December 17, 2010
Georgia could become a more attractive location for charter schools Thursday after the state Charter Schools Commission board votes on a proposal to increase state per pupil funding by 80% from $3,200 to $5,800 per year. Georgia’s current reimbursement rate is among the lowest nationwide; the new rate would move the state toward the middle. […]
December 17, 2010
The Kansas Board of Education took issue Wednesday with the naming of the Board and the Kansas Education Commissioner as defendants in a new lawsuit filed last week, saying the move was inappropriate. Last week, a new lawsuit was filed by parents of students in Shawnee Mission School District naming Governor Parkinson and a list […]
December 17, 2010
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell today announced that the State Allocation Board (SAB) disbursed more than $1.4 billion to more than 400 school districts, county offices of education, and charters for the construction and modernization of schools. "These much-needed funds come at a critical time," O’Connell said. "School districts are under constant pressure […]
December 17, 2010
State Superintendent Tony Evers commended the 101 Wisconsin teachers who earned certification this year through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. They are among 8,639 receiving the advanced credential nationwide in 2010. “These teachers are the vanguard of educator effectiveness,” Evers said. “Earning national board certification is no easy task. It involves careful scrutiny […]
December 16, 2010
The state’s largest teachers union Wednesday fired an early salvo in contract negotiations, serving notice that it wouldn’t accept pay cuts easily and that it won’t consider linking teacher evaluations to student test scores in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The afternoon news conference, at union headquarters in Koreatown, was a famil iar exercise […]
December 16, 2010
The State Board of Education announced today that Illinois ranks third nationally for the number of teachers who achieved National Board Certification in 2010 and ranks sixth in the nation for the cumulative total of teachers who have earned this professional milestone. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) released the findings today as […]
December 16, 2010
The Teacher Incentive Fund, which U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called one of his predecessor’s greatest ach ievements, would get a makeover—and less money—under the giant spending bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate. The TIF, as it’s called, doles out grants to districts to create pay-for-performance programs. It would get $300 million under […]
December 16, 2010
A debate is shaping up over the benefits of Iowa’s state-funded voluntary preschool program for 4-year-olds with Republicans questioning its value and Democrats saying it’s critical. Legislative leaders took different sides on Wednesday during a legislative forum sponsored by IowaPolitics.com. "It’s very, very questionable where there is any benefit," said Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, […]
December 15, 2010
In a deeply controversial move, San Diego Unified voted tonight to concentrate more of its federal money for disadvantaged students on the highest poverty schools at the expense of less poor ones — but not right away. Right now, San Diego Unified gives $23 million in federal funds to schools where at least 40 percent […]
December 15, 2010
Ten-day teacher furloughs. No art or music classes. Computer purchases ditched to cover the costs of basic supplies. Some of Georgia’s independent state charter schools are facing months-long funding lags — and scaled-back ambitions — as they struggle to operate on hundreds of thousands of dollars less than they need. The cash flow problem is […]