous coursework with workplace experience; NCLB waivers; and a new report comparing how U.S. students fare when compared to their international counterparts.

Links to individual articles are available after the jump.

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Morning Announcements: October 12, 2011

The New York Times and every other national news outlet reported on senior Senate Democrat Tom Harkin’s released draft of a sprawling revision of the No Child Left Behind education law on Tuesday that would dismantle the provisions of the law that used standardized test scores in reading and math to label tens of thousands of public schools as failing. The 865-page bill, filed by the Iowa Democrat who heads the Senate education committee, became the first comprehensive piece of legislation overhauling the law to reach either Congressional chamber since President George W. Bush signed it in 2002.

The Washington Post reported that Harkin’s plan to revamp the main federal education law immediately drew fire from civil rights groups that argued it would ease pressure on schools to provide quality education to all children, regardless of race or income. Further, Education Week   reported the accountability system at the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act would be completely reinvented under the draft reauthorization proposal.

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Wise: Digital Learning Has Produced Noticeable Gains

The World Economic Forum recently announced that the United States fell to fifth place in its annual competitiveness rankings behind Switzerland, Singapore, Sweden, and Finland—countries known not just for competitive economies but also for their world-class education systems. While the United States continues to enjoy benefits from earlier education investments, it risks falling further behind if it fails to embrace advances in technology that can improve education outcomes for all students.

Last Sunday’s New York Times article, “In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores,” gives an incomplete picture of the current—and rapidly developing—use of technology and digital learning. By focusing essentially on one Arizona school district, the article ignores the positive changes taking place in many other schools and districts as a result of innovative instructional methods that use technology to improve teaching and learning. Successful initiatives implement technology as part of a comprehensive plan that personalizes learning for the student, allows teachers to be more effective, and gives students access to richer content in an engaging way. While more research still needs to be done, there are many schools around the country that have achieved noticeable student gains by adding digital learning and technology focused on increased personalized learning for students and additional teacher training.

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Digital Learning Now! Highlights Element #4: Advancement

Alliance President Bob Wise and Open Education Solutions CEO Tom Vander Ark continue Digital Learning Now!'s (DLN) video series outlining the "10 Elements of High-Quality Digital Learning." Today's video focuses on Element #4: "Advancement," which says states should requires matriculation based on demonstrated competency. Read Entire Post