Here’s what Tennessee’s next governor says about K-12 education

BY MARTA W. ALDRICH November 7, 2018 Republican businessman Bill Lee promised to bring “fresh ideas” on public education to Tennessee, and he’ll now get the chance as the state’s 50th governor. In handily defeating Democrat and former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean on Tuesday, the Williamson County millionaire and first-time candidate is poised to replace fellow…

PROGRESSIVES WIN ON MEDICAID EXPANSION, PUBLIC EDUCATION, AND VOTING RIGHTS THROUGH BALLOT INITIATIVES

Rachel M. Cohen November 7 2018, FROM STATE LEGISLATIVE races to the House of Representatives, progressive candidates made a dent in the 2018 election season, and will be relatively well-represented in federal and state-level governments next year. But it’s not just elected office: Left-wing activists also made their voices heard through ballot initiatives across the country. On…

Colorado Amendment 73, Tax Increase For Public Education, Has Failed

BY COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO STAFF NOV 6, 2018 Voters rejected Amendment 73, which would have raised money for Colorado’s public schools by increasing income, corporate and property taxes. Great Education Colorado director and measure supporter Lisa Weil said she knew Amendment 73 would be an uphill battle. “Adequate funding, fighting for equitable funding and making sure that…

Public schools’ struggle correlates directly to state voucher support

November 6, 2018 Tony Lux Tony Lux, a board member for the Indiana Coalition for Public Education, is the retired superintendent of Merrillville schools.   The recent promulgation of eight indicators of financial health for school systems glaringly ignores the state’s role in the worsening financial condition of many public school districts. Since the 2008 recession,…

Why it matters who governs America’s public schools

By Valerie Strauss November 4, 2018 Does it matter who operates America’s public schools? That’s a central question in the national debate about education and the movement to find alternatives to school districts that are publicly funded and operated. While charter schools are publicly funded, they are privately operated and are not required in most places…

State releases official public school ACT results

BRANDON PAYKAMIAN The Tennessee Department of Education released the official 2018 ACT test results Wednesday, noting a small improvement from last year’s state average composite score of 20.1 to 20.2, a record-breaker. Throughout the state, the 63,104 public school graduates increased their average score in most areas, according to state officials. The average scores in…

State’s new school report cards at odds with CPS’ own ratings

By Lauren FitzPatrick The state’s new report cards for public schools around Illinois, released Tuesday, pose a conundrum for parents of kids at Chicago Public Schools, which unveiled its own ratings last week: Which metric should they believe? CPS, for example, gave its highest rating — Level 1+ — to 185 schools — but 30 of…

Teachers to vote next week on possible strike at 19 Chicago charter schools

By Mitchell Armentrout 10/24/2018   Teachers at 19 Chicago charter schools will hold strike authorization votes next week that could open the door to the first-ever work stoppage at any charter school in the nation. Votes will be cast Oct. 30 by teachers at the city’s 15 schools in the Acero network, the largest unionized charter…

Public school teachers in Rapid City still without contract

Oct 22, 2018 RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) – Public school teachers in Rapid City are still without a contract for the current academic year. The Rapid City Journal reports that the teachers union and the school board failed to come to an agreement during an Oct. 9 meeting. They’ll now meet with a state Labor Department…