Education News: June 11 and June 18, 2010

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the weeks ending on June 11 and June 18, 2010.

Opposition Delays Obama Administration’s Grant Initiatives
(Education Week, June 17th) As the Obama administration pushes to expand their education federal grant program, lawmakers have grown increasingly critical of the initiative. One of the Obama administration’s key grant programs, Race to the Top, has been bashed for its scoring process. Such criticism has spurred an effort to adopt formula-driven programs rather than expand the competitive grants.

Teacher Redistribution May Help Improve Struggling Schools
(Education Week, June 10th) For months the Obama administration has reiterated the importance of improving teacher effectiveness and keeping top performing educators in the field. Now, with the help of several school districts and non-profit organizations, the administration is investigating what kind of progress can be achieved by pairing strong teachers with struggling schools. The initiative will use various techniques to target top-performing teachers and will use incentives, retention strategies and improved professional development to maximize the affect of the redistribution project.

New York Hopes to Diversify Charters
(New York Times, June 14th) While Hispanics makeup the largest ethnic group in New York City, data shows that there are twice as many African American students in the city’s charter schools. In order to narrow this disparity, the city’s Department of Education is attempting to attract more immigrant students by providing charter school directories in various languages. State lawmakers have also pursued legislation to help diversify city charters, passing a bill that will help to increase the number of ELL students attending charter schools early this month.

D.C. to Overhaul Six Schools
(Washington Post, June 15th) On Monday, D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee announced plans to overhaul six of the district’s low performing schools. The overhaul will require 150 teachers to reapply for their jobs, with plans to place one of the schools under the oversight of a Philadelphia based charter organization.

School Advocates React Strongly to Proposed New Jersey Cuts
(Education Week, June 10th) In opposition to the proposed funding cuts by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, school advocates requested that the New Jersey Supreme Court restore funding. Christie called the proposed $820 million in cuts necessary to balance the state’s budget.

D.C. Teachers to Receive Raise Despite National Cuts
(New York Times, June 13th) At Clara E. Coleman Elementary School in Glen Rock, New Jersey, students are required to take 10-15 hours of engineering class each year. Although teaching engineering to elementary students may appear out of the norm, the school’s program reflects a growing national trend. By introducing engineering into elementary curriculum schools hope to boost America’s competitiveness in math and science fields on a global scale.

Los Angeles Schools Face Additional Cuts
(Los Angeles Times, June 11th) Facing a $640 million deficit, officials are cutting back funding for the arts in Los Angeles elementary schools and library aids. The cuts became imminent after the parcel tax, which would have offered additional aid to schools, proposed by the Los Angeles Unified School District failed to receive two thirds majority.

Michigan’s K-12 Funding Surplus Could Help Struggling Universities
(Education Week, June 9th) Expecting a funding surplus for Michigan’s k-12 schools next year, lawmakers have considered redistributing funds to support the state’s struggling university system. Despite the expected surplus from the k-12 system, the state faces a general funds deficit of $300 million. By redirecting the k-12 surplus to other education institutions, lawmakers hope to narrow this deficit.

Teacher for America Hopes to Expand Colorado Teaching Corps
(Denver Post, June 10th) Teach for America plans to dramatically increase the number of its teachers in Colorado, if the state wins funding in the next round Race to the Top grants. The non-profit organization hopes to double its teaching corps to 270 by next year and aims to expand the program to 400 teachers by 2013.