Petition Under Way to Rename Long Beach School Honoring Robert E. Lee
On July 20, a petition was launched to rename a Long Beach middle school honoring Robert E. Lee.
Education
Education Week Findings Support Breitbart Texas Reports on Common Core in Texas
Texas never adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) but teachers use Common Core-aligned instructional materials (IM’s), says Education Week. They called out the Lone Star state as one of four non-Common Core states where the Fed Led Ed agenda “crept into the classroom.”
Trump: Common Core ‘Way of Taking Care of the People’ Who Don’t ‘Give a Damn’ About Ed
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump denounced Common Core as a “disaster” and “a way of taking care of the people in Washington” who don’t “give a damn about education” at the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa on Saturday. Trump said, “Common
Lawsuit Targets Teacher Evaluations That Ignore Student Achievement
Students Matter, the same group that successfully won its case in Vergara v. California, which ruled certain teacher tenure protections were unconstitutional, is attempting to make certain that teacher evaluations must include test scores of their students.
Texas Charter School Officials Indicted on Bilking Millions Intended for Students
The founding superintendent of one of the most successful charter schools in Texas history and her husband were indicted on charges of embezzling more than $2.6 million intended to benefit school programs for its enrolled students.
Texas State Education Board Votes to Look at GED Alternatives
The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) voted 14-0 on Wednesday to look at alternatives to the redesigned high school equivalency exam, the General Education Development (GED). Education advocates, test-takers and teachers testified before the board this week to discuss the many problems associated with the latest version of the nearly 70-year-old test.
Senate Passes ‘Bipartisan’ No Child Left Behind Rewrite
The Senate passed its version of the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law Thursday by a vote of 81-17. The approval of the Every Child Achieves Act now sends the measure to a conference with the House’s bill, which passed that chamber last week.
Former CNN Anchor Campbell Brown Co-Founds News Education Website
Launched on Monday, a press release about Campbell Brown’s news site highlights initial stories about a search-and-rescue pilot for the Coast Guard who became a second-grade teacher at a charter school in Newark, NJ; a column about the necessity of addressing the relationship between educational inequality and income inequality; and an investigative piece that focuses on “the forces and scare tactics behind the opt-out movement” in Montclair, New Jersey.
Colorado Teacher Union-Backed Activists Seek to Oust Conservative School Board Majority
Teacher union-backed activists in one Colorado school district work furiously against a September deadline to oust a conservative, three-member majority in a fiercely politicized recall effort to regain control of the school board.
Jeb: ‘Commonality’ of Common Core Standards ‘Important,’ Criticizes Iran Deal
Republican presidential candidate and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said “commonality of the standards is important” on Common Core and criticized the Iran deal in an interview broadcast on Wednesday’s “Special Report” on the Fox News Channel. Jeb was asked
Senate Votes to End Debate on NCLB Rewrite, Rejects Lee’s Amendment Allowing Parent Opt-Outs from Tests
The Senate voted to end debate on the Every Child Achieves Act (ECAA) Wednesday, 86-12, allowing for a final vote on Thursday on the measure that is that chamber’s version of the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind law.
WATCH: Sen. Tim Scott Delivers Passionate Speech About School Choice During NCLB Senate Debate
On June 14, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) gave an impassioned speech about the need for school choice during the Senate debate on the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.
Government Moves to Close Commonly Abused Education Visa Loopholes
The Home Office has announced more reforms to the immigration system, further tightening up loopholes in educational visas to prevent abuse. The changes to so-called ‘Tier 4 visas’ issued by the Home Office controlled UK Visas and Immigration authority will
Philly Archbishop Defends School Decision to Fire Married Lesbian Teacher
In a statement Monday, the archbishop likened the decision to the principle of “truth in advertising,” saying that schools describing themselves as Catholic “take on the responsibility of teaching and witnessing the Catholic faith in a manner true to Catholic belief. There’s nothing complicated or controversial in this. It’s a simple matter of honesty.”
Walker Adviser on Strategy: ‘Much Easier To Move From Being Conservative to Moderate Later On’
“You start in Iowa and lock up conservatives, because if you don’t do that, none of the rest matters,” Walker’s adviser reportedly told journalist Tim Alberta. “It’s much easier to move from being a conservative to being a middle-of-the-road moderate later on. In Iowa, you see the beginnings of that,” he added. “He’s capturing that conservative wing first and foremost, and then moving from Iowa to the other states and bringing other voters into the fold.”
Common Core PARCC Test Consortium in ‘Death Spiral,’ Boston Globe Admits
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is one of two federally funded interstate test consortia that have been developing tests aligned with the controversial Common Core standards. But there is no official information about who selected the individuals to write the Common Core standards. None of the writers of the math and English Language Arts standards have ever taught math, English, or reading at the K-12 level.
Lamar Alexander’s No Child Left Behind Rewrite Will Not Rein in Federal Control of Education
Senator Lamar Alexander falsely claims his No Child Left Behind Reauthorization bill, labeled the Every Child Achieves Act (ECAA), will rein in the federal government. Like its House counterpart, ECAA has superficial “prohibitions” on what the U.S. Secretary of Education may do. Those prohibitions merely replicate existing prohibitions and, in any event, lack any kind of enforcement mechanism for the states.
Alexander Touts NCLB, Common Core Fix in GOP Weekly Address
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) touted a proposal to report reading, math, and science tests results publicly and make “whether your state adopts Common Core” entirely your state’s decision” during Saturday’s GOP Weekly Address. Transcript (via ABC News Radio) as Follows: “Hello,
Slate Writer’s Son Loses Points On Test Question For ‘Incorrect’ Definition of ‘Family’
Slate writer Will Saletan took to Twitter to show that his son lost five points on a health test because the answer he chose as the definition of the word “family” was considered “incorrect.”
House Votes To Reauthorize No Child Left Behind
Many in the GOP reportedly refrained from voting until the last minute and some changed their votes under pressure from Republican leadership. Only one conservative amendment, introduced by Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) was adopted, by a vote of 251-178, that would allow parents to opt their children out of standardized testing.
9th Circuit: Arizona Law Against Mexican-American Studies May Be Unconstitutional
On July 7, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed Arizona’s ban on Mexican-American studies to stand but simultaneously sent the case back to an Arizona district court to ascertain whether the law was “motivated at least in part by a discriminatory intent.”
Trump Blasts Jeb Bush On Common Core: ‘He’s In Favor of Washington Educating Your Children’
“I watched Jeb Bush…I think it’s pathetic what’s going on, his stance on Common Core,” Trump said. “He’s in favor of Washington educating your children.” Bush is the founder of the pro-Common Core Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE).
Education Survey: Three Quarters of Americans Rate Federal Government’s K-12 Performance As ‘Fair’ or ‘Poor’
According to the 2015 Schooling in America Survey, one out of six respondents rank education as the “Number 1” issue facing America, yet only 20 percent of those surveyed said the federal government was doing a “good” or “excellent” job in K-12 education.
EXCLUSIVE – Rand Paul: Oppose the Washington Machine Education Bill
I believe that education is the great equalizer, but too often our one-size-fits-all system leaves most kids behind. As someone who has spent a few years in Washington, I can tell you first-hand that there is no monopoly of knowledge here. The Washington Machine should not dictate what happens in our local classrooms. It should be local municipalities, parents, teachers and administrators who make these decisions.
Los Angeles Schools to Teach Students Not to Sext
Sext ed will be part of the curriculum for Los Angeles students this fall.
