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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
The Common Core State Standards have been reshaping the American education landscape for four years, leaving their mark on curriculum and instruction, professional development, teacher evaluation, the business of publishing, and the way tests are designed. In this special report, Education Week explores how the initial vision for the standards—and for aligned assessments—is now bumping up against reality in states, school districts, and local communities. (Education Week)
In the waning years of the Obama administration, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sees several important and difficult priorities ahead of him, he said in a wide-ranging 30-minute interview this month. Chief among them: the transition to new standards and tests, the debut of new teacher evaluations tied to test scores, and the costly drive to expand preschool. (Education Week)
New Jersey
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker will join officials from the Foundation for Newark’s Future and other education supporters this morning to announce a $1 million investment in early childhood education. (NJ.com)
Paymon Rouhanifard is not the type to point fingers. Though he’s Camden’s fourth schools superintendent since 2006, he doesn’t name names when it comes to the self-dealing, errors and negligence of his predecessors. He acknowledges that city schools are nowhere near as safe or as academically rigorous as they must be for students to thrive, but rather than assigning blame for the sorry state of affairs, he’s demonstrating that he’d rather move forward and fix the problems. (Courier Post)
New York
Where New York City students go to school saw steady change under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, according to enrollment data released on Tuesday. (Chalkbeat)
Rhode Island
The Wolf School plays a unique role in educational options in Rhode Island — and on Thursday April 24, the school celebrates its 15th Anniversary, its biggest fundraiser of the year, and a new Head of School. (Go Local Prov)