By Laura Meckler / Washington Post Posted at 11:21 AM Most Americans say public-school teachers are underpaid and say they would support them if they went on strike for better wages, a new poll shows, offering backup for newly assertive educators. At the same time, the poll found American confidence in teachers at a low point. Also,…
Category: Every Student Succeeds Act
We Can’t Just Sue Our Way To A Better Education System
Aug 29, 2018, Natalie Wexler Frustrated with a lack of progress—especially for poor and minority students—some education activists are resorting to lawsuits. But courts aren’t equipped to address obstacles that are deeply rooted in the American approach to teaching. A lawsuit filed in 2016 charged that conditions in Detroit schools—including a lack of teachers, books, pencils, and…
Invest in Education income-tax measure knocked off November ballot by courts
An Arizona Supreme Court ruling Wednesday knocked the Invest in Education income-tax measure off the November ballot. According to the ruling, the measure’s description “did not accurately represent the increased tax burden on the affected classes of taxpayers.” The measure, recently titled Proposition 207, was expected to bring in $690 million in additional funding for…
Arizona Supreme Court boots educational funding proposal off Nov. ballot
AUGUST 29, 2018 David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) – The Arizona Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday to remove a proposal from the November ballot that, if passed, would have pumped $690 million into Arizona’s public education system by raising taxes on the state’s highest earners. The court found the proposition’s description of the change in tax…
DeVos makes surprise visits to D.C. public schools that made gains on standardized test
By Perry Stein August 22 at 9:12 PM Education Secretary Betsy DeVos made a surprise visit Wednesday to three D.C. public schools to mark the start of the year and celebrate their notable gains on a national standardized test. The elementary schools — Hendley, Simon and Amidon-Bowen — are part of the traditional public school system…
Poll: GOP support for school choice growing
By Maria Danilova / The Associated Press August 23, 2018 WASHINGTON — Support for charter schools and private school voucher programs has gone up over the past year, with Republicans accounting for much of the increase, according to a survey published Tuesday. The findings by Education Next, a journal published by Harvard’s Kennedy School…
Despite Wisconsin’s top 10 public school ranking, debate over education funding remains
Wisconsin has one of the 10 best public school systems in the country, according to a new study by the financial consumer website, WalletHub. In its report “2018 Best and Worst Public Schools,” WalletHub ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on scores across 25 key metrics within two main categories…
Charter schools are big business. Who’s making money off public education?
THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC REVEALS WHAT CHARTER SCHOOLS DON’T TELL PARENTS. SEE THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION HERE Arizona Republic Aug. 22, 2018 With Arizona public schools struggling to raise students’ standardized test scores, the Legislature in 1994 began a grand experiment: charter schools. They were exempted from state procurement or conflict-of-interest laws and the oversight of elected boards. With less regulation, charters could…
Charter School Amendment Removed From Florida Ballot
AUGUST 21, 2018 By Tom McLaughlin Circuit Court Judge John Cooper clearly didn’t agree with the wording of the last of the constitutional amendments to be put before voters this November. Cooper on Monday ordered Amendment 8 stricken from the ballot, calling both the amendment language and the title it would have been introduced under…
California State Superintendent Torlakson Creates Team to Recommend Updates in Charter School Law
August 20, 2018 – SACRAMENTO— State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson has announced that he is creating an Action Team on Charter Schools to review laws governing California’s charter schools, and provide recommendations about any needed changes to the next State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Governor, State Board of Education, and State Legislature. The guiding…