Defining Excellence: Lawmakers Discuss Teacher Evaluation

by Rebecca Bright An effective teacher is one of the most important in-class factor of student success. This sentiment was echoed again and again by witnesses and members of Congress Wednesday during a hearing in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. But the discussion reflected longstanding debate on the qualities that define a [...]

A Struggling School on the Path to Success

By John Rosales It’s one of the comeback stories of the year among certain educators in North Carolina. Three years ago, Oak Hill Elementary School in High Point had one of the lowest academic performance scores in the state. Two years ago, still floundering, Oak Hill became one of the lowest-performing schools in the nation, [...]

P. Buckley Moss Foundation Grants – September 30

The P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education has grants available to support educators who will use the arts as an effective learning tool in teaching children who learn differently. The application deadline is September 30.

Long-Term Math Skills Develop in First Grade

“Numbers, counting, and low-level arithmetic are three basic competencies that are vital to later success in math, and students should have these key math skills in first grade in order to be successful in math in fifth grade, according to a long-term study released by psychologists at the University of Missouri (UM).” Source: eSchool News

Save Our Schools March – July 30

Educators from around the country will be in Washington, D.C. on July 30 for the Save Our Schools March. Speakers will include NEA Vice President Lily Eskelsen, NEA Student Program Chair Tommie Leaders and other public education supporters like Linda Darling-Hammond, Matt Damon, Diane Ravitch, Jonathan Kozol, and Pedro Noguera.

Voucher Advocates Shifting Focus

Rather than emphasizing the academic achievement of voucher school students, proponents of the voucher system are now focusing on the value of school choice as a virtue in itself, according to a report from the Center on Education Policy, in Washington. Source: Education Week

Iowa Settles on Education Reforms

The Des Moines Register reports that the success of any plan to dramatically beef up Iowa students’ academic skills will “rest in the hands of groups that seldom see eye to eye: legislators, educators, unions, business leaders and Gov. Terry Branstad.” Source: Des Moines Register

Study Shows Students Taking Online Courses More Likely to Fail

By Mary Ellen Flannery Maybe online education isn’t the magic pill for cash-strapped school districts and colleges. In a newly released study of 51,000 Washington State community college students, Columbia University researchers found that students who took online courses were more likely to fail or drop out of the course than students who took the [...]

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Dedication – August 28

The official dedication for the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial will occur on August 28, 2011, the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. King’s historic I Have A Dream speech.

Brown Signs California DREAM Act

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law Monday easing access to privately funded financial aid for undocumented college students. He also signaled that he was likely to back a more controversial measure allowing those students to seek state-funded tuition aid in the future. Source: Los Angeles Times

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