Morning Announcements: February 28, 2013

Good morning and welcome to your announcements! Today is the last day of February. Yes, it is only the 28th day of the month. If you feel cheated by not having at least two if not three more days in this month, you’re not alone. Calendar class action lawsuit, anyone?

Before we jump into it this morning we want to draw your attention to two great events here at the Alliance today. First., at 1pm EST, join us for a #FixFinAid Twitter Town Hall. This Town Hall will examine solutions for the federal student aid system that can benefit students and spur college completion. Then, immediately following the Town Hall, join us for a webinar titled “Planning for Progress in Digital Learning: Introduction to Technology and Infrastructure,” that’s related to our Project 24 initiative. We hope to see you at both of these!

Now onto your announcements!

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Morning Announcements: February 14, 2012

Happy Valentine’s Day! If you have someone special in your life and you don’t subscribe to the cynical “I don’t do Valentine’s Day, it is such a corporate holiday,” and more importantly, neither does said someone special, then feel free to leave this blog post open in your browser while you scamper out for some last minute flowers, chocolates, life-sized stuffed animals, etc. Go ahead. We’ll be here, but if you botch Valentine’s Day, your special someone may not be.

The relationship advice portion of our Morning Announcements concluded, how about some, you know, announcements?

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Morning announcements: October 25, 2012

DC school enrollment has long been on the decline, but that trend is finally changing. This fall, the number of students enrolled in public and public charter schools rose more than five percent. The majority of the gain is in charter schools. Washington Post

Several states are looking to provide public school students with computers to increase learning. Both Idaho and Hawaii are currently trying to secure funding. Ventura County Star & Idaho Statesman

With the election quickly approaching, there’s not much more time to convince undecided voters of why to vote and for whom to vote. The federal government has an increasing amount of influence in education policy. Here’s where the candidates stand on education and why the topic matters in this election. Huffington Post

If Obama wins a second term, what will his administration look like on education policy in the next four years? Yesterday, his campaign announced next steps for education, including cutting college tuition, strengthening public schools, expanding No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers and more. Politics K-12

Do you often ask Siri for directions or to schedule meetings and social commitments for you? Have you integrated the iPhone’s feature into your daily life? Siri’s benefits may extend beyond personal use… into the classroom! One teacher shares the benefits of utilizing Siri in the classroom. Power Learning Practice Network

One way to increase students’ writing skills would be to encourage one-on-one teacher-student editing sessions. It would be time consuming, but the rewards may be worth it. Washington Post
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Morning Announcements: May 4, 2012

Happy Friday! We won’t hold you up from enjoying your weekend sooner, so here are the latest education headlines. Zip through them and you’re one step closer to zipping through your day and work week!

California Watch continues the analysis of special education in the American school system. After failing for the eighth straight year to meet service delivery targets for special education, Los Angeles Unified School District has begun interviewing staff to understand why records indicate thousands of students with disabilities are not receiving their prescribed services.

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Morning Announcements: May 2, 2012

Technology is the topic of the day with so much of the day’s education reporting focusing on the impact of digital innovation in the classroom. Happy Wednesday, as you engage in digital learning by reading this from your smart phone, tablet, or computer, embrace some of the latest headlines.

From the Washington Post, Montgomery County middle school teacher Amy Soldavini recently borrowed an online lesson comparing hip-hop artists to the Bard. Math teachers at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County sometimes assign students to watch free instructional Web videos at home so they can solve more challenging problems in class. Free online digital textbooks are providing a new competition for traditional textbook retailers.

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Morning Announcements: May 1, 2012

Good Morning, here are your latest headlines in educational news. Enjoy!

According to the New York Times, a report by charter school advocates found that teacher and principal attrition is a significant hurdle for the sector, which is young but growing quickly. There currently exists a rate turnover rate for principals in American charter schools.

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Morning Announcements April 30, 2012

Happy Monday (or at least pretend to be happy, soon it’ll be over). Here are the top headlines in education news. Enjoy!

The Chicago Tribune reports that the cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools is racing to spend about $16 million in federal tutoring grants by the end of the summer to avoid losing the money in a program plagued by dwindling participation and financial missteps.

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Morning Announcements April 27, 2012

Congratulations, it’s another Friday. You’ve made it through a tiring, hectic work week and are now free to relax and kick back or party hard, whichever you prefer. But not just yet. Until the work day officially ends, you’re stuck here. You might as well take in some education news in the meantime.

The Wall Street Journal reports that some local Head Start programs for the first time will have to compete for a share of $7.6 billion in federal funding under a plan aimed at weeding out low-performing preschool centers.

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Morning Announcements April 25, 2012

Happy Wednesday, here are your latest education headlines. President Obama is drawing more attention to legislation that will double the interest rates of Stafford loans for college students in July. The bill would add an additional thousand dollars in expense for students who are looking to advancing their education. The President stopped by Late Night with Jim Fallon to voice his opposition in an unconventionally smooth way. President Barack Obama slow jams the news. Take a look at the video above!

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Morning Announcements: April 24, 2012

From USA Today, There is increasing support to bring arts education back to public schools around the country, Particularly, politicians, business leaders, educators, artists and parents are making a big push to restore the arts to California public schools. And the Associated Press reports that celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Kerry Washington and Forest Whitaker are adopting some of the nation's worst-performing schools and pledging to help the Obama administration turn them around by integrating arts education.

From Education Week, a bipartisan group of senators wants to make sure the Obama administration doesn't leave rural schools out in the cold when it crafts the next generation of the Race to the Top competition, which is aimed at districts and could be funded at as much as $417 million.

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