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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
Attention U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. and company: Don’t go overboard in attaching a bunch of new federal definitions and requirements to regulations for the Every Student Succeeds Act, including when it comes to supplement-not-supplant. (Education Week)
White suburban parents were the driving force of an opt-out movement in which hundreds of thousands of students last year skipped state end-of-year assessments. But this year, local and national organizers are speaking candidly of their desire and efforts to broaden the crusade that some testing proponents have mocked on Twitter using #optoutsowhite. As this year’s testing season ramps up, they are tackling head on a key argument long backed by the civil rights establishment: Students who aren’t tested aren’t counted. (Politico)
The U.S. Department of Education plans to revamp how it collects monthly payments from millions of Americans who have federal student loans, the department will announce on Monday afternoon. (Inside Higher Ed)
Many of America’s biggest school districts have prioritized security officers over counselors. In Houston, that means there’s only one counselor for every 1,175 students. (The Atlantic)
General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt is pledging to spend $50 million on a series of initiatives in Boston, including $25 million in the public schools, as his company prepares to move its headquarters to the city. (ABC News)
Connecticut is poised to postpone linking teacher evaluations to state student test scores, but lobbying efforts are under way to eliminate that part of educator reviews altogether. (The Wall Street Journal)