posted on
Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
With its gleaming classrooms, sports teams and even a pep squad, the Apprentice School that serves the enormous Navy shipyard here bears little resemblance to a traditional vocational education program. (The New York Times)
Coder Bootcamps. Accelerated Learning Programs. New Economy Skills Training. Whatever you call them, these new players in higher education are multiplying. The intensive programs say they can teach job-ready skills in technology, design and related fields. In record time. (NPR)
In an unexpected move, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., moved to close debate on the chamber’s bipartisan bill to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, invoking cloture on the underlying bill Monday evening, which sets up a possible vote on final passage for as early as Wednesday. (Education Week)
Any way you define teacher quality, disadvantaged students, academically struggling students, and nonwhite students get fewer good teachers, concludes a new study. (Education Week)
When Lisa Ruda arrived in Washington to help Michelle A. Rhee begin a transformation of D.C. Public Schools, Ruda had less than eight weeks to clear her first major hurdle — preparing the city’s schools for opening day. (The Washington Post)
When it comes to education reform, Nevada and California are a tale of two states — the best of times and the worst of times. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has signed legislation creating a universal school-choice program that will allow parents to choose the best education for their children. In contrast, under Gov. Jerry Brown, California now gives local school bureaucrats and officials more leeway to decide what they think is best for children. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Some of the Republican Party’s most promising presidential candidates in 2016 are governors or former governors running on their executive experience. Unlike senators, whose experience typically consists of votes and position statements, governors have to govern, leaving a record of hard choices, hurt feelings and other debris behind. That record of choices provides a window into a candidate’s core values and leadership style that is hard to get from a senator. (National Deseret News)