September 22, 2010
Language in the federal education spending bill for fiscal 2011 would raise funding for a key after-school program, but also open the door to using that money to expand the school day and year—a move that has some after-school advocates worried. The spending bill that cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee in late July would increase […]
September 22, 2010
Still smarting from $21 million in state budget cuts to its Missouri programs, the national Parents as Teachers organization is getting a major financial boost in its efforts to promote early childhood education outside the state. The St. Louis-based organization announced Tuesday that it will receive $14.2 million in federal stimulus money through the U.S. […]
September 21, 2010
Special education advocates are greeting the burgeoning common academic standards movement with a mixture of optimism and caution. Adopted so far by 36 states and the District of Columbia, the common academic standards were developed with the backing of two national groups based in Washington, the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National […]
September 21, 2010
The Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department on Aging today are co-hosting the first Illinois Summit on Aging and Education to highlight the best intergenerational practices designed to improve student performance, increase graduation rates, and promote healthy lifestyles. Today’s summit at Illinois State University in Normal will mobilize resources to address two […]
September 21, 2010
While talking to someone with a strong background in speech pathology and literacy recently, I learned of an interesting theory: Inclusion for special-education students, this educator said, has “backfired.” Now, she didn’t necessarily mean that special-education students should be quarantined from their peers or that the inclusion movement didn’t have good intentions — just that […]
September 21, 2010
As students are settling into a new school year, San Diego Unified School District board members are looking into the next year, which will be the fifth straight of major cuts. Board members will begin budget talks for the 2011-2012 school year months earlier than usual today as they face a $141.6 million projected deficit […]
September 21, 2010
A new charter high school proposed for Manhattan has close ties to a for-profit curriculum provider with family links to the chair of the state board that will decide on the school’s application. The school in question, the New York Flex Charter High School, is planned for Manhattan’s District 2, which covers much of downtown […]
September 21, 2010
Colorado school districts, already hit with 6 percent cuts in the current fiscal year, could face another reduction after a new budget forecast that shows the state is back in the red. The potential new cut to schools could come just after districts received federal funding to help offset previous funding decreases. According to the […]
September 20, 2010
Fifth-grade teacher Gretchen Grotenrath clapped her hands last week and counted out loud until the eyes of about 25 students were all focused on her. Then she continued presenting a social studies lesson while special education teacher Barb Christensen walked the room, quietly answering student questions and keeping all the fifth-graders on task. Having two […]
September 20, 2010
After schools lost millions of dollars, teachers were laid off and programs were cut, the Kansas Legislature decided something needed to be done. Now there is a debate on how best to make changes. In Kansas, communities are not allowed to raise mill levies to pay for education. The state tax rate is the same […]