Beth’s Briefings (6-12-15)

Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:

 

Reversing a pattern, federal funding for higher education has in recent years outstripped state funding. According to a new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the federal government supplied $75.6 billion in 2013, the latest year for which data is available, and state governments supplied $72.7 billion. From 2000 to 2012, federal per-student spending increased by 32 percent, while state spending dropped by 37 percent. Generally, the federal government provides financial help to individual students and specific research projects, while state funds go toward public institutions’ general operations. Much of the growth of federal higher-education spending has been increases in veterans’ education benefits and Pell grants. (The New York Times)

 

The question of what to major in during college will often get another question in response: “Well, what job do you want?” On the surface, it seems that what a person studies in college should relate to his or her planned career path, but it turns out that it’s very hard to predict how those two things will interact with each other. (The Atlantic)

 

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey leaned on the podium with his right elbow, his standard let-me-give-it-to-you-straight stance, and gave one of his classic blunt warnings, this time setting up a nearly hourlong speech laying out his educational platform. (The New York Times)

 

An analysis by the Iowa Department of Education says the Iowa Board of Education has the authority to determine the next state standardized exam, a conclusion that brings the board one step closer to adopting the controversial Smarter Balanced tests. (The Des Moines Register)

 

Chicago school officials are taking steps to make sure dropouts aren’t being mislabeled to make the city’s graduation rates look better. (WBEZ.org)

 

Lawmakers on Gov. Nathan Deal’s Education Reform Commission are pushing back against a key concept in his plan to change the way education is funded in Georgia. (AJC.com)

 

Aspire Public Schools and the San Francisco Unified School District both use a new teachers preparation program that has earned high marks for teacher retention, according to a new report by the American Institute for Research. (EdSource)

 

In his State of the Union address back in January, President Obama had some sure-fire applause lines: “More of our kids are graduating than ever before,” and “Our high school graduation rate has hit an all-time high.” (NPR)

 

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Thursday that he was trying to get two contentious legislative issues — rent regulations and a tax credit meant to expand access to private schools — approved by the Assembly and the Senate by linking the fates of both. (The New York Times)