Recess round-up: July 15, 2010

A daily dose of education news around the nation – just in time for a little mid-day break!

Standardized testing: A new study finds that when given a little monetary incentive, 12th-graders perform better on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). (EdWeek)

As Connecticut marks its 25th year of its state standardized test, Robert A. Frahm takes a look back education over the past quarter-century. (The CT Mirror)

Mayoral control: Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm wants to see mayoral control on Detroit’s ballot in November. (MLive.com)

Non-closing schools: Nineteen New York City public schools slated for closure will be allowed to stay open – but they shouldn’t expect any extra help from the Department of Education. (The New York Daily News)

The city’s Department of Education has also managed to find new places for seven out of 16 schools that will open this year. The remaining nine will still go where originally intended, now sharing space alongside the saved schools they were meant to replace. (The New York Times)

Special education: School officials in Farmington, New Mexico are doubling the size of the district’s special education preschool in response to increased enrollment. (The Daily Times)

Education policy: William McKenzie, an editorial columnist, gives his two cents on the proposed education policies of Texas’s gubernatorial candidates, including one who would give companies a tax credit to let dropouts pursue a high school degree or GED. (Dallas Morning News)

Meanwhile, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan spoke at a NAACP meeting in Kansas City yesterday, telling delegates that education is “the civil rights issue of our generation.” (Kansas City Star)

Budget cuts: Louisiana State University has proposed ways to cut $133 million from its budget for FY 2011, including “cutting back financial aid, shuttering research programs and eliminating support personnel.” (The Times-Picayune)

Sarah Butrymowicz