December 22, 2010
Education advocates and organizations are watching intently as events unfold in Compton, Calif., where parents upset about their children’s failing school became the first in that state—and apparently in the nation—to invoke a “parental trigger” law that will force the school to become a charter by the 2011-12 school year. Not all parents agree on […]
December 22, 2010
Sitting in the library during a break, two veteran teachers at Edwin Markham Middle School rattled off the names of principals who had been sent to fix the chronically low-performing school in Watts. There was Kimbell, Miller, Norris and Borges. Then came Mir-Rivera, Miyahara, Stroud, Sullivan. This year, Hernandez arrived — the ninth in 20 […]
December 22, 2010
At first glance, this health care center on the city’s Northwest Side looks like any other facility offering medical care to young patients: In the waiting area, children will find a basket of books on a small table, toys on the floor and a chalkboard. But the facility is inside Hibbard Elementary School in Albany […]
December 22, 2010
Philadelphia School District officials are staring down a gap of $430 million or more in next year’s budget, and the deficit could surpass the half-billion mark under worst-case scenarios, according to officials briefed on the district’s finances. In October, the district’s chief financial officer, Michael Masch, warned the public that the 2011-12 budget could be […]
December 22, 2010
A microcosm of the dysfunctional education system highlighted in the recent documentary Waiting for Superman might be found in the plight of a coalition of underfunded Connecticut schools and its slow slog through the legal system. The Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding (CCJEF) represents municipal governments, boards of education, education associations and families […]
December 21, 2010
Two Inland school superintendents are advocating a major overhaul in how California funds its public schools, a proposal for which Inland business leaders said they would lobby legislators. The plan, proposed by Riverside Unified School District Superintendent Rick Miller and Alvord Unified Superintendent Wendel Tucker, would base funding on how many students perform well on […]
December 21, 2010
The state’s largest teachers’ union, embracing a concept shunned by many educators, plans to offer a proposal today to use student test scores to help judge which teachers deserve promotions and which ones should be fired. The report from the Massachusetts Teachers Association, to be released at a state Board of Education meeting, positions the […]
December 21, 2010
The Louisiana Department of Education today launched a toll-free hotline to assist parents seeking information on special education services for their children. Callers to 1-877-453-27 21 will be able to ask questions and learn about resources available to them, as well as seek assistance in accessing support from agencies overseeing services in their community. About […]
December 21, 2010
Coming soon to a high school near you (If it hasn’t already): more testing. That’s according to a new report. In its ninth annual examination on high school exit-exam trends, issued today, the Center on Education Policy analyzes a handful of intertwined trends that, taken together, suggest a net increase in testing is taking shape […]
December 21, 2010
After spending four years in Indiana high schools, 84 percent of students graduated last year, which is a slight increase over the previous year and a step closer to the state’s goal of a 90 percent graduation rate. Much of the increase came in "subcategory" populations with traditionally lower graduation rates: African-Americans, Hispanics, students who […]