March 30, 2011
Across the country, a divisive education reform movement has widely called for schools to hold teachers accountable for their students’ performance. President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have been vocal in their support for merit pay, the practice of financially rewarding teachers for students’ improvement on standardized tests. Now, Idaho is on the brink […]
March 30, 2011
Most of us can probably remember hearing reports about a 6-year-old boy suspended from school for carrying a camping fork-spoon-knife combination tool. Or about a teenager suspended from school for having a dinner knife inside a car in a school parking lot. Time magazine’s Nancy Gibbs asks the question that has certainly been on my […]
March 30, 2011
A Northwest Washington private school that has collected more than $16 million in tuition from the District over the past two years to serve special education students is under investigation for lax security, high rates of truancy and inadequate academic programs. Officials of Rock Creek Academy said they have done their best to serve a […]
March 30, 2011
YORK — Officials from 22 area school districts have a dire vision of what will happen if Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget is enacted. Intensive layoffs and program eliminat ions are in the offing as the districts from Genesee, Wyoming and Livingston counties try to offset a steep decrease in state aid. Adding to their […]
March 30, 2011
As Congress faces an April 8 deadline to come up with a spending bill for the rest of the federal fiscal year, education advocates, states, and school districts remain anxious about what—and how much—may end up being cut from K-12 aid in any final deal. Congressional GOP leaders and the Obama administration have shown sharply […]
March 30, 2011
The Melrose School District is among 256 with signatures supporting the state’s application for federal “Race to the Top” grant funding, which could bring $250 million to participating Bay State schools. The School Committee voted unanimously last Tuesday to sign the state’s memorandum of understanding, qualifying the district for state grants as well as priority […]
March 30, 2011
With its fountains, gardens, playgrounds, murals and spotless walkways, Frances Blend School in Hollywood looks more like an oasis than a battleground over the future of education for the disabled. The well-ordered campus for young blind students conveys the message that no detail, no extra care, is too trivial or wasted in helping the neediest […]
March 30, 2011
Closing schools. Laying off teachers. Taking away the option of riding yellow school buses for children who live close enough to walk. � A;Those are some of the more drastic options New Jersey school districts were considering but have now abandoned, thanks to an unexpected bit of positive budget news from Gov. Chris Christie. A […]
March 30, 2011
More than 400 San Francisco teachers, administrators and aides will receive state-mandated notices that they could lose their jobs at the end of the school year, according to district documents. Although this number of potential layoffs is not out of the ordinary for the San Francisco Unified School District, the number of teachers who actually […]
March 30, 2011
Kansas delayed $92 million worth of aid payments due Tuesday to its public schools, forced by a temporary cash crunch for the third consecutive month to use a financial maneuver that’s been mentioned as a concern in recent reports by two major credit rating agencies. Officials confirmed that the state had withheld half of the […]