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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
Anyone who thought that the U.S. Education Department’s power over states in regard to standardized testing was over because of the new K-12 education law passed in December should think again. (The Washington Post)
The economy might be recovering, but school districts are still feeling the pinch, according to new federal data. The latest school district spending data from the National Center for Education Statistics show that the median district got $11,745 per student in fiscal 2013, after adjusting for inflation, 1.8 percent less than the prior year. They spent $10,047 per student during the same time, a .5 percent decrease from fiscal 2012, suggesting administrators worked to buffer students from some of the budget cuts. (Education Week)
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service has announced a new pilot program for the upcoming school year that hopes to give more children access to the National School Lunch Program. (The Atlantic)
ames Cole, Jr., the general counsel at the U.S. Department of Education, has been tapped as a senior advisor filling the duties of the deputy secretary of education. The gig—the No. 2 position at the department—became available when former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan resigned and John B. King Jr., who had essentially been serving as the deputy, was tapped by President Barack Obama to oversee the department. (Education Week)
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—who is trying to fend off a strong challenge from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination in the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses—has one of the longest education resumes in the presidential race. (Education Week)