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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
House Republican leaders eked out a victory Wednesday on a partisan bill to update President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind law that would give far more control over public education to states. (Politico)
The U.S. Senate waded into its first contentious debate since it began considering an overhaul to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, voting on and ultimately rejecting a voucher amendment that would have allowed Title I dollars for low-income students to follow them to the public or private school of their choice. (Education Week)
Getting a high school diploma is as good for health as quitting smoking. That’s the finding from a study released Wednesday by researchers at the University of Colorado, New York University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (NPR)
Christina Waters’s cellphone rang, and she looked down to see that the number was blocked. She knew immediately it was U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, just calling to check in. (The Washington Post)
What does it mean to be passing math class? The answer to this question varies from state to state, according to a new report released by the research arm of the Education Department, the National Center for Education Statistics. These differences are crucial as America’s population becomes more mobile, moving between states. (Huffington Post)
Voters support tapping the state’s land trust fund to boost public education and they want to fix lower-performing schools by raising teacher pay and taking into consideration family income, according to a recent poll. (azcentral.com)
New Jersey
State education officials detailed plans Wednesday for a review of academic standards that they say will be “inclusive” and “thorough” despite an ambitious six-month timeline to deliver final recommendations. (NorthJersey.com)