Afternoon Announcements: June 13, 2012

Ah, Wednesday, and since it’s past 1pm, well, on the east coast at least, it means you’re halfway through the work week. What will come of the remaining 2.5 days of your work week? Promotion? Rainstorm? ESEA reauthorization? Who can say, really? What we do know is that there are some education policy tidbits for you this afternoon. High School Soup’s Daily Announcements: Consistency in an Inconsistent Education World.

The Senate subcommittee that oversees education spending passed a bill that would increase the U.S. Department of Education’s budget by $400 million to $68.5 billion. Education Week has the report here. Increases would be made to school districts’ Title I allocations as well as special education state grants. The bill passed on an unsurprising party line vote 10-7.

Afternoon Announcements: January 20, 2012

Before you head out for a permanent lunch that leads straight into your weekend, take in some of the latest information in the world of education.

The Washington Post reports that the waiver application for No Child Left Behind is now available for review. The District’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education has posted a draft of its application for relief from the federal No Child Left Behind law and comments are encouraged.

Yesterday, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, amid strong efforts for a recall election, unveiled an education reform package that would rate schools. According to the Wisconsin State-Journal, the new initiative would connect teacher evaluations to student test scores and require all kindergartners to take a reading test funded by the state. The new reform package would take in effect next school year.

Morning Announcements: November 11, 2011

This morning's announcements come to you courtesy of Alliance Policy Intern Bill DeBaun:

Good morning and happy Veterans Day, everyone. Before I get into the announcements, we here at the Alliance for Excellent Education want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our veterans and men and women in uniform. We remember your personal sacrifices on behalf of the United States of America and her citizens and are grateful for the freedoms and opportunities those sacrifices have earned for all of us.

It’s a relatively light day in the world of education news, but let’s get down to it.

And Montana makes 47. The Billings Gazette reports that Montana has adopted the common core state standards. With Montana now on board, a total of 46 states and the District of Columbia have adopted a common set of educational standards for K–12 English language arts and mathematics that are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are prepared to succeed in college and a career.

Alabama’s State Board of Education has decided to keep the state involved in the Common Core Standards Initiative. The Montgomery Advertiser describes the 6–3 vote in support of the national set of math and English standards for students.

Morning Announcements: February 25, 2011

In Forbes magazine, Michael Horn suggests that online learning would be a more affordable alternative to extended learning time.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to limit the collective bargaining rights of public employees was widely covered this morning with a story in Education Week and two opinion pieces in the Wall Street Journal.

The New York Times reports that the American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten announced a plan yesterday to overhaul how teachers are evaluated and dismissed.

The Texas Tribune asks do Texas schools spend too much on administration?

Morning Announcements: November 11, 2010

The Chicago Tribune editorial board writes about the lowest performing schools in Illinois and the need to reauthorize No Child Left Behind: “We've strongly supported the goals of No Child. But these latest scores reveal more than faltering schools. They expose a law that needs an overhaul to be more effective.”

Education Week reports on the Obama administration’s National Education Technology Plan that was released Tuesday. As part of the action plan, U.S. Department of Education intends to pay for research to study online professional-collaboration communities for teachers and other educators.

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof explains the state of education in Pakistan, writing, “One reason Pakistan is sometimes called the most dangerous country in the world is this: a kindergarten child in this country has only a 1 percent chance of reaching the 12th grade, according to the Pakistan Education Task Force, an official panel.”

Morning Announcements: November 8, 2010

A story in Education Daily explains how although a bipartisan compromise on an ESEA reauthorization bill next year will be difficult, it could provide political benefits for both parties. Bob Wise, president of the Alliance, is quoted as saying, “I'm somewhat bullish that education can be an issue in which both parties can come together. Unlike 1994, when Republicans did not know how to be in the majority, and Democrats didn't know how to be in the minority, folks have learned how to switch. Both sides have had training. Presumptive House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and the House Republican leadership team are much more ready to hit the ground running. 2011 can be in education what welfare reform was in 1994.”

In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Jim Simons, a mathematician and retired founder of Renaissance Technologies, writes, “Whatever is happening during high school, the result is that too few of our kids who go on to college are prepared or inspired to major in math, science or engineering, the bedrock of the new economy.”

The New York Times reports on the rising number of college applications that selective schools receive and asks when is enough enough?

Department of Education Announces $442 million in Teacher Incentive Fund Grants

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education announced $442 million in teacher incentive fund grants and 62 winners from 27 states. According to the Department’s release, the winning applicants represent rural and urban school districts as well non-profit groups and state education organizations. The program seeks to strengthen the education profession by rewarding excellence, attracting teachers and principals to high-need and hard to staff areas, and providing all teachers and principals with the feedback and support they need to succeed.

"Nothing is more important than great teaching. These grants will help schools build a culture that celebrates excellence in the classroom and helps all teachers improve their practice," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

To see a list of winners, click here. And to see how these grant programs will (or in some cases will not) play out on a district-level, check out excerpts from a few state-level papers:

Top-level teachers in select Jefferson County schools could be paid more than $100,000 a year under a pilot program funded by a new $32.8 million federal grant. The program would make some educators working in a handful of high-poverty schools the highest-paid public school teachers in Colorado. Jefferson County's pilot pay system will roll out in the 2011-12 academic year in a few schools — changing the base pay of all teachers, providing up to $10,000 in annual performance bonuses and creating "master teachers."

"We're changing the norms," said Superintendent Cindy Stevenson. "The profession has to change. If we don't do it, someone else will do it to us."

- Denver Post