D r. Jenny Rankin illustrates why data used with high-stakes consequences should always be made “over-the-counter” (embedding guidance for users) to best ensure the data is understood, analyzed appropriately, and used effectively. Look for an upcoming op-ed from Dr. Rankin on edCircuit.

N o living person is more closely linked with the concept of business leadership than Jack Welch. Even for those who have never put a foot on the corporate ladder, who couldn’t tell Six Sigma from Six Flags, Welch’s name is instantly recognizable. During his time as CEO of GE — a two-decade span that started in 1981 — he took it from a $14 billion company that was thought of mostly as fine but lumbering to a $500 billion one that was fast, full of talent and willing to take risks (though GE is now unwinding some of those big bets).

Districts rejuvenate specialized, themed programs to promote student success by Mackenzie Ryan A t Nashville’s Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School, a female student distressed by the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, wrote rap lyrics that became the song “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.”With the help of her teachers and classmates—and Pearl-Cohn’s recording studio—the student, Queen McElrath, starred in a music video that has since been viewed 124,000 times on the school’s YouTube channel. In a television-style interview with another student, McElrath says: “I decided to write this song so that we could unite, so that young people could have a voice.”Read the rest of the story at District Administration.

A ll schools in and around Niger’s capital, Niamey, have been shut until Monday because of a meningitis outbreak that has killed 85 people this year.

After-school activities shape 21st-century learners. These five rules help schools and parents create safe, fun, and equitable programs for every student.

by Danielle Douglas-Gabriel

by Kate Taylor and Motoko Rich

Sir Ken Robinson joins “CBS This Morning” to discuss his new book, “Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education.”

Across New York state this week, some students are refusing to take a test, and they’re not getting punished for it. The test is the Common Core-aligned, federally mandated test, and students, parents and educators are part of what they’re calling the opt-out movement.Opt outs made news last week in several states: Colorado, Florida, Oregon, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, to name a few. The objections are similar everywhere. But no state is posting numbers like New York.According to the advocates’ own tally, about 175,000 opted out in several hundred New York districts. That’s big for a protest, but pretty small compared with the millions of students enrolled in public school in the state.Read the rest of the story on nprEd.

by Robert Morris

by David Cyranoski, Natasha Gilbert, Heidi Ledford, Anjali Nayar & Mohammed YahiaThe world is producing more PhDs than ever before. Is it time to stop?Scientists who attain a PhD are rightly proud — they have gained entry to an academic elite. But it is not as elite as it once was. The number of science doctorates earned each year grew by nearly 40% between 1998 and 2008, to some 34,000, in countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The growth shows no sign of slowing: most countries are building up their higher-education systems because they see educated workers as a key to economic growth (see ‘The rise of doctorates’). But in much of the world, science PhD graduates may never get a chance to take full advantage of their qualifications.In some countries, including the United States and Japan, people who have trained at great …

by Jillian GordonAs the flowers start to bloom and it begins to look a little greener outside, many teachers are feeling the weight of winter stress lifting off of them. But the opposite is happening to high school seniors across the country who are in the midst of making a tough decision: where, and if, they should go to college.I teach agricultural science, an elective course at my school. I am lucky that the students in my room walk in each day because they made the choice to be there, and for the most part, this allows me to connect with these students in a way that is more difficult in the core class environment. I get to know them, their families and their siblings. Because of this connection, it is really important for me to talk to my students about their plans for after graduation.Read the rest of the …

by Tracy Seipel

by Allie Bidwell

by Nicole Bobo