October 7, 2010
A state budget deal cobbled together with spending cuts and creative accounting may provide positive news for education across California and particularly in the Coachella Valley. “This definitely is much better than what we had planned but it’s still a far cry from what education should be funded and what we’re owed,” said Jim Novak, […]
October 6, 2010
A state watchdog Tuesday issued a report warning of inequities in funding for charter schools, but supporters of alternative public education denounced the report as off the mark and "hypocritical." Auditor General Jack Wagner suggested a moratorium on creation of charter and cyber charter schools until the state fixes a funding formula that causes school […]
October 6, 2010
The U.S. Department of Education announced today more than $19.9 million in grants to help prepare special education personnel to improve services and results for children with disabilities. “President Obama and I believe that every child deserves a world-class education regardless of his or her skin color, nationality, ethnicity, or ability,” said U.S. Secretary of […]
October 6, 2010
A decade ago, Brockton High School was a case study in failure. Teachers and administrators often voiced the unofficial school motto in hallway chitchat: students have a right to fail if they want. And many of them did — only a quarter of the students passed statewide exams. One in three dropped out. Then Susan […]
October 6, 2010
Detroit schoolteacher Doris Flaherty didn’t hold out much hope the screening of “Waiting for ‘Superman’” would dramatically change the educational landscape in the United States. “I don’t think there are any super fixes,” Flaherty, who has taught for 35 years, said during a Metro Detroit preview of the documentary. “There are too many encumbrances. There […]
October 6, 2010
After months of negotiations, Los Angeles Unified officials unanimously approved a landmark legal settlement Tuesday that could end the district’s practice of basing layoff decisions on seniority. The proposed settlement has to be finalized by a judge but is not subject to negotiation with the teachers union. According to district officials, the settlement would protect […]
October 6, 2010
Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) announced today that, as a result of the new health care reform law, $100 million in federal funding will be made available to states for the construction and renovation of school-based health centers. “Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Connecticut’s youth will have access to preventive services and quality health care […]
October 5, 2010
If you want to talk about bolstering science and math education in this country, I’ll gladly break out my virtual pompoms and go rah. Who wouldn’t? Our nation’s economy, global allure and future tense all depend on the strength of its scientific spine. But mention the odious and increasingly pervasive term “STEM education,” and instead […]
October 5, 2010
Steve Bares minces no words when it comes to what it’s like to run a charter school under Memphis City Schools. He says MCS officials withhold money, obfuscate on issues and so effectively control who gets approved — and who doesn’t — that charter operators are effectively silenced. "When charter school principals got together and […]
October 5, 2010
There’s some good news regarding Michigan students and school funding. Lawmakers have approved a bill that would increase the amount of money per student this year. In the pot for Michigan schools is more than $300 million in federal money to be divided up. That will break down to roughly around $154 more per students. […]