February 14, 2011
It’s the worst possible scenario, say South Florida’s schools officials. At the same time millions in federal stimulus dollars are running out, the governor’s budget calls for the state to slash education spending by 10 percent. “The levees will burst as they did in Hurricane Katrina,’’ said Broward Superintendent Jim Notter. “We will have a […]
February 14, 2011
There is no more pressing topic in education today than closing the achievement gap, and there is no one in America who knows more about the gap than Ronald Ferguson. Although he is a Harvard professor based in Cambridge, Mass., Dr. Ferguson, 60, spends lots of time flying around the country visiting racially mixed public […]
February 14, 2011
Gov. John Kitzhaber launched a reform effort today to consolidate control over half of the state budget and all levels of Oregon education in a single board that he would chair. His proposed Oregon Education Investment Board would oversee education for Oregonians from preschool through college as one system and allocate money on the basis […]
February 14, 2011
State educators are weighing major changes for public school counselors, in part, to improve Louisiana’s dismal high-school graduation rate. On e of the goals, officials said, is to end the practice of assigning counselors odd tasks, such as prom planning and organizing the 4-H Club. “You are taking the most educated person in the building […]
February 11, 2011
Georgia families soon may have the option of forcing school districts to adopt drastic reforms to turn around troubled schools. A bill introduced in the Georgia Legislature on Thursday would allow parents to petition local districts to overhaul schools that consistently fall below federal benchmarks. Parents can choose among converting the school to a charter, […]
February 11, 2011
The Minnesota Senate has approved a two-year pay freeze for employees in Minnesota public and charter schools. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Dave Thompson, says that without the freeze, districts would be forced to lay off some teachers so they could afford to pay the raises for the rest. It does not apply to current contracts. […]
February 11, 2011
Democratic lawmakers vowed Thursday to fight for more Iowa school aid, saying superintendents have told them that a funding freeze would lead to widespread layoffs and larger classes. The Republican-controlled House approved a measure Tuesday that would freeze basic state aid for public education for the next two years, and it has Republican Gov. Terry […]
February 11, 2011
Teachers in the Houston school district would be held much more accountable for their students’ learning under a highly anticipated proposal to change the way they are evaluated. Under the draft plan, released for public comment this month, roughly half a teacher’s rating would be based on student test scores and other evidence of academic […]
February 11, 2011
Lawmakers are coalescing around alternative ideas that would limit cuts to K-12 education in the next budget, and Gov. Dennis Daugaard signaled Thursday that he is willing to consider at least two of those ideas. Lawmakers have proposed allowing schools to tap their capital outlay budgets to help with general fund expenditures. A second proposal […]
February 11, 2011
Jackie Davis asked his California middle school students to tackle the sample math problem in their dig ital textbooks during a recent lesson about solving a system of linear equations. The teacher’s request prompted the students to turn to their iPads, scroll to the problem in the e-textbook, and begin tapping notes on the screen. […]