First Bell 5-3-13

yes Pamela Tatz / May 3, 2013

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

Detroit schools emergency manager Roy Roberts announces that he will step down, citing progress made and leaving the district with a “road map” to eliminate the remaining deficit. (Detroit Free Press)

Texas is considering revamping its teacher-evaluation system, which is currently based on forty-five minute observations by district administrators. (New York Times)

The Center for Education Reform makes the case for independent charter authorizers. (Charters & Choice)

Florida’s state legislature reached a revised budget deal, which includes merit-based pay raises. (Huffington Post)

Virginia’s first fulltime statewide virtual school is on the brink of getting shut down. (Washington Post)

The Hechinger Report profiles the effort to grade teacher-preparation programs.

A report finds that rising out-of-state enrollment at public universities is crowding out poor and minority students. (Huffington Post)

A report finds that English-learners, the fastest-growing subgroup in public schools, need more education philanthropy dollars. (Learning the Language)

» Continued

First Bell 5-3-13

First Bell 5-2-13

yes Pamela Tatz / May 2, 2013

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

Teachers at thirteen-school group UNO, one of the largest charter groups in the country, have voted overwhelmingly to unionize. (Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and Wall Street Journal)

Computer problems have led administrators in Indiana, Oklahoma, and Minnesota to reschedule high-stakes proficiency tests. (New York Times)

NPR highlights Harvey Mudd College, a science and engineering school that has had impressive success in attracting women to the computer-science program.

The cash-strapped Highland Park and Muskegon Heights school districts in Michigan, each of which carried over $10 million in debt at the end of the 2011–12 school year and were appointed emergency managers by Gov. Snyder, have been taken over by for-profit charter-management companies. (Charters & Choice and Education Week)

A new paper by Stanford and World Bank researchers indicates that novice teachers are being systematically matched to struggling students. (Teacher Beat)

» Continued

First Bell 5-2-13

First Bell 5-1-13

yes Pamela Tatz / May 1, 2013

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

Yesterday, the parent-trigger bill failed in the Florida Senate for the second year in a row. (Education Week)

The Walton Family Foundation has furnished StudentsFirst with $8 million. (Los Angeles Times and Charters & Choice)

The nonprofit NewSchools venture fund, which directs donations to charters and other education groups, has teamed up with a for-profit venture fund. (New York Times)

The final Next Generation Science Standards are attracting criticism. (Curriculum Matters)

The MOOC provider Coursera will offer teacher-education courses for K–12 instructors. (All Things D)

Technology tools and applications to teach students “grittiness” are emerging. (Digital)

Online testing problems have frozen Indiana’s statewide standardized testing for a second straight day. (Digital Education)

A new survey finds that the Department of Education is the fifteenth-most innovative mid-size agency, out of twenty; NASA topped the list. (Politics K–12)

» Continued

First Bell 5-1-13

First Bell 4-30-13

yes Pamela Tatz / April 30, 2013

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

In the face of mounting resistance to the Common Core, AFT president Randi Weingarten warns that the standards are being poorly implemented—and calls for a moratorium on stakes attached to standards-linked tests. (Washington Post and Curriculum Matters)

State financing for preschool has fallen more than $1,100 per student since 2001–02, although financing overall has increased 48 percent; Mike Petrilli points out that we are increasing enrollment and spreading money around, rather than targeting it at the poorest students. (Hechinger Report, Associated Press, and New York Times)

The New York Times profiles the successful incorporation of an M.I.T.-developed MOOC in Boston community college course.

The din over Governor Jerry Brown’s weighted-funding plan for California’s schools is growing louder, with richer districts crying foul. (Wall Street Journal)

Twenty New York City schools will experiment with longer school days. (Wall Street Journal)

Eight civil-rights groups urge Secretary Duncan to reject nine California districts’ NCLB waiver applications. (Huffington Post and Politics

» Continued

First Bell 4-30-13