by Richard D. KahlenbergTeacher tenure rights, first established more than a century ago, are under unprecedented attack. Tenure—which was enacted to protect students’ education and those who provide it—is under assault from coast to coast, in state legislatures, in state courtrooms, and in the media.In June 2014, in the case of Vergara v. California, a state court judge struck down teacher tenure and seniority laws as a violation of the state’s constitution.* Former CNN and NBC journalist Campbell Brown has championed a copycat case, Wright v. New York, challenging the Empire State’s tenure law (which was consolidated with another New York case challenging tenure, Davids v. New York). Similar cases are reportedly in the works in several other states.Read the rest of the story at AFT.
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Photo Credit: Ludovic Bertronby Meg Bernhard and Mary Ellen McIntireThe U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. What will the effect be on higher education?Read the rest of the story at The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Photo Credit: Brad FlickingerNevada is the new frontier for school choice, with a big opportunity to succeed or fail.by Nat MalkusEarlier this month, Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a bill establishing educational savings accounts in Nevada, creating an unprecedented state-wide opportunity for school choice. Nevada public school students will be eligible for accounts of more than $5,000 to spend on education expenses, including private schools.Read the rest of the story at U.S. News.
Photo Credit: CDCby Scott NeumanThe California Assembly has joined the state Senate in voting to approve a controversial bill requiring all children attending school to be vaccinated against measles and other common, preventable illnesses — effectively eliminating so-called “personal belief exemptions” that allowed parents to opt out.Read the rest of the story at NPR.
Photo Credit: Patrickneilby Goldie BlumenstykThe U.S. Department of Education has retreated from its controversial plan to create a giant college-ratings system, top officials revealed on Wednesday. Read the rest of the story at The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The controversial regulation evaluates career-oriented programs on student outcomes.by Allie BidwellThe Department of Education’s controversial gainful employment rule is set to take effect next month, after a judge on Tuesday ruled against the for-profit college organization trying to block its implementation. Read the story at U.S. News and World Report.
Photo Credit: www.leanforward.comby Keith KruegerDon’t forget these keys of mobile implementationsWhy are some mobile learning implementations successful while others struggle? It seems struggling districts are missing at least one of a handful of ingredients that successful districts have in common. When it comes to mobile learning success, leaving out just one key ingredient can ruin an otherwise perfect recipe.Read the rest of the story at eSchool News.
by Ainsley O’ConnellSchool leaders and industry partners are reinventing vocational education for low-income students. Can the new model work?Read the rest of the story at Fast Company.
Photo credit: David MorrisFour in 10 of the first students to pay higher fees do not believe their courses have been good value for money, a survey for BBC Radio 5 live suggests.Just over half say their university course has been good value and about 8% are undecided.Read the rest of the story at BBC.com.
by Jordan ShapiroWhat are the biggest obstacles to changing education? Some are economic. Others are infrastructural. Few are technological. The most significant challenges are philosophical. We are wedded to particular ways of thinking about school and learning and life that are limiting our ability to best serve our children.Read the rest of the story at Forbes.
Photo credit Vdeb40by Sheryl Gay StolbergWASHINGTON — Sweet Briar College, the women’s liberal arts college in rural Virginia that announced it would close in August — setting off a storm of protest and lawsuits from students, faculty and alumnae — will remain open for at least another academic year under an agreement announced Saturday by the attorney general of Virginia.Read the rest of the story at The New York Times.
Could Hillary Clinton bring together a party splintered over education policy?by Allie BidwellOutside of local elections, education policy has never been an issue that makes voters flock to the polls. It’s just not as sexy as raising or lowering taxes, nor as anxiety-inducing as foreign relations and national security.Read the rest of the story at U.S. News.
I spent time speaking with Sari Factor, Edgenuity CEO, a leading voice in blended learning and educational leadership. Factor discusses the state of education, experiments with technology and new efforts to support schools. Dr. Berger: It seems districts are more willing to ask for help implementing technology. Has this come from desperation or just experience over time with the good, bad and ugly of district-wide implementations?
The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, headed by one of the most visible critics of teacher-education programs, is creating its own graduate school and research center in the field in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Read the rest of the story at The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Photo credit Leland Franciscoby Jaweed KaleemOn a Wednesday afternoon in early May, after a full day of studying the Byzantine Empire and sitting through lessons on annotation and critical reading, the sixth-graders in Zsazita Walker’s social studies and language arts class were, expectedly, acting like sixth-graders. School was almost over and the classroom, scattered with posters, worksheets and lesson plans, was buzzing with chatty, curious 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds who knew they’d soon be free from class.Read the rest of the story at the Huff Post.