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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
Some sixth grade students in Massachusetts who spent hours over several days taking practice versions of newly developed Common Core tests decided that they should be paid for their work and are seeking payment for serving as “guinea pigs.” (Washington Post)
Right now, America’s schools are in a sprint. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Common Core State Standards. That means new learning benchmarks for the vast majority of the nation’s young students — millions of kids from kindergarten through high school. And, for many of them, the Core will feel tougher than what they’re used to. Because it is tougher. (NPR)
Most states have embarked on a significant expansion of preschool programs, but a new report says they appear to be missing the kids who need these programs most: low-income, immigrant children. (NPR)
Political battles over teaching in the last decade have focused on complexities of pensions, evaluations and standardized testing, often ignoring a basic but critical issue: Attendance. (Huffington Post)
Maryland
In the American dream a child can rise above a low-income background to go to college and then a high-paying job, but research by a Johns Hopkins University sociologist over a quarter of a century shows it rarely happens in Baltimore. (Baltimore Sun)
New York
Spurred by the tougher Common Core exams, the networks are collaborating—and consulting the same experts. (Chalkbeat NY)