Schools transformed into shelters in wake of Hurricane Sandy
Classes were cancelled at many schools in the path of Superstorm Sandy for a third day this week, as schools continued to house people driven from their homes in the aftermath of the disaster. Downed trees—which crushed cars, blocked roads and knocked out power lines—along with stalled mass transit systems meant it would have been […]
What does loving teachers have to do with foreign policy?
In the final moments of the third presidential debate, a somewhat exasperated moderator, Bob Schieffer, tried to regain control of a conversation that had veered wildly off topic. The original question was about China’s currency manipulation, but after some back-and-forth, Republican nominee Mitt Romney was once again explaining why, despite his love of teachers, he […]
With time running out, teachers push pro-Obama message in swing states
In the swing states of Ohio and Florida, it’s crunch time for teachers unions, which in the final days of the campaign are getting out the vote for President Obama in droves — even though they disapprove of some of his policies. “The arguments have been made,” American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten […]
Five times a finalist, Miami-Dade finally takes home Broad Prize
Miami-Dade County’s public school system–which U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said is moving in the “absolute right direction,’’–won the 2012 Broad Prize for Urban Education on Tuesday during a ceremony at the Museum of Modern Art . The win followed five nominations for The Broad prize, which recognizes gains in student achievement in large […]
Survey: Today’s teaching force is less experienced, more open to change
More inexperienced teachers are in today’s classrooms than ever before and they are more open than their veteran colleagues to performance-driven options for how they’re evaluated and paid, according to the results of a new survey conducted by the Boston-based nonprofit Teach Plus. For the first time in decades, more than 50 percent of the […]
On the Campaign Trail: Clinton touts Obama’s higher education policies in Ohio
Former President Bill Clinton promised Thursday that if President Obama wins reelection, “nobody will ever have to drop out [of college] again because of the debt problem.” He was speaking at a rally featuring Bruce Springsteen in Ohio, in a major get-out-the vote effort in the swing state by the Obama campaign. Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s surrogates […]
Parents choose new charter operator in first ever ‘parent trigger’
A small group of parents in Adelanto, Calif., became the first in the nation Thursday to choose a charter operator to take over their neighborhood school through the controversial “parent trigger” law. On a 50 to 3 vote, parents who voted chose LaVerne Elementary Preparatory Academy as the charter operator to take over the embattled […]
Will Mississippi jump in and provide funds for early learning?
Advocates of a privately funded early education program in Mississippi are asking the state for five million dollars to expand, in a move they hope will improve school readiness for children who too often start behind – and stay behind. The request to expand Mississippi Building Blocks follows increasing media coverage of early education in […]
Ed in the Election: Obama, Romney pivot to education in second debate
There were no questions about education in the second presidential debate, held on Tuesday night, but both President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney brought it up often during a town hall meeting with undecided voters. Both men spoke largely in generalities about the need to improve the country’s schools and offered up their […]
Why Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts education plan backfired
Ask Mitt Romney to name his signature education initiative as governor of Massachusetts and he’ll likely answer that it was the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship Program. The scholarship, established in 2004, covers tuition at in-state public colleges and universities for students who score in the top 25 percent of their district on the state’s […]
