March 30, 2011
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers on Sunday said they reached agreement on a $132.5 billion budget plan that lowers spending slightly, avoids tax hikes and grants the administration much more authority to manage the flow of Medicaid dollars. The governor’s handshake deal with legislative leaders isn’t yet enshrined into law, and important details about the […]
March 30, 2011
JEFFERSON CITY — The House Education Appropriations Committee approved Tuesday the majority of Gov. Jay Nixon’s education funding recommendations with few alterations. The committee did not discuss the school funding formula or Nixon’s in-state tuition freeze agreement; instead they focused on primary and secondary education issues. Several amendments were proposed for addition to the bill, […]
March 30, 2011
Although the Mt. Diablo school board declined Tuesday to close a third school to save money, questions remain on how the district will meet its goal of saving $1.5 million. In presenting alternatives to the closure, Superintendent Steven Lawrence did not show specifically how much his recommendations would save, but he said that staff members […]
March 30, 2011
A Connecticut legislative committee is set to review several education proposals intended to help narrow the achievement gap between the state’s w ealthy and low-income students. The General Assembly’s education committee plans a public hearing Monday on a bill including more than a dozen proposals. They include letting certain school districts lengthen the school day […]
March 30, 2011
Many special education students in city schools are not receiving legally mandated help to get them ready for college or a job, a new report found. The ARISE Coalition looked at 222 educational plans for students with disabilities and found that only a quarter of the students had any planning meeting – and more than […]
March 30, 2011
Special education teacher Colleen Kudla oversees a classroom of eight students with severe disabilities. Without the help of her three aides, Kudla says, she wouldn’t be able to manage class. "All the students are nonverbal," said Kudla, who teaches at Central Elementary School in southwest suburban Plainfield. "My biggest fear would be losing my staff." […]
March 30, 2011
AUSTIN — For nearly a month the nation has watched the massive protests and rallies in Madison, Wis., a state which, like Texas, is facing a multibillion-dollar revenue shortfall. Could Austin join Madis on and other state capitals where these kinds of rallies are becoming common? Organizers of an expected massive gathering called Rally to […]
March 30, 2011
Leaders of the KIPP charter schools are optimistic that they can reach a long-term agreement with the Baltimore Teachers Union in a nationally watched dispute over teacher pay for an extended school day, reducing the likelihood that the charter network will carry out its threat to close its two schools in that city. Jason Botel, […]
March 30, 2011
TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s budget gap now stands at roughly $3.75 billion after state economists on Friday forecast a slow recovery over the next year that will limit how much money legislators will have to balance spending with revenues. While it will likely be weeks before lawmakers reach a final deal, legislators so far are standing […]
March 30, 2011
Teacher observations under District of Columbia’s IMPACT teacher-evaluation system have been performed with relative consistency, but they only correlate modestly to value-added measures, according to a report released this morning by the Aspen Institute, a Washington-based policy group. In addition, with about 82 percent of the teaching force in the bottom two categories of effectiveness […]