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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis:
Common core sparks war over words
As states across the country implement broad changes in curriculum from kindergarten through high school, English teachers worry that they will have to replace the dog-eared novels they love with historical documents and nonfiction texts. (Washington Post)
5 states to increase class time in some schools
Open your notebooks and sharpen your pencils. School for thousands of public school students is about to get quite a bit longer. Five states were to announce Monday that they will add at least 300 hours of learning time to the calendar in some schools starting in 2013. Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Tennessee will take part in the initiative, which is intended to boost student achievement and make U.S. schools more competitive on a global level. (Boston Globe)
School Testing In U.S. Costs $1.7 Billion, But That May Not Be Enough: Report
Matt Chingos has an idea that will likely roil the scores of parents and teachers who think the U.S. tests its students too much: we might actually spend too little on standardized testing. But he’s not alone. (Huffington Post)
Bills to refine state education authority’s role make progress
Bills clarifying the role of the state’s Education Achievement Authority are hung up on how schools would end state oversight. The House and Senate education committees Thursday adopted amended versions of the bills, but “we’re working on fine-tuning an exit strategy,” said Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons, a Kent County Republican and sponsor of one of the bills introduced two days after the Nov. 6 election. (Detroit News)
Court Rejects Louisiana’s Broad Voucher Program
In a major setback for one the nation’s boldest private school choice models, a judge in Louisiana has ruled that the state’s new voucher program violates the state’s constitution. (Education Week – Charters and Choice)
New York:
City’s own ‘fi-school’ cliff
It’s crunch time. The city and its teachers union have just six weeks to reach a deal on a new teacher-evaluation system — or else forgo nearly $300 million in public-school funds. (New York Post)
View Point:
Michael Stryer: New ideas from a new generation of teachers
We have all heard about the dramatic changes in the American electorate and how, because he spoke to the concerns of the growing numbers of Hispanic, black, female and younger voters, President Obama was reelected despite adverse economic conditions. Another critical demographic shift is occurring. This one is taking place, quietly, in teachers unions: Over the past several years, teachers who have spent 10 years or fewer in the classroom have become the dues-paying majority. The impact of this new majority is as important to the role of unions as the changing electorate is to presidential elections. These newer teachers, along with many longtime teachers, are looking for their unions to elevate the profession — not to sacrifice teaching quality for job security. (Washington Post)