Friday’s ed news:
1. How desperate poor parents convinced “lifelong Democrat” Michelle Rhee to support vouchers.
2. President Obama visited Georgia to tout its government preschool program, but results there are spotty.
3. Montana’s Senate authorizes a limited tax-credit voucher.
4. Missouri’s House education chairman stopped several school choice proposals.
5. Applications open for Louisiana vouchers as a court case against them pends.
6. A Virginia Senate committee again defeats a proposal to allow homeschoolers into public school sports.
7. An Ohio budget proposal would provide money for leaders to rethink schools.
8. Why college subsidies increase income inequality.
9. Professional development does not improve teaching, on average, and teachers don’t really like it.
10. Massive open online courses struggle with preventing cheating.
Thursday’s ed news:
1. Michigan will soon be the latest state to consider withdrawing from the Common Core. Kansas joined the group this week.
2. Minnesota officials want to drop MLK, the Soviety Union, and others while adding “institutional racism,” anti-capitalism, and more to U.S. history classes.
3. Louisiana state Superintendent John White expects more students will seek vouchers this fall.
4. A bill allowing equal access for teachers to a variety of professional associations gains steam in Kansas.
5. Teacher healthcare is 15 percent more expensive, largely because of unions, a study says. 6.
6. The U.S. attorney general indicates he does not believe families have the right to homeschool.
7. A new website functions like Match.com, but to match teachers and schools.
8. An English and education standards expert comes out with a better set of English standards than the Common Core, free to states and schools.
9. Even supporters of government preschool think the president’s plan to do it won’t work.
10. Slapping computers into classrooms is waste without using it to change learning.
Wednesday’s ed news:
1. Senator Marco Rubio has proposed a federal tax-credit scholarship, a form of voucher funded by private donations.
2. An Indiana House committee passed a Parent Trigger bill.
3. Washington DC leaders debate how to handle students departing traditional public schools for charters.
4. President Obama’s new education initiatives from last night’s State of the Union. The country has no money, so he can’t do much.
5. Montana’s House unexpectedly voted down a bill to allow charter schools in the state. Lawmakers may revive the measure.
6. Scientists and teachers also say the draft Common Core science standards have problems.
7. Education technology comes to Kenya.
8. Michigan legislators want more direct control of failing schools.
9. Texans spar over the balance of power in its nationally influential state school board.
10. Pittsburg will experiement with “hive” learning, where community organizations offer kids out-of-school learning.
Tuesday’s ed news:
1. Montana’s House will vote on three school choice bills today.
2. Why early education is not as good as it sounds.
3. The president will likely talk federal preschool during tonight’s state of the union. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s response will include support for a federal education tax credit.
4. An Illinois lawmaker wants to limit high school football practices to one tackle per week.
5. Idaho’s Senate approves bills to give school districts more leverage in contract talks.
6. How much do kids learn by gaming?
7. Empty schools cost taxpayers millions.
8. See to which advocacy groups the American Federation of Teachers most recently donated.
9. States can’t afford not to revamp teacher pay.
10. Let homeschoolers play public school sports, the Washington Post says.
Monday’s ed news:
1. A Georgia legislative committee approves a Parent Trigger bill.
2. An Indiana House committee approves legislation to expand the state’s voucher program.
3. A Vermont teacher on why charging nonunion teachers for union services is unjust. h/t Mike Antonucci
4. Here’s a conversation with a lead writer of the Common Core math standards.
5. One hundred practical ideas for higher education reform, from the National Association of Scholars.
6. Jeane Allen is stepping down from president of the Center for Education Reform.
7. Georgia’s legislature reconsiders the Common Core, and Georgia students struggle on a new Common Core-aligned algebra exam.
8. How teacher pensions hurt teacher salaries.
9. Missouri’s Senate unanimously approved a measure allowing the state department of education to take over unaccredited schools.
10. A new school choice law in Vermont may reduce school choice.
For last week’s School Reform News roundup, click here.
For other top-notch school reform news selections, visit:
Image by Mo Riza.
Joy Pullmann is a research fellow on education policy for The Heartland Institute and managing editor of The Federalist, a web magazine on politics, policy, and culture.
