Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Education News for Thursday, May 18

Flexibility Granted 2 States in No Child Left Behind – After years of hearing state officials appeal for more flexibility in judging schools, the federal Department of Education is opening the door for a new way to measure student progress under the No Child Left Behind law. (more)

Decision could force school voucher group disclosures – A South Carolina group that has pushed for vouchers and tax credits for children to attend private schools might have to disclose how it is spending money after a State Ethics Commission decision Wednesday. (more) 

University hopes to ease teacher shortage – Teacher-retention figures are bleak locally and nationally, but one Georgia university hopes to do its part to add to the teacher pool. (more) 

More High-Schoolers Go To College For Credit – Thousands of Connecticut high school students are tackling college courses in a trend that educators hope will open more doors to higher education, a new state report says. (more) 

‘No Child Left Behind’ means ‘No Common Sense Allowed’ – Opinion: No Child Left Behind is Big Brother’s latest scheme for improving students’ reading and math skills. (more) 

New student test sought – A task force is calling for a new statewide testing system for Delaware students. (more) 

Fla. Board Presses Voucher Issue – School vouchers didn’t make it to the 2006 ballot, but that won’t stop the state Board of Education from pressing the issue. (more) 

Governors push access to preschool – Heeding studies showing that investing money in kids before kindergarten increases their chances of graduating and staying out of jail, nearly half of governors this year are pushing for — and many are getting — more funding for preschool education. (more) 

Delaware school-rating plan rejected by federal officials – Delaware’s proposal to rate schools a different way under the No Child Left Behind law has been rejected by the federal government. (more) 

Many schools fear Prop. 82 has too many strings – Opinion: Preschools by the dozen have surprised advocates of California’s Proposition 82 this spring, insisting they favor the concept of universal preschool advanced by the current initiative, but don’t like what it might force them to do. (more) 

CFO said he’d reinvent Florida high schools if elected – Noting Florida’s poor high school graduation ranking nationally, Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Gallagher pledged Wednesday to reinvent the state’s high schools to yield a 90 percent graduation rate by 2020 if he’s elected. (more) 

UPDATE:

Spellings announcement regarding NCLB sanctions – Ed Week (subscription required) U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has announced plans to expand a pilot initiative under which school districts may reverse the order of key consequences for schools’ low performance under the No Child Left Behind Act. (more)

Study: Universal preschool will raise achievement – In a report released Thursday, the National Institute for Early Education Research said it conservatively estimates the state would get back $2.78 for every $1 it invests in the Proposition 82 preschool program. (more)

SC tax credit issue drives superintendent race – The vote will likely be a litmus test of Gov. Mark Sanford’s views about expanding school choice to include tax credits for families who choose to send their children to private schools. (more)

Certified teachers lack edge – Education Week (subscription required) Teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards are for the most part no more effective in producing student academic progress than teachers without the special status, a long-awaited study concludes. (more)

Has Maine island town found crack in school choice law? -The residents of one Maine island town believe they have found a way to use public money to pay for religious education without violating state law, adding a new wrinkle to the debate over school choice. (more)

USA Today Opinion: Title XIX shouldn’t be used as academic weapon – It is common knowledge that American schoolboys are faring poorly compared with girls. The average 11th-grade boy has the writing skills of an 8th-grade girl. Boys receive a majority of the failing grades, while girls garner most of the honors. (more)

Katrina students lag in test scores – Just one in six high school sophomores displaced from Louisiana by hurricanes Katrina and Rita passed a standardized test that is a precursor to the exam they must pass next year to graduate. (more)