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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
As the clock ticks toward the end of his presidency and he faces a Republican Congress that is in no mood to cooperate, President Obama on Wednesday kicked off a public-relations campaign aimed at building support for his plans to make college more affordable. (The New York Times)
Congress has not yet officially launched a conference committee to reconcile differences between the House and Senate revisions of No Child Left Behind. But Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), the chairman of the House Education Committee, says that he is still hopeful that lawmakers will be able to send a bill to the president’s desk by the end of the year. (The Washington Post)
Two years ago, Teach For America decided to appoint co-chief executive officers to run the organization. That experiment is now set to end: Like with the Highlander, there can be only one. Matthew Kramer, appointed co-CEO in 2013, announced Wednesday afternoon that he plans to leave TFA toward the end of the year, after a transition process. His counterpart, Elisa Villanueva Beard, will become the sole person in that position. (Education Week)
Seattle students were supposed to start school Wednesday, but teachers voted to strike in a dispute over pay raises. More than 50,000 public school students and about 5,000 teachers aren’t in class. (NPR)
Echoing a nationwide downward trend, most California students are falling short of state learning targets and are not on track to succeed in college, according to the results of new, more rigorous standardized tests released Wednesday. (Los Angles Times)
Minnesota
Michelle Hughes was expecting a baby when she decided she wanted to leave California’s Bay Area to teach in Minnesota. Her son is now 2, and she is still not licensed to teach in the state. “I should have full licensure at this point,” Hughes said. “It’s a mess. There is no way it should take this long.” (Star Tribune)