posted on
Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News & analysis:
State education officials: We’re sticking with Common Core
As the political debate swirls in some statehouses over the Common Core math and reading standards, most state education officials responsible for implementing the new K-12 standards are confident that their states will stick with the program, according to a survey released Wednesday. (Washington Post)
Obama Stumps for Education Spending, Pre-K
President Barack Obama used a high-profile speech on the nation’s economic future today to bolster his administration’s case for investing in education programs. This will be a hot issue as Congress crafts the spending bills for fiscal year 2014, which starts on Oct. 1. Those spending bills will give lawmakers an opportunity to stop “sequestration”—a series of across-the-board cuts to federal education spending slated to go into effect. (Education Week – Politics K-12)
Report: Fewer D.C. charter schools have financial problems
District charter schools had fewer financial problems in fiscal 2012 compared to the year before, according to a report released Wednesday by two city agencies and the D.C. Public Charter School Board. (Washington Post)
Gates Announces $15M in Professional-Development Grants
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is expanding its already significant teacher-quality work to include on-the-job teacher training. (Education Week – Teacher Beat)
Pennsylvania:
Growing coalition pushes for new kind of Philly teachers contract
A group calling itself the Coalition for Effective Teaching is calling on the Philadelphia School District and the city teachers’ union to think about more than dollars and cents when negotiating the next contract. They’re pushing to pick teachers not just based on seniority. (NewsWorks)