Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
Both houses of Congress have now passed versions of the bill that would update the largest federal education law, known as No Child Left Behind, for the first time since 2001. They are big, meaty and complicated, and now they have to be reconciled into one messy Dagwood sandwich of a bill to go to the president. (NPR)
Location, academics and reputation are the strongest factors motivating parents to choose a D.C. public school, according to a survey of 1,400 parents with newly enrolled children during the 2014-2015 school year. (The Washington Post)
Ohio Governor John Kasich became the 16th—and perhaps last—Republican to join the field for the 2016 presidential nomination with his announcement today in Columbus at his alma mater, Ohio State University. Kasich, who spent 18 years in Congress, didn’t mention education issues during his launch speech. As governor, he has expanded voucher programs and charter schools in the state and brought in Teach for America to work in the schools. (Forbes)
In the affluent Northfield Township High School District 225, many administrators and teachers alike earn six-figure salaries and dozens of educators have gotten big pay hikes just before retiring, a way to boost their pensions. (The Chicago Tribune)
A panel exploring ways to attract and retain better teachers in Georgia focused on pay and training during discussions Tuesday. (ajc.com)
Skyrocketing housing prices in Silicon Valley, the country’s hub of tech entrepreneurship and one of the most highly educated enclaves in the world, are making it hard for teachers to call the area home. (The Atlantic)
Authorities seized control of an education agency that was a bastion of resistance to President Enrique Peña Nieto’s education sector overhaul, firing its 4,000 employees and deploying federal police to secure the agency’s offices. (The Wall Street Journal)