Education News

Every week we scour the headlines from around the nation and prepare brief executive summaries of the top education stories.

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This Week in Education: June 24th - July 8th

We here at TeachersCount want to thank all the hard working teachers & administrators across the nation for a productive school year; we hope you have a great summer!

National Rebellion over "No Child Left Behind"
(NPR, June 29, 2011) Frustrated administrators do not want to be caught in the middle of Congressional gridlock. Each year targets keep rising and Congress keeps neglecting to make adjustments for schools that have made marked improvement. Many improving schools will face unwarranted sanctions although they are in need of emergency relief, from these controversial law requirements.

NES Endorses Obama for Re-Election
(The Daily Caller, July 6, 2011) Speculation as to why the nation’s largest teachers union has endorsed President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election bid is looming. Experts believe it may be a sign of the NEA’s loosing public relations battle and anticipation for political favors from Arne Duncan, if and when he starts handing out waivers for the "No Child Left Behind," directive.

NEA Passes New Policy for Teachers
(Boston Globe, July 6, 2011) A new policy has been passed that states student achievement must be a factor in evaluating teachers and administrators. This new policy makes a clear statement that teachers are going to be held responsible for the growth and development of their students. Many argue that these new guidelines will encourage state governments to establish more standardized testing as a means of assessing student growth.

Shorter Classes & Tighter Budgets
(New York Times, July 5, 2011) Nearly everyone involved in education concurs that American students need more education time. After years of state and local budget cuts thousands of districts are cramming classes into shorter weeks, reducing the school year and cutting out summer programs entirely. For two decades, advocates have been working to modernize the nation’s traditional 180-day school calendar.

Cheaters Never Prosper
(New York Times, July 5, 2011) Widespread, systematic cheating has been discovered on test scores in Atlanta, Georgia. Over 44 schools and 178 teachers were involved. Governor Nathan Deal of Atlanta, Georgia in a prepared statement declared that, “a culture of fear, intimidation and retaliation existed in the district, which led to a conspiracy of silence.” At the heart of the scandal is veteran administrator Beverly Hall who in 2009 was named Superintendent of the Year and is known in the educational community as one of the country’s finest.

Social Studies Curriculum is About to Change
(Boston Globe, July 5, 2011) In a sharply-divided 49-25 vote on Tuesday, the California State Assembly passed SB 48, a bill that would require textbooks used in state public schools to include historical contributions by gay men, lesbians and transgendered individuals. Originally introduced by state Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) to the senate in April, SB 48 aims to reduce the harassment of gay children in school, and to include the accomplishments of notable LGBT activists in local social science curricula.