First Bell 3-29-13

yes Pamela Tatz / March 29, 2013

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

Connecticut schools have begun to tighten graduation requirements in an effort to better prepare students for college. (New Haven Independent)

The Hechinger Report worries that a “Bring-Your-Own-Device” approach to educational technology, while cheaper for school districts, will lead to a “digital divide.”

Over fifty years since a federal judge ordered schools in Cleveland, Mississippi, to desegregate, the issue has returned to court. (Wall Street Journal)

After New York City relaxed its disciplinary policies, the number of public school students suspended fell by more than a third. Overall crime in the city’s schools dropped nearly 25 percent in the second half of 2012, as well. (Wall Street Journal)

A new report suggests that states could afford better-quality tests simply by reallocating the money they already spend on tests. (Curriculum Matters)

A federal appeals court has decided that a Kentucky school administrator’s search of a student’s text messages violated the student’s rights under the Fourth Amendment. (School Law)

According to a new longitudinal study, teenagers who are socially awkward at age thirteen continue

» Continued

First Bell 3-29-13

First Bell 3-28-13

yes Pamela Tatz / March 28, 2013

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

A report finds that New Jersey’s preschool program, in place since 1998, has lasting benefits. (Inside School Research)

Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa, one of the GOP governors elected in 2010, has proposed raising salaries and offering incentive pay to teachers. (Huffington Post)

New polling data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index show that teachers ranked second only to physicians in “well-being.” (New York Times)

Schools in Southwest Detroit are infusing the arts into their curricula with help from Living Arts, an arts and cultural organization. (Model D)

The Independent Budget Office finds that the Education Department’s annual progress reports don’t sufficiently control for external factors that could affect student performance, such as the number of impoverished or special-needs kids at a school. (Wall Street Journal)

An Arkansas Senate panel has backed a plan to re-write the state’s 1989 school-choice law, which was struck down last year as unconstitutional. (Associated Press)

The Department of Education is accepting “pre-applications” for its fourth round of Investing in Innovation grants. (Politics K–12)

» Continued

First Bell 3-28-13

First Bell 3-27-13

yes Pamela Tatz / March 27, 2013

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

The Indiana Supreme Court unanimously upheld the state’s school-voucher program, the only such program in the nation that is not limited to low-income students and does not have an enrollment cap. (Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, and Charters & Choice)

Next year, NAEP will administer a new assessment on technology and engineering literacy to eighth graders. (Education Week)

As the Supreme Court takes on the issue of same-sex marriage, the debate over the impact of such unions on children heats up. (School Law)

On a case-by-case basis, the Education Department will consider granting the original twelve Race to the Top winners an extra year to accomplish their goals. (Education Week)

The documentary The New Public, which follows a high-poverty school in Brooklyn, explores the possibilities and limits of personalized learning. (Hechinger Ed)

» Continued

First Bell 3-27-13

First Bell 3-26-13

yes Pamela Tatz / March 26, 2013

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

Calling inaction “immoral,” Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey announced that his administration would take over the Camden school district beginning Monday. (Huffington Post and Wall Street Journal)

On Monday, Gov. Cuomo and legislative leaders announced that they have agreed on a new measure in the New York State budget that will help resolve New York City’s teacher-evaluation impasse. (New York Times and Wall Street Journal)

A new study finds that seventh-graders who lagged behind their peers in math performance were the same kids who had the least number fluency in first grade. (Huffington Post)

Sen. Rand Paul is leading the charge for a federal school-voucher program. (Answer Sheet)

After allegations of exhibiting a “liberal bias” and promoting “anti-American ideals,” a judge has cleared Minnesota’s proposed social-studies standards for implementation during the next school year. (Curriculum Matters)

A tweak to the “maintenance of effort”

» Continued

First Bell 3-26-13