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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
The government released the latest national test scores on Wednesday, and the news isn’t good: 12th-graders are headed toward graduation, but many don’t have the skills they need to succeed in college or work. (NPR)
In 2011, President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan provided states with an opportunity for flexibility from certain requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA, currently known as the No Child Left Behind, or NCLB, Act. A total of 43 states; Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; and eight districts in California that are part of the California Office to Reform Education, or CORE—have since received waivers from the U.S. Department of Education. (CAP)
The political bickering surrounding standardized testing has all but drowned out one important group of voices: The students who are actually taking the tests. (Huffington Post)
New York
Starting salaries for a first-year New York City teacher will increase to $54,411 by 2018, up from $45,530 this year, according to a salary schedule released on Tuesday evening by the United Federation of Teachers. (Chalkbeat)
North Carolina
Gov. Pat McCrory Wednesday announced his intention to give all teachers 2 percent raises this year, with a long-term plan to revamp the way North Carolina’s teachers are paid. (News and Observer)