A daily dose of education news around the nation – just in time for a little mid-day break!
For-profit colleges: Listen to Liz Willen of The Hechinger Report explain why Congress and the White House are considering tighter regulation of for-profit colleges. It’s the second story on the lineup. (NPR)
Charter schools and funding: A $5.5 million gift from Venture Philanthropy Partners aims to expand KIPP DC schools. (The Washington Post)
Common standards: On the last day to earn points in Race to the Top by signing on, second-round RttT finalists California and Colorado adopt the standards. (Los Angeles Times and Denver Daily News)
Public Waldorf schools: They are booming in Sacramento —but are they legal? (The Sacramento Bee)
School improvement: The federal government is giving California $415 million to improve schools ranked in the bottom 5 percent of student achievement, “the persistently lowest achieving.” But the state board has yet to divvy up the money. (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Special ed: A mission to remove barriers to education in Michigan. (Daily Press & Argus)
Student assessment: Readers respond to Dear Abby about performance on exams as a true test of a student’s education. (via The Detroit News)
Teacher pay and pensions: A new report indicates that key structural elements in teacher retirement plans impair the ability of schools to recruit, hire, retain and compensate high-quality teachers and principals. (Education Sector)
