Decision 2012: How Will the Elections Affect Federal and State Education Policy?

After months of intense campaigning, the 2012 elections have come to a close, begging the question from education advocates: How will the results of the 2012 elections affect federal and state education policy?

This post will answer that question, focusing on what is likely to change--and what will not--at the federal and state levels. It will also look at some new faces who will play a role in education policy in the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and in governors' mansions and state legislatures around the country.

Afternoon Announcements: January 6, 2012

Before the bell rings on another work week, take a moment to catch up in the world of education reform and policy. Here are the latest education news articles:

To say that a teacher is vital to youth development is an understatement. Teachers serve an enormous role in the lives of children. As reported by the New York Times, a new study sheds light on the correlation of teacher involvement and student achievement. The study indicates that teachers who help raise their students' standardized test scores also have a lasting effect on students' lives outside of the classroom, including reducing teen pregnancy rates and greater college matriculation.

Afternoon Announcements: October 14, 2011

Happy Friday! Here are today's top education headlines courtesy of the Alliance's Policy Intern, Bill DeBaun.

Education Week covers the Alliance's recent announcement about Digital Learning Day, which will be held on February 1, 2012. It highlights the appearance that Alliance President Bob Wise made with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush on Piers Morgan Tonight.

"We're encouraging teachers and educators across the nation to either showcase what they're already doing in digital learning, online learning, software application, whatever it is that's working," Wise said of the day, "as well as those schools and teachers and educators that aren't using digital learning, [asking] what can you do that day to promote it."

The article notes that Bush and Wise have been quite effective in gaining publicity for their message, with last night's appearance on CNN the latest in a string of television, print, and online media appearances. Watch video of the Digital Learning Day announcement courtesy of CNN. Learn more about Digital Learning Day at www.DigitalLearningDay.org.

The Associated Press reports that a majority of states will seek waivers that will get them out of some of No Child Left Behind's requirements. 37 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia have indicated that they will submit the plans necessary to obtain a waiver to the Department of Education. 17 of these states will submit their plans by November 14, which would expedite the Department of Education's review and make waivers for these states possible by early 2012. States that did not file by the October 12 deadline may still do so at a later date.

For the rest of today's afternoon announcements, click the link below.

Morning Announcements: August 25, 2011

Here are your Thursday morning announcements!

A judge ruled yesterday that the New York State Board of Regents erred in its interpretation of a new law on teacher evaluations. The state teachers’ union sued the board in June arguing that the Regents made last minute changes that increased the role of student test scores in teacher evaluations beyond what a 2010 law permitted. Justice Michael C. Lynch of State Supreme Court in Albany sided with the union, but the board plans to appeal, according to the New York Times.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan held his first-ever Twitter Town Hall yesterday, answering questions submitted by people via the social-networking site. Duncan discussed waivers to No Child Left Behind, how much testing is too much, and the country’s dropout rate. Check out Education Week’s summary of the key highlights from the Q&A session.

Morning Announcements: June 27, 2011

San Diego schools fear that larger classes will hinder learning, according to the New York Times.

According to Broadcasting Cable, PBS has teamed with producing stations WGBH Boston, WNET New York, and KET (Kentucky Educational TV) and 31 other noncommercial stations on a new digital media educational service that will be free to teachers, their students, and families.

The Boston Globe reports that state education leaders prepare to vote tomorrow on an overhaul of the way administrators and teachers are evaluated, but local school officials say one key area remains a concern: finding time for overburdened principals to actually do the evaluations.

Morning Announcements: February 9, 2011

The Associated Press reports that the George W. Bush Institute has introduced a new initiative, Middle School Matters, an effort to increase graduation rates by focusing on middle school student performance.

An op-ed in the Los Angeles Business Journal explains the community benefits of improving the high school graduation rate.

U.S. News & World Report is planning on assigning letter grades to teacher colleges around the country according to the New York Times.

Report Round-Up

Return on Educational Investment from the Center for American Progress. This resource applies business thinking to school districts' spending and academic achievement and presents a district-by-district analysis of "educational productivity" by measuring academic achievement outcomes relative to education spending.

The State of Communities of Color in the U.S. Economy from Diverse Issues in Higher Education. This report documents that minorities continue to lag behind Whites in homeownership and economic security while reporting higher rates of unemployment and foreclosures.

School Breakfast Scorecard: School Year 2009-2010 from the Food Research and Action Center. This report finds that roughly 1.2 million more low-income children ate a free or reduced-price school lunch each day during SY 2009-10 compared to the prior school year, while 663,000 more low-income students received a free or reduced-price breakfast every day during the same time period.

Morning Announcements: September 29, 2010

The St. Louis Dispatch writes about the inaugural class of the Ozarks Teacher Corps, a group of southwest Missouri teachers in training who receive $4,000 annual scholarships in exchange for a three-year commitment to work in rural school districts after graduation.

The director of the Public Education Research Institute at Queens University of Charlotte describes how reducing dropouts would provide an economic stimulus in an op-ed in the Charlotte Observer.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he wants to use new methods to evaluate and pay the state's public school teachers, according to the Associated Press.

The Grand Rapids Press editorial board writes, “With apologies to the Realtors who invented the original joke, nearly everybody agrees the three keys to success for Michigan’s economic future are: Education, education, education.”

Morning Announcements: July 16, 2010

The Los Angeles Daily News reports that due to budget cutbacks, the Los Angeles Unified school district and more than a dozen other California districts are shortening the school year.

A Secondary School Reform Act was passed in Connecticut that will set uniform standards in basic science, math, English and History courses that all students will have to meet.

After passing an ambitious education reform law, Maryland is grappling with how to best evaluate teachers, according to the Baltimore Sun.