September 7, 2010
Like overbooked airline passengers, 30 to 40 kids in Novato are getting bumped from their overenrolled schools two weeks after the first day of class – transfers that parents say are more about money and union contracts than children’s needs. Third-grader Franni Moran was told to say goodbye to Olive Elementary and her new friends […]
September 7, 2010
Education in Illinois is becoming a group effort. This year 12 school districts in 5 counties are pairing up in an ed ucation co-op. The goal is to give more attention to students diagnosed with autism. "We wanted to have this program to have a very structured environment, promote independence, we want to focus on […]
September 7, 2010
Summertime breaks from school got longer this year. For many Magic Valley school districts, state budget cuts led to a later start of school this year. Idaho’s public schools, faced with reduced state funding, have had to trim days of student instruction from their schedules. The end result is that some districts, including Twin Falls […]
September 7, 2010
Northern Virginia schools will welcome back more students than ever on Tuesday morn ing with tighter budgets and salary freezes. Officials expect more than 175,000 students to flood Fairfax County schools, an increase of about 3,200 in step with enrollment booms seen across area counties. Much of Fairfax’s growth can be attributed to an influx […]
September 7, 2010
For decades, Philadelphia public schools failed to properly educate large numbers of students. Superintendent Arlene Ackerman is betting that come Tuesday, the tide will begin to turn for the 2,700 pupils who will start a new term at six Promise Academies. Ackerman is also keeping a close eye on seven other city schools being taken […]
September 7, 2010
Cranston did away with its prized gifted-and-talented program. And many sports programs. West Warwick closed a neighborhood elementary school. East Providence laid off 29 teachers and increased class sizes. Smithfield eliminated middle-school French and elementary instrumental music. Across Rhode Island, school districts have been making tough decisions about cutting academic programs, teaching positions and extracurricular […]
September 7, 2010
Minnesota schools will pay a total of $520 million this year filling unfunded federal and state special education mandates — money St. Paul and Washington D.C. have promised but will not provide. As the election cycle nears its November closure and politicians return to lawmaking, they must be reminded that in addition to underfunding our […]
September 7, 2010
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that Alabama will receive $149.5 million, Iowa will receive $96.5 million, Maine will receive $39 million, Massachusetts will receive $204 million, Nebraska will receive $58.9 million, and Tennessee will receive $195.9 million to support education jobs. "There is a huge sense of urgency to get these funds […]
September 3, 2010
With a federal award of $330 million, California and 43 other states joined Thursday to replace the much-maligned year-end English and math standardized tests with new nationwide tests that could better measure student learning and teacher performance. Also Thursday, the Los Angeles Board of Education formally directed its superintendent, for the first time, to include […]
September 3, 2010
While some local school officials are welcoming a pair of recent federal funding awards, several are contending that their districts were shortchanged. The state announced funding allocations from the $250 million that Massachusetts is receiving as one of 10 grant recipients in the second round of the federal Race to the Top competition. The local […]