Beth’s Briefings (3-25-16)

Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:

 

The U.S. Education Department has cleared the way for former students at 91 campuses once owned by the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges to have their loan debt forgiven, the department announced on Friday. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

 

When the gun goes off, a slight young girl with a shock of white hair bursts off the starting line. Her legs pump harder as she picks up speed, eventually outpacing her competitors as she sprints furiously towards the finish line. There’s just one problem: She can’t see it. (The Atlantic)

 

Michigan lawmakers voted Thursday to extend $48.7 million in emergency aid to keep Detroit’s ailing school district open for the rest of the academic year and avoid the prospect of payless paydays for staff. (Associated Press)

 

According to the Education Equality Index (EEI), a first-of-its-kind tool released today, students from low-income families across New Jersey are less likely to attend schools that put them on an equal playing field than those in neighboring New York and Pennsylvania. Despite frequent recognition for having one of the top public school systems in the nation, EEI data demonstrates that economically disadvantaged students in the Garden State have limited access to school that help them achieve at similar levels as their more advantaged peers. (CNB News)

 

The tests Minnesota students take to measure their academic proficiency and that are used to hold schools and teachers accountable are back under the microscope at the Legislature. (Twin Cities)