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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News & analysis:
Los Angeles Leaders Exert Pressure to Keep Superintendent Deasy
With the possible exit of John Deasy from the helm of the Los Angeles Unified school district looming, a number of civic and foundation leaders in and around the city are mounting a public relations campaign to keep the hard-charging superintendent in place at a delicate time for the nation’s largest school district. (Education Week – District Dossier)
Obama Urges Congress to Spend More on Education
With budget talks set to resume next week, President Barack Obama is urging Congress to hammer out a spending deal that puts more money into education. (Time Swampland)
Mayor’s Race Signals Change for Boston Schools
As Boston prepares to elect its first new mayor in 20 years, the two candidates vying to replace Mayor Thomas M. Menino are touting education agendas that signal schools will remain a top priority at City Hall no matter who wins. (Education Week)
D.C. kicks off school boundary overhaul
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s administration kicked off an effort Monday to overhaul school boundaries and feeder patterns for the first time in decades, a politically charged and long-delayed process that could limit access to some of the city’s most sought-after schools. (Washington Post)
Bloomberg-Era School Changes Debated in N.Y.C. Race
A dozen years of control by New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has caused tectonic shifts in the way the Big Apple runs its schools, but as the battle for his replacement moves into its final stretch, a few of the Bloomberg administration’s most controversial education initiatives are shaping the landscape of the general election. (Education Week)
New Jersey:
New Jersey School District Cancels Testing After Exams Are Leaked on the Internet
Testing of public school students in a New York City suburb was canceled on Monday after someone anonymously posted several of the exams on a public website, officials said. (New York Times)
Rhode Island:
Report shows RI has 5th lowest student-teacher ratio
According to a new report from the U.S. Department of Education, Rhode Island has one of the lowest student-teacher ratios in the nation. (WPRO)
View Point:
A Bold Bid for Better Schools
If there’s a key to this nation’s sustained competitiveness, it’s education. And if there’s a key to the kind of social mobility that’s integral to our country’s cherished narrative, to its soul, it’s giving kids from all walks of life teachers and classrooms that beckon them toward excellence. But like all aspects of American policy making these days, the push to improve public schools bucks up against factionalism, pettiness, lobbies that won’t be muted and sacred cows that can’t be disturbed. Progress that needs to be sweeping is anything but. (New York Times)