Morning Announcements: March 9, 2012

Happy Friday! In only a matter of hours you will be free to hang out and enjoy the weekend. (If you haven’t already done so.) For now, catch up with the latest in education news.

According to the Huffington Post, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) will introduce an early education bill to help the economy. The plan stems from when the Senator asked a panel of education experts at a committee hearing how they would improve the country's public schools. He was surprised by the fact they didn't mention early learning.

We’ve been following the battle over teacher tenure in Virginia for quite some time and now the fight may have finally drawn to a close. The Washington Post reports that Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell’s bill to eliminate tenure-style job protections for public school teachers died yesterday at the hands of the Republican-led Senate.

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Morning Announcements: March 7, 2012

Happy Wednesday! Two days in, two more to go. So treat yourself to a mid-week snack. You’ve gotten this far so you deserve it. While munching, take in some of the latest in education news.

The second round of No Child Left Behind waiver applications have been collected and the U.S. Department of Education has doubled its team of outside peer reviewers who will help decide what changes states must adopt before they can get their second-round proposals approved. As Education Week reports, this includes 42 judges who will examine the 27 waiver applications.

Teachers are not happy campers. The Huffington Post reports that with budget cuts, booming class sizes, radical hiring changes and governors who curtailed a collective-bargaining rights, teachers' job satisfaction is at a two-decade low, according to a new survey released Wednesday.

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Morning Announcements: March 6, 2012

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday! Enjoy the latest headlines in education news.

TeacherBeat reports that a study recently released by the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research concluded that a variety of Florida alternative-certification programs attracted a more qualified-on-paper group of teacher candidates compared to traditionally certified teachers. However these alternative programs varied in how effective their graduates were in the classroom.

Also in Florida, National Public Radio introduces you to eighteen year-old Daniela Pelaez. She is the valedictorian of her high school in Miami. However, despite stellar academic performance and having lived in the United States since she was four, Daniela is facing deportation. Her lawyer has said they will appeal the federal judge's ruling. And in the meantime, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman says that the agency will not rush to act in her case.

NPR is also reporting that school districts are getting tougher on third graders. There's little dispute among educators that kids aren't reading as well as they should be. Now, a growing number of states are taking a hardline approach, requiring that third-graders who can't read at grade level be automatically held back. But some worry that will do more harm than good.

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Morning Announcements: March 5, 2012

Greetings and Happy (or not-so-much) Monday! Get back into the grind of the 9-5 by being up-to-date on the latest in education news.

According to Stateline, after making sever cuts in the state budget, Florida Governor Rick Scott urged legislators to put back $1 billion toward K-12 education. Educators appreciate the help, but say they will still be struggling in 2013 because the restored education funds will not make up for the damage already done through cutbacks.

Budget cuts are also a key focus in New York City. Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s cuts to education and childcare may threaten city programs for children as reported by the New York Times. Advocates are concerned that cuts to the city’s child care and after-school programs could result in 47,000 children losing access to those services.

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Morning Announcements: March 2, 2012

Happy Friday! Take in some education news before your afternoon nap.

For the fourth day in a row, Virginia’s Senate put off voting whether to eliminate teacher tenure. According to the Washington Post, the continued delay is because the Senate suggests that Governor Robert F. McDonnell may not yet have secured enough votes to pass the measure.

One-fifth of new principals leave within a year or two, and their schools continue on a downward academic slide, according to the RAND Corp. As Education Week reports, the study suggests that quick principal turnover bodes poorly for schools overall.

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Morning Announcements: February 27, 2012

Greetings! We hope you enjoyed your weekend and are ready to get back into the trenches advocating for quality education for all. To help you get started, take a look at some of the latest headlines.

In New York City, the United Federation of Teachers is seeking to politically capitalize on a recent legal setback after the rankings of more than 18,000 teachers were made available to the public. As the New York Times reports, the hotly contested move is actually helping to galvanize members and mobilize allies on the left.

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that the state of Maryland is set to join the growing number of states seeking exemption from certain elements of the No Child Left Behind act through waivers. The application claims schools should cut achievement gaps in half in the next six years.

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Morning Announcements: February 24, 2012

Happy Friday! We bring you the Morning Announcements even earlier so that you can get caught up on all the latest education news before the afternoon lag sets in and you mysteriously disappear from the office. Enjoy!

Education Week is reporting that the U.S. Department of Education has begun switching its focus to the most important part of the No Child Left Behind waiver process: holding states accountable for the promises they’ve made. With 11 states now granted an exemption from some parts of the No Child Left Behind Act and another round of states preparing their waiver applications, the Education Department now stands ready to monitor subgroups.

PBS is highlighting the increase in popularity for online public schools. Full-time public cyber schools are now an option in 30 states, allowing some 250,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade to press buttons to raise their hands and message their teachers. However, many questions still remain about the quality of K12 education provided online and PBS analyzes the issue in one of the states most popular for online learning: Pennsylvania.

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Morning Announcements: February 23, 2012

Good Morning! Before you head to lunch, catch up on the latest in education news with the following headlines.

Anti-bullying initiatives made be having an impact in the classroom and schools across the county. According to the Associated Press, violent crime in U.S. schools is declining, and students and schools are reporting less bullying and gang activity. This is welcome news for anti-bullying advocates.

After protests from unions, community activists and parents, Chicago’s public school board voted to shake up the teaching staffs at 17 low-performing public schools. As the Wall Street Journal reports, this is a minor victory for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in his battle with the teachers union over his aggressive stance on education overhauls. The debate over school closure continues.

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Morning Announcements: February 22, 2012

Enjoy the middle of the week fatigue, but before exhaustion sets in, take in the latest headlines in education!

Education Week brings you a new report by the New Teacher Center. The report scrutinizes states’ teacher-induction policies and finds as there are more and more novice teachers in the ranks of the profession, states' teacher induction policies are generally disorganized.

Teachers continue to be the focus of educational reform. According to the Associated Press, Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy is pushing for tightening teacher tenure rules, contending that the state has some teachers who "don't belong" in the classroom. Tough words for tough reform.

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Morning Announcements: February 21, 2012

Good Morning! Fortunately we were able to skip the sluggish Monday had head right into Tuesday. The countdown through a short week begins! Here are your latest education headlines.

As a part of the Obama administration’s efforts to address the alarming rate of childhood obesity, a new will be announced that highlights guidelines for vending machines in schools, according to the New York Times. The goal is to set nationwide standards that promote healthy choices for nourishment of growing children.

In Chicago, the public schools system’s new administration has added a new assessment test for elementary school students. As the Chicago Tribune reports, the new measures come after years of complaints from teachers and administrators that the previous assessment tests for the state's Illinois Standard Achievement Test set the bar too low when preparing kids for college.

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