First Bell 2-14-13

yes Pamela Tatz / February 14, 2013

A first look at today's most important education news:

The Obama Administration has issued the details of the president’s plan to expand preschool to all children, to be formally announced in a speech in Georgia later today. But questions about the cost and viability of the proposal abound. (Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Huffington Post, and Politics K–12)

A group of parents pulled the “parent trigger” in Los Angeles—and the LA school board quickly approved it, marking the first time the parent trigger has been invoked without a hitch. (Los Angeles Times and Hechinger Report)

Experts are less than enthusiastic about President Obama’s newly unveiled College Scorecard website. (New York Times and White House)

A study of students’ social networks finds that their grades rise and fall with those of their friends, using a model akin to the spread of a cold. (Inside School Research)

Some school districts that can’t afford special programming are experimenting with partial homeschooling for gifted children. (Scholastic)

Curriculum Matters profiles the Pathways in Technology Early College High School, which got a surprise mention in Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.

A study from the Alliance for Excellent Education has found that NCLB waivers weaken grad-rate accountability. (Huffington Post)

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