Afternoon Announcements: Nevada Focuses Attention, Funds on ELLs

District leaders are calling for more time for teachers to prepare for the transition to the Common Core State Standards. “We must make adequate time for a thoughtful conversation about how assessments can be used to provide instructionally useful information to schools in a timely manner,” say four organizations representing school district leaders in a statement. “Adequate” is not defined. Politics K-12

Some education leaders in Nevada want to increase per pupil spending on English-language learners. With a disproportionate number of students learning English in school, the sees a possibility of increasing overall graduation numbers and potential earnings by focusing on ELLs. Education Week

Delaware wants to decrease the gap between jobs available in STEM fields – science, technology, engineering, and math – and trained workers to fill them. To do this, the state wants to match students with companies in these fields, in an effort to ensure students are able to compete in a tough job market. Delaware Online

The Council of Chief State School Officers has drafted a document rejecting calls for a moratorium on high stakes tied to the Common Core State Standards. In it, they request flexibility for states to make the transition. Politics K-12 Read Entire Post

Afternoon Announcements: STEM Education Could Get $100 in Additional Funds

Ninety-two percent of elementary, middle, and high school students surveyed in a recent study believe that digital technology is the direction education is moving and believe increased access to it would make learning more enjoyable. The Student Mobile Device Survey was conducted for learning company Pearson by Harris Interactive. Information Week

Sequestration cuts will impact how many students take national tests in social studies for 2014. The National Assessment Governing Board voted to postpone the 4th and 12th grade tests in civics, history, and geography, but the assessments will continue for 8th graders. Politics K-12

According to research by the Pew Hispanic Center, 7 in 10 Latino high school graduates in the class of 2012 went to college. That’s a record college enrollment rate for Latinos. The group surpassed white and black students but still lagged behind Asian-Americans. NPR

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to put additional resources toward science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (STEM) education. It could mean an additional $100 million annually for STEM. Politics K-12 Read Entire Post

Afternoon Announcements: Two-Year Blended Learning Certificate Program Offered in New York

At the White House science fair earlier this week, President Obama reiterated that science education must be a “priority.” He promoted science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education (STEM) at the event. USA Today

The University of Florida will offer online bachelor’s degree programs starting next year. It’s the first time a university has embraced full-time online education in the state. “This bill transforms education in Florida,” said House Speaker Will Weatherford. Reuters

West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin announced a partnership with the Alliance for Excellent Education to begin a statewide review of classroom technology and digital learning capabilities last week.  One editorial writer calls it a “great opportunity.” The Register-Herald

The New York City Department of Education announced a new two-year program in which teachers can receive a certificate in blended learning. “We are looking for teachers who believe that in order to adequately prepare students for today’s colleges and careers, we need to rethink the factory-model of education and leverage 21st century tools and strategies,” the press release says. Hechinger Report Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: November 1, 2012

The chilly weather and abundance of hot cider at every cafe and coffeeshop in town can only mean one thing - it's November! Hope you're staying warm and dry.

Many of us in the education sector advocate strongly for increased digital learning in the classroom. But recent surveys say that many teachers believe using digital technology in the classroom is a recipe for a shortened attention span and an excuse for distractions. The researchers emphasize that those are subjective opinions and not definitive evidence or proof. What we can know for sure is that technology is changing how students learn. New York Times

Romney is officially back on the campaign trail post-Sandy. He appeared in Tampa for the second time in five days earlier this week. Romney gave a shout-out to Gov. Jeb Bush, who joined him at the rally, saying Bush is the source of his education proposals. Tampa Bay Online

Mayland is seeing a rise in their high school graduation rates, according to information released by the State Department of Education on Wednesday. They found that 83 percent of students who began high school in 2007-2008 graduated in 2011, up from 82 percent in 2010. Baltimore Sun

Students in New York City will be out of school for the remainder of the week, due to the flooding and damage from superstorm Sandy. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a press conference that he hopes schools will reopen by Monday. 1.1 million students are out of school Huffington Post

Obama has said in his campaign education platform that he wants to recruit 100,000 new science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers by 2022. Is that enough? An opinion writer breaks down the numbers and the nation’s need. Washington Post

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Afternoon announcements: October 22, 2012

Wendy Kopp writes a convincing opinion piece on why education should be a topic in tonight's foreign policy presidential debate. She tells the story of Malala Yousafza, the 14 year old Pakistani girl attacked by the Taliban in her pursuit of education. Time  

Fairfax County’s population of homeless students is on the rise. They’re expected to rise above 2,500 by the end of this school year, school official’s have said. If that happens, it will mark a new record. Fairfax County is one of most affluent districts in the US. Reports say that the increase is likely due to the effects of the economic recession. Washington Post

US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently gave remarks at the TIME higher education summit. You can read the full transcript at the Department of Education website. Education Department

Remember last week, we highlighted an opinion piece in The Atlantic on Advanced Placement? The author claims it’s a scam. Today, Jay Matthews, self-proclaimed as obsessed with AP, offers a rebuttal in the Washington Post. “He [John Tierney] seems unaware that AP classes and exams are designed by college professors to mimic their introductory courses, and that more than 5,000 college faculty have checked AP syllabi or graded AP exams to ensure it. Almost all colleges give credit or access to higher courses for good scores on AP exams.” Washington Post

A former Marine and current STEM teacher passionately sounds off on the current state of the teaching profession, saying, “I am a teacher. Let me teach.” Diane Ravitch’s blog

A 17-year old high school senior writes intelligently on the need for more project-based learning in the classroom. “Can creativity be taught?” She asks. “Absolutely. The real question is: ‘How do we teach it?’” MindShift

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Afternoon Announcements: June 20, 2012

It's Wednesday, and it is very hot here in Washington, D.C. Why not cool down and read some of today's education news?

In an effort to get the presidential candidates to focus more on reforming education, the College Board yesterday set up 857 desks on the National Mall to represent the number of students who drop out each hour of every school day. The news on the "Don't Forget Ed!" Campaign comes from the Associated Press.

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Stats That Stick: May 30, 2012

We’re back with another edition of Stats That Stick. Do you have any particularly sticky stats from this week? Leave them for us in the comments!

Number of states that have been approved for a No Child Left Behind Waiver: 17

With yesterday’s approval of eight more NCLB waivers, the number of states who have been awarded flexibility from the current iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act stands at 17. 26 additional states and the District of Columbia still have pending waiver requests, according to the Associated Press

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Afternoon Announcements: May 25, 2012

It’s Friday. You made it. Let us be the first to congratulate you! Although this Memorial Day Weekend will likely be filled with cookouts, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and celebrating the start of summer, be sure to take the time to think about all of the men and women in the armed forces who have served or continue to serve our country both at home and abroad and especially those who gave their lives in the line of duty. With that said, there are just a few afternoon announcements to share with you today.

First, The Washington Post looks at high schools that are promoting a college-style learning environment. Whether it’s “fewer scheduled hours of class, more independent work and less hand-holding from instructors,” these high schools are trying to prepare their students for postsecondary education and make the often-difficult academic transition from K-12 to higher education a little bit easier.

Next, The Associated Press reports that more high school students are enrolling in math and science classes according to the Department of Education’s recently released Condition of Education: 2012. This is good news because the STEM fields are in demand in the job market, and the skills needed to succeed in them are key to competing in the 21st century global economy.

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Afternoon Announcements: May 24, 2012

Welcome to your Thursday announcements! After you’re done reading these, why not register for today’s webinar on the three T’s? It’s not too late to register, and the webinar is at 2pm.  

Yesterday’s big news in education was the announcement of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s education platform. Mr. Romney’s speech came before a luncheon of Latino business leaders, during which called education “the civil rights issue of our era” and said that “millions of kids are getting a third-world education.” Different outlets focused on different parts of Mr. Romney’s speech. Here are three takes from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and The Washington Times.

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Afternoon Announcements: February 8, 2012

Happy Wednesday, here are the latest headlines in education news. Enjoy.

During a science fair held at the White House yesterday, President Obama declared that the nation was in need of more “tinkerers and dreamers.” According the New York Times, the President announced new federal and private-sector education initiatives to encourage student engagement and development in STEM curriculum.

Principals and assistant principals in Tennessee have traveled to thousands of classrooms in the state an to spend at least an hour annually observing and rating every teacher, guidance counselor, social worker and librarian. But as the Hechinger Report notes, the new methods of teacher evaluation have come across a bump in what will be a long road ahead.

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