Education News: January 22, 2009

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending January 22, 2010.

President Obama Seeks to Extend Education Grant Program
(USA Today, January 19th) With $4.3 billion already available through Race to the Top grants, President Barrack Obama seeks to add an additional $1.35 billion to the education grant program. The additional funds would extend the program and allow more states to secure funding. Obama emphasized the grant’s importance, calling it an “obligation” to offer outstanding education to the country’s youth.

More Schools Offer Chinese
(New York Times, January 21) In spite of cuts to public school foreign language programs, there has been a surge in the number of schools offering Chinese. Part of the reason has been a program implemented by the Chinese government. By sending local teachers abroad and offering to pay a portion of their salary, the Chinese government has helped to pay for many foreign language programs in America. The result has been an increase from 1 percent to 4 percent of American schools offering Chinese as a foreign language

The Cost of Quality Assessments
(Education Week, January 21st) With $350 million in federal funding promised to support the creation of common assessments, education experts have begun to explore how to best assess America’s youth. In the past states have depended heavily on multiple-choice testing. However U.S Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has recently called for the inclusion of open-ended responses. Unfortunately open-ended questions are far more expensive to score. During a time of economic struggle critics have begun to question whether such methods are within the country’s economic means.

Denver Public Schools Awarded $10 Million
(Denver Post, January 21st) On Thursday, Denver public schools received a $10 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant, the largest in district history, will be used to develop, evaluate and reward excellent teachers. In doing so Denver hopes to attract and retain qualified educators.

Philadelphia to Increase Teacher Pay
(Philadelphia Inquirer, January 22) On Thursday, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers approved a controversial contract that will raise teachers’ pay and include performance bonuses. President of the PFT Jerry Jordan applauded the contract, stating that it is a step towards “professionalizing” the teaching profession. Critics are concerned that the performance bonuses will be based on standardized tests, a measure that some consider to be an unfair method of teacher evaluation.

San Francisco Schools Face Layoffs
(San Francisco Gate, January 22) With a $113 million budget shortfall over the next two years, San Francisco Superintendent Carlos Garcia stated that there will be layoffs. While the exact number of layoffs is uncertain, the cuts will likely end some summer programs and result in increased class sizes. Garcia has also suggested a salary freeze in order to narrow the budget gap.

Recession Hits California Schools
(Los Angeles Times, January 21st) Facing economic struggles, California students from low income families have found no relief at school. A recent study has shown that the state’s high-poverty schools were far more likely to layoff teachers than low-poverty schools. The same study revealed that high-poverty schools were nearly three times as likely to eliminate summer and after school programs. Unfortunately analysts expect more cuts in the future.