Afternoon Announcements: June 21, 2012

Hellooooo, Thursday! Welcome to your afternoon announcements! Although today’s introduction is peppy, some of the news we have today is less than chipper. Bear with us as we walk you through your education news for the day.

First up, Gallup says that “confidence in America’s public schools has hit a record low, with only 29 percent of respondents expressing ‘a great deal’ or ‘quite a lot’ of confidence in them.” The previous low was 33 percent in 2007 and 2008. The Huffington Post has the news. How confident are you in America’s public schools? Let us known in the comments!

Morning Announcements: July 23, 2010

According to the College Board, the United States has dropped back from first place to twelfth place among 36 other developed nations in the number of 25- to 34 year olds with college degrees.
 
Summer break is no longer a luxury that American school children can afford, according to a recent story in TIME Magazine.

Vermont considers joining a group of 30 other states called the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium which aims to develop tests that better reflect student and school progress.

Hawaii public schools will roll out online testing for reading and math proficiency this fall and for the first time students will be able to take the test up to three times, using their best score to gauge what they are learning in the classroom, according to the Star Advertiser.

The Boston Herald reports that the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has approved restrictions for any virtual schools that want to open in the state.

Montana will use $11.5 million in federal grants to turn around seven of the state’s lowest performing schools including  four high schools and two elementary schools.

The Virginia Board of Education takes a fresh look at the state’s teacher accountability provisions including teacher evaluations that take into account student growth.