March 10, 2010
Good Morning. This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg: Albany has been i n the news a lot in recent days for distressing reasons. In the process, key issues have fallen off State government’s radar screen. But they need to be back on, and now. That includes closing a looming, $1.9 billion gap in funding for health […]
March 10, 2010
Illinois State Senator James A. DeLeo (D-Chicago) has sponsored legislation that will allow special education programs to be funded without taking away needed funds from other programs. "Unfunded mandates have already stretched school district budgets to their breaking point," Senator DeLeo said. "This legislation would allow necessary programs to be funded without taking away from […]
March 10, 2010
In York, the funding is helpful, said Superintendent Henry Scipione. Scipione said the school system, a minimal receiver district getting only 5 percent of its funds from the state, had expected to receive $952,000, but now is getting $1.1 million. The school department will receive $60,000 more in state aid and another $40,000-plus from health […]
March 10, 2010
Monday’s announcement that federal oversight of Baltimore City’s special education programs will be ending within two years was rightly hailed by civic and educational leaders as a major milestone. It is a testament to how far the city school system has come recently and a reminder of how dysfunctional it was for most of the […]
March 10, 2010
Some Inland school districts forced to reduce costs are cutting back on evaluations that measure how well students are grasping material. The evaluations, known as benchmark assessments, help teachers identify areas in which children are struggling and might need additional assistance. Districts also use the results to find and address strengths and weaknesses in teaching. […]
March 10, 2010
The 21st century school is about much more than just learning spaces and school design in the physical sense, although this is an important element of improving the overall offering available to children and young people. It is really about the reshaping of the whole culture and ethos of schools. It’s about creating a school […]
March 10, 2010
A number of reports and studies have emerged over the past several weeks that highlight the deepening economic and social crisis currently gripping the state of Illinois. The state with the fifth largest economy in the US currently faces an unprecedented $12.8 billion budget deficit. Governor Pat Quinn and leading state lawmakers from both parties […]
March 9, 2010
As the State election nears, political parties continue to announce policies they believe will make a difference to the education system. But will they line up with what school communities really wish for? Lauren Novak and Candice Keller investigate. THE state’s major political parties are seemingly heeding the calls from education stakeholders to increase funding […]
March 9, 2010
While the nearly $100 billion in federal economic-stimulus aid set aside for education has challenged school districts to turn one-time money into lasting reform, this historic influx of funding has also set the stage for long-term—and not necessarily positive—consequences. Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed one year ago by Congress, is causing […]
March 9, 2010
Virginia public school officials score a win at the Supreme Court of Virginia today with a decision that the state’s insurance plan for school systems must cover school districts for lawsuits under the federal special education law. The ruling means the state owes the Newport News school district nearly $200,000, and probably more, since there […]