Must Reads – Teachers Get Their Jobs Back

Dozens of laid-off teachers in Connecticut have been called back to their classrooms this year thanks to the $10 billion federal education jobs package recently passed by Congress. Source: Hartford Courant

Must Reads – New Year for Central Falls High School

Central Falls High School in Rhode Island, which made national headlines in February when the entire staff was fired, begins a new school year September 1. Students will “find many changes, including a longer school day, a guidance system that reaches out to families and daily tutoring sessions with their teachers.” Source: The Providence Journal

Ahead in Ed – September 15

Applications are due for Pay It Forward Mini-Grants. The mini-grants are designed to fund one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community.

Ahead in Ed – August 26-31

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is taking a bus tour to visit schools, honor and listen to teachers, meet with parents and students, and highlight success. The tour started in Little Rock, Arkansas and will end in Portland, Maine.

Must Reads – New Test for Teacher Licensing

The Teacher Performance Assessment Consortium is a group of 19 states that are “piloting a performance-based assessment for teacher-candidates that potentially could serve as a common prelicensing measure for new teachers.” Source: Education Week

Critics See East Coast, Urban Biases in Race to the Top Awards

By Kevin Hart In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased the vast Louisiana Territory, extending America’s boundaries far west of the Mississippi River. Now, some are wondering whether that information has failed to reach reviewers scoring federal Race to the Top applications, as the list of states that have been awarded funds seems to exhibit an [...]

Must Reads — PDK/Gallup Poll: Parents Want Teachers Supported, Not Sacked

When it comes to education reform under Obama, a majority of Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll respondents say the answer is support for teachers and administrators, not schools being closed and educators fired. Source: PDK/Gallup

Did New Jersey Governor Lose $400 Million for Students?

By Kevin Hart In June, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie made a public spectacle of tossing aside a federal Race to the Top application that was written with collaboration among state education officials, the New Jersey Education Association, and other key education stakeholders. He publicly insisted that he could write a better application that would [...]

Must Reads — $10,000 NEA Grant Aids School Reform

In an effort to help close the achievement gap, NEA today gave $10,000 to Columbia, Mo., public schools. Nearly one-quarter of white children there are poor, along with 62 percent of Hispanic and 77 percent of Black students. NEA’s grant money will focus on parent-community engagement with schools. Source: The Columbia Tribune

Must Reads — Teacher Spending

Yet again, America’s public school teachers are spending hundreds to cover the cost of supplies for their students. And the definition of “supplies” is getting looser. Think paper plates, socks, and batteries. Source: ABC News

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