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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
Some states are rebelling against Common Core education standards adopted by 45 states, saying it is a sign of federal overreach. But few states are actually taking concrete steps, according to a new study. (Christian Science Monitor)
The State Supreme Court held the Legislature in contempt on Thursday over its lack of progress on fixing the way the state pays for public education, but it withheld punishment until after the 2015 session if lawmakers did not make plans to solve the problem by then. The court ruled in January that the funding system was unconstitutional. Possible sanctions include fining the Legislature or individual lawmakers, having the court rewrite the state budget, and revoking tax exemptions. The cost of the overhauls has been estimated at $4 billion or more in each biennial budget. In the most recent budget, lawmakers added about $1 billion for education. But the Legislature — Republicans control the Senate, Democrats the House — has been unable to agree on where else to cut or how to raise taxes. (New York Times)
New Jersey
After years of declining student enrollment, Newark has seen the first significant increase in a decade in the number of families attending traditional public schools. (WNYC)
New York
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, which spent the winter in a bruising fight with charter school advocates, said on Wednesday that it would find space in public school buildings for four charter schools that want to open or expand next year. (New York Times)
Two different lawsuits challenging teacher tenure in New York will now be consolidated into one. (WNYC)