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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
Thought education might never come up during the Republican presidential debates on Thursday night? You weren’t alone. Thank goodness for the Common Core State Standards. (Education Week)
High-school juniors in Connecticut will take the SAT instead of a Common Core-aligned test in the coming school year. The U.S. Department of Education on Thursday approved a request submitted by Gov. Dannel Malloy asking to cut down on the amount of standardized testing required in the state. Instead of taking the Smarter Balance Assessment, juniors will now take the SAT. (The Wall Street Journal)
This past spring, five million students from third grade through high school took new, end-of-year tests in math and English — developed by a consortium of states known as PARCC. (NPR)
The University of Central Oklahoma has received five federal education grants totaling $5.5 million to support programs for low-income students, first-generation college students and students with disabilities. (The Washington Times)
On Wednesday, the Senate HELP Committee held another hearing on reauthorizing the Higher Education Act (HEA). While exact timing of when the Senate will take up HEA is still to be determined, Senator Alexander has said repeatedly he plans to pass a bill this year. In our June Education Insider survey, however, a strong majority of Insiders said they don’t expect HEA to by reauthorized before the end of 2016. (Whiteboard Advisors)