Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
For four years, schools in nearly every state have been working to put the Common Core State Standards into practice in classrooms, but few have put them to the test—literally. This year, that changes. (Education Week)
Michael R. Bloomberg has decided to reassume the leadership of his business empire only eight months after ending his final term as mayor of New York. (NY Times)
Healthcare has its critics, but few of them are calling for doctors to be replaced. Education is different—and as a new book reveals, it has been throughout U.S. history. (The Atlantic)
Halfway through the last school year, Leila Campbell, a young humanities teacher at a charter high school in Oakland, Calif., received the results from a recent survey of her students. (NY Times)
New Jersey
Relatively few students not yet assigned to specific schools, most will attend one of top five choices. (NJ Spotlight)
New York
New York City’s 1.1 million public school students head back to class Thursday, kicking off the first full school year under the helm of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration. While his signature campaign initiative to expand pre-kindergarten classes has received the most attention, it is just one of several policy changes expected to ripple through the system. Here’s a list of seven key things to watch in the 2014-15 school year. (WNYC)