LET’S GET DIGITAL: First-Ever National Digital Learning Day Attracts Participation from Thirty-Nine States, 19,000 Teachers, and 1.7 Million Students: On February 1, thirty-nine states, 19,000 teachers, and 1.7 million students participated in the first-ever Digital Learning Day, a national awareness campaign spearheaded by the Alliance for Excellent Education showcasing how technology can take learning in the United States to a much higher level and provide all students with experiences that allow them to graduate from high school prepared for college and a career.

HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin Announces Hearings on Education Technology:On Digital Learning Day, February 1, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced that the HELP Committee will hold a series of hearings on education technology beginning this spring. 

STATE OF THE UNION: Obama Calls for Mandatory School Attendance Until Age Eighteen, Focuses on Importance of Education for “Jobs of Tomorrow”: During his State of the Union address on January 24, President Obama stressed the importance of education in driving the U.S. economy and called on states to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.

STATE OF THE STATES: Governors Focus on School Finance, Digital Learning, Reading Interventions, and Waivers Under No Child Left Behind: Although education is primarily a state responsibility, the federal government has played a larger role in the last decade through the No Child Left Behind Act and has encouraged states to adopt education reforms more recently through the Race to the Top program. In their state of the state addresses, some governors are pushing to move more control over education back to the state and local levels.

WAIVING AWAY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE ACCOUNTABILITY?: State NCLB Waiver Proposals Threaten to Weaken Accountability for High School Graduation Rates: In September 2011, with the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)—currently known as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act—stalled in the U.S. Congress, President Obama outlined a plan to provide states flexibility within specific provisions of the law in exchange for state-led reform efforts to close achievement gaps, evaluate teachers and principals, promote rigorous accountability, and ensure that all students are on track to graduate ready for college and a career.

STATE OF THE UNION: Obama’s State of the Union to Focus on Rebuilding an Economy Where “Hard Work Pays Off and Responsibility Is Rewarded”: On Tuesday, January 24, at 9:00 p.m., EST, President Barack Obama will give his 2012 State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress. The State of the Union address allows the president to report on the condition of the nation, but it also gives him a national stage on which to outline his legislative agenda for the coming year.

STATE OF THE UNION BINGO: Alliance Brings Back Its Popular Bingo Cards for 2012 State of the Union Address: President Obama previewed some of the themes he intends to raise in his 2012 State of the Union address, but will he mention education reform? Specifically, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), is ten years old and is long overdue for a revamp. Both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives are considering legislation to rewrite NCLB, but few people expect a final bill to reach the president’s desk in 2012.

STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESSES: Governors Focus on Education Reform as Key to Improving Economic Futures for Individuals and State Economies:The start of a new year means governors around the country are delivering state of the state addresses, during which they report on the condition of their state, preview budget plans, and outline legislative agendas. According to a recent report from the National Governors Association and National Association of State Budget Officers, states’ fiscal situations have rebounded from the depths of the recent recession, but state revenues and spending figures remain below their prerecession levels.