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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
National
Trump Taps Rob Goad as White House Education Adviser
Rob Goad, a one-time top aide to Rep. Luke Messer, R-Ind., will serve as the education policy point person on the White House Domestic Policy Council under President-elect Donald Trump. The gig sounds a lot like the one that’s been filled by Roberto Rodriguez for the past eight years under President Barack Obama. (Education Week)
Democrats Demand Betsy DeVos Reveal ‘Complicated Web’ of Money, Lobbying
Six Senate Democrats have a message for Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary: You owe us a lot of information. In a Thursday letter to DeVos, the Democrats asked her to provide them information about her role in founding advocacy groups supporting school choice, those groups’ expenditures and donor lists, and other connections she has to various organizations. (Education Week)
Are The PISA Education Results Rigged?
The results of the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) are out, and again reveal students from East Asian countries dominate in maths and sciences. The assessment, run by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) every three years, tested around 540,000 15-year-old students in 72 countries and economies on science, reading, maths and collaborative problem-solving. In 2015, students from Singapore performed the best, followed by Japan, Estonia, Chinese Taipei, Finland, Macao (China), Canada, Vietnam, Hong Kong (China) and B-S-J-G (China) (Forbes)
State
New Jersey
State wants to ease hiring rules in charter schools
Some charter schools in New Jersey would be able to hire principals without master’s degrees and with as little as two years of teaching experience under a proposal now under consideration by the state. (NorthJersey.com)
Pennsylvania
This Billionaire’s Plan Could Save Philadelphia Schools
Public education in Philadelphia has reached a crisis point. Only 65% of students enrolled in Philadelphia public school students graduated high school in 2015. A local billionaire has a revolutionary idea that would overhaul public education in Philadelphia. The co-founder of Susquehanna Investment Group (SIG), Jeff Yass, presented his bold initiative at Philadelphia Magazine’s Thinkfest. (The Huffington Post)
Tennessee
Tennessee Lawmakers Could Raise, Lower Taxes This Session
Education vouchers-A year after he declined to bring voucher legislation to a House floor vote, state Rep. Bill Dunn says he plans to revive the opportunity scholarships proposed by Gov. Haslam. (Memphis Daily News)