
A “Dear Colleague” guidance letter, signed by former U.S. Education Department (USED) Secretary Arne Duncan and Acting Secretary John King, warns school leaders against “targeting of particular students for harassment or blame,” particularly Muslim and Syrian refugee students.
by Dr. Susan Berry4 Jan 2016, 8:44 PM PST0

Arne Duncan gave his final speech as education secretary on December 30, expressing his “frustration” that Congress has not passed more gun control and his hope that more such control will be secured to keep school children safe.
by AWR Hawkins1 Jan 2016, 12:55 PM PST0

The former assistant Secretary for Communications to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan writes that Sen. Lamar Alexander’s enthusiasm for his “bipartisan” education bill – one that supposedly prohibits the federal government from mandating the Common Core standards – is “shamefully misleading.”
by Dr. Susan Berry29 Dec 2015, 6:20 AM PST0

Flanked by Senate education committee chairman Sen. Lamar Alexander and ranking member Sen. Patty Murray, President Barack Obama signed into law on Thursday the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the latest version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that was enacted in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
by Dr. Susan Berry10 Dec 2015, 8:10 PM PST0

The White House warns administrators that “slow or tepid reaction can amount to tolerance of a racially hostile environment” and encourages college administrators to take student protests seriously.
by Charlie Spiering20 Nov 2015, 11:13 AM PST0

Outgoing U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan used the viral-video incident at Spring Valley High School to push President Barack Obama’s campaign to reduce school punishments for black and Latino students.
by Dr. Susan Berry2 Nov 2015, 8:07 PM PST0

Results of national tests administered to approximately 600,000 students across the country demonstrate that – for the first time since the early 1990s – math scores of fourth and eighth graders have dropped. Eighth grade reading scores declined as well, and those for fourth graders remained flat.
by Dr. Susan Berry28 Oct 2015, 11:57 AM PST0

Illegal immigrant students should be given federal education money, says outgoing Education Secretary Arne Duncan. “The fact that as a nation we have yet to do that is a travesty,” he told the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual conference earlier this week.
by Caroline May9 Oct 2015, 8:43 AM PST0

Obama’s comments appear to be a reference to the Common Core standards – though he does not call the reform by name, likely because the unpopular initiative is now often described as “toxic” and “poisonous.” The president nevertheless adopts the usual pro-Common Core position that the nationalized standards are higher or more rigorous than other standards – although there is no independent research that validates that claim.
by Dr. Susan Berry4 Oct 2015, 10:12 AM PST0

Arne Duncan, who has served as Education Secretary throughout Barack Obama’s tenure as president, will be replaced through the end of the president’s term by former New York State education commissioner and Common Core champion John King, Jr.
by Dr. Susan Berry2 Oct 2015, 9:09 AM PST0

In a remarkable admission, the former director of the Race to the Top (RttT) competitive grant program and chief of staff to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says the federal government “forced” full support for adoption of the Common Core standards from each state by requiring its governor, chief state school officer, and head of the state board of education to sign off on the grant application.
by Dr. Susan Berry16 Sep 2015, 11:19 AM PST0

First Lady Michelle Obama told visiting students, “We’re counting on you to be that next generation to take over all that we’re doing.” Mrs. Obama’s remarks came while she was hosting Celebrating Innovations In Career and Technical Education at the White House earlier this summer.
by Merrill Hope4 Aug 2015, 6:57 AM PST0

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.
by Dr. Susan Berry16 Jul 2015, 9:22 PM PST0

The House’s version of the redo, known as the Student Success Act (H.R. 5), was pulled from the House floor by GOP leadership in late February after it was determined the measure lacked sufficient support. Grassroots parents’ groups – many that have been fighting against the Common Core standards in their states – voiced their concerns that the Student Success Act still required excessive federal intrusion into the right of states to set their own education policies.
by Dr. Susan Berry6 Jul 2015, 9:01 AM PST0

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Education (USED), under Secretary Arne Duncan, posted an image of its logo that incorporated a rainbow to show its support for the contentious ruling.
by Dr. Susan Berry30 Jun 2015, 6:27 AM PST0

Jindal has heard the complaints of many parents in his state and has said that as a parent himself he could see the difficulties his own son was having with Common Core math. Ultimately, he unveiled an aggressive plan to eliminate Common Core in Louisiana, one that exposed how the state board of education and department of education can attempt to work around government rules and the state legislature in order to meet its own goals.
by Dr. Susan Berry24 Jun 2015, 8:15 AM PST0

The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) announced Monday that it has joined in filing a lawsuit against the governor of North Dakota and other officials that claims the state’s participation in one of the federally funded interstate Common Core test consortia and the implementation of the Common Core standards is unconstitutional and violates federal laws that ban federal control of public schools and curriculum.
by Dr. Susan Berry22 Jun 2015, 11:30 AM PST0

The authors observe that regardless of the decision in Jindal’s case, state and local school boards are facing significant challenges in “the collapsing morale and educational achievement of their students,” and need to consider their own legal path to rid themselves of the Common Core boondoggle.
by Dr. Susan Berry8 Jun 2015, 8:07 AM PST0

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan asked for advice via his private email account from Jeb Bush about how to respond to concerns about Common Core from current Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
by Dr. Susan Berry28 May 2015, 3:43 PM PST0

Tuesday in Arlington, VA, at the Youth Violence Prevention Summit, Education Secretary Arne Duncan proposed government-run public boarding schools which would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Duncan said, “One idea that I threw out …
by Pam Key12 May 2015, 3:19 PM PST0

With hundreds of thousands of parents refusing the Common Core-aligned tests for their children, Wall Street Journal contributor Jason Riley says the “soccer mom” opt-out movement has the momentum and is determined to win its fight.
by Dr. Susan Berry5 May 2015, 10:03 PM PST0

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is cutting the School Readiness and Language Development Program, a half-day pre-school program, in the face of statements by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan that pre-school programs should be available to all who want them.
by William Bigelow12 Apr 2015, 1:44 PM PST0

Sen. Lamar Alexander’s (R-TN) rewritten draft legislation that would reauthorize No Child Left Behind (NCLB) will likely not allow Title I dollars for low-income children to follow them to schools of their choice, an outcome that would be a win for the Obama administration.
by Dr. Susan Berry7 Apr 2015, 8:30 AM PST0

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 on Monday by condemning what he views as racial inequities in education in the United States.
by Dr. Susan Berry13 Jan 2015, 12:05 PM PST0

In a glowing tribute to outgoing Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D), U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan claims the state of Massachusetts has led the nation in education under the direction of Common Core champion Patrick, who will turn the reins over to a new Governor, Charlie Baker (R), on Thursday.
by Dr. Susan Berry7 Jan 2015, 9:13 PM PST0