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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News & analysis:
In Testing, a Principal Leans on Her Experience
Since 2000, Anna Allanbrook has been the principal of Public School 146 in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn, one of the highest achieving elementary schools in the city. It is so popular that each year she holds an admissions lottery — last spring, 1,538 children applied for 175 slots. (New York Times)
Obama pushes ambitious Internet access plan for schools
President Obama liked the idea laid out in a memo from his staff: an ambitious plan to expand high-speed Internet access in schools that would allow students to use digital notebooks and teachers to customize lessons like never before. Better yet, the president would not need Congress to approve it. (Washington Post)
Plaintiffs in Chicago School Closures Lawsuits Denied Class-Action
A federal judge has ruled that plaintiffs suing to halt the wave of school closings in Chicago will not receive class-action status, the Associated Press reports. (Education Week – District Dossier)
Sequestration Effects: 59 Percent of Districts Cut Professional Development
Perhaps the cuts weren’t quite as bad as U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan predicted, but sequestration is still hitting classrooms as districts begin the 2013-14 school year. (Education Week – Politics K-12)
New York:
New York City Issues Teacher-Preparation Data
The teacher-preparation programs that supply a majority of teachers to New York City schools generally seem to be producing effective graduates who stay in their classrooms at higher rates than the national average, according to a report issued this morning by the city school district. (Education Week – Teacher Beat)
Pennsylvania:
Open Letter to Mayor Nutter, Council President Clarke and Members of City Council
Dear Honorable Michael A. Nutter, Honorable Darrell L. Clarke and Members of City Council:
We applaud your commitment to ensuring that Philadelphia schools open on time, with enough staff and resource to provide a proper education for the city’s children. We know you also share our conviction that securing the long-term sustainability and improvement of public schools is just as important. (Philadelphia School Partnership)