Afternoon Announcements: October 25, 2011

The Huffington Post recaps last Monday night’s Republican primary debate: “There were 15 questions (and answers) on tax reform, 2 on energy and jobs, one heated back-and-forth on health care, 12 questions and responses on immigration, 5 on the home-mortgage crisis, 3 on the "Occupy Wall Street" movement, 4 on religion and values, 4 on the budget deficit, one on terrorism, 4 on foreign policy and a final question on who is the best candidate in general to win the race. How many questions and responses were there on the public education crisis and education reform? Zero.”

The New York Times reports on new A-through-F high school report card that finds only one in four students who enter high school in New York City are ready for college after four years, and less than half enroll.

Education Week reports that in less than three weeks, states will begin turning in their applications for waivers under No Child Left Behind, and then it will be up to a cadre of peer reviewers to help Education Secretary Arne Duncan decide who gets a waiver, and who doesn’t.

Morning Announcements: February 4, 2011

The Kansas City Star reports on the opportunities and challenges in implementing the common core state standards.

The Orlando Sentinel reports on why it’s a tough time to be a public school teacher in Florida right now, writing, “Gov. Rick Scott wants to make public employees contribute to their pensions, which would amount to a 5 percent pay cut for teachers. Lawmakers are again pushing to adopt a merit-pay bill that would overhaul how teachers are evaluated and paid — relying heavily on tests to judge their quality — and end tenure for new instructors.”

Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist wants to push back the deadline for more rigorous high school graduation requirements and is backing off her proposal that Rhode Island establish a three-tier diploma system, according to the Providence Journal.

Morning Announcements 8.26.10

Yesterday in Little Rock, Secretary Duncan asked public schools to provide educators with a more student achievement data and parents with more  information on teacher effectiveness, according to the Washington Post.

In Indiana, more than 21,000 Indiana high school students earned college credits through Ivy Tech Community College last year which saved parents more than $10 million in tuition bills according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.

In Boston a coalition of businesses, civic organizations and grassroots groups have come together to push for drastic changes in the Boston Teacher Union contract, according to the Boston Globe.

Georgia state officials plan on using their share of Race to the Top money to pilot a merit pay program for educators, expand a system that tracks students from pre-kindergarten through college, boost graduation rates by thousands of students, and revamp the state's math and English standards according to the News Observer.

In an editorial, the Oregonian asks, “Once the state is convinced that online students are receiving a quality education, why should it prevent other families from making the same choice?”