Search results for Administration
Obama Administration Approves Three More NCLB Flexibility Requests—37 States and DC Now Approved for Waivers
The Obama administration today approved three more requests for waivers from No Child Left Behind (NCLB), in exchange for state-developed plans to prepare all students for college and career, focus aid on the neediest students, and support effective teaching and leadership. The approved states include Alaska, Hawaii and West Virginia.
Student Loan Bonanza
It's the time of year when senioritis sets in, reggae is blaring from dorm room windows, and college-bound students sharpen their pencils to figure out how to pay for the next year of school. This is also the time of year when student financing becomes a political gold mine, as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney found out last year when he hastily backed an effort to keep interest rates from going up. Now the one-year fix that Romney backed is coming to an end. The 3.4 percent interest Read more here
Marketplace Fairness Act could help schools gain sales tax revenues, NSBA says
The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is urging lawmakers to pass the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would require all online or catalog companies collect taxes from internet purchases. The measure would allow states and local governments to collect an estimated $23 billion per year that could be used to address budget shortfalls in education and other priorities.
According to NSBA’s advocacy team, the U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote on S. 743, its version of the bill, on May 6. Read more here
State proposal to grade schools angers education managers
The LePage administration is set to release its first report card on Maine's schools, and school leaders in Maine are angry with the chosen metrics.
Constituent Briefing on NOAA’s FY14 Budget – April 19th: 1-3 PM
NOAA’s Acting Administrator, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, will hold a briefing for constituents on NOAA’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget request that was recently submitted to Congress. The briefing will take place on April 19th from 1-3 PM EDT. Constituents may attend in person or by calling in, but all must register to do so. If interested, please go to this link to register. If you elect to participate via teleconference, the call-in information will be sent to you just before or on April 19.
The Administration’s Read more here
Questioning the Test
It's test-taking time in the Washington, D.C. public schools, an annual ritual that my fifth grader is learning to despise. The DC Comprehensive Assessment System, known as DC CAS, is taken in mid-April for all public school students, beginning in second grade. It is a series of tests that assesses reading, math, science, and writing. "This annual test keeps DC Public Schools accountable for meeting high standards for our students' success," the district says on its Web site.
Here's how my son experiences Read more here
Local school district takes stand against new tests
The school board has voted for a resolution aimed at the state as well as Congress and the Obama administration.
U.S. Department of Education Releases Blueprint to Elevate and Transform the Teaching Profession, Calls Educators to Action
Today the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will release the Obama Administration's blueprint for elevating and transforming the teaching profession, also known as the Blueprint for RESPECT (Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence, and Collaborative Teaching).
LHS Ranks Above Average in Academics, Graduation Rate
In the recent school performance reports issued by the Christie administration, Livingston High School ranked very high in college and career readiness, academic achievement, and graduation and post-secondary studies.
Snyder defends secret project to reform education system
Gov. Rick Snyder on Friday defended his administration's involvement in a secret project that is trying to develop a cheaper way to deliver public education through a voucher-like funding system.
Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees receives national award for outstanding school board support of the arts
Today, Texas’s Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees received the 25th annual Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) and National School Boards Association (NSBA) Award. The award, which includes a $10,000 prize, was presented at the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Annual Conference in San Diego. Since 1989, this prestigious national award has recognized school boards for their support of arts education.
The Austin district was chosen from Read more here
Ridgewood 2nd Best Among School Group Peers in SAT Scores
Eight out of ten Ridgewood High School students met the state's SAT benchmarks last school year, more than all but one of the school's 30 school group peers with similar demographics, according to the Christie administration's 2011-2012 School Performance Reports .
NSBA’s legal advocacy making an impact for school districts: Negrón
The National School Boards Association files more legal briefs in federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court than all other educational organizations combined, NSBA General Counsel Francisco Negrón said Sunday at NSBA’s 2013 Annual Conference.
Other organizations seeking to influence the courts include familiar names, such as the American Federation of Teachers, and lower profile ones, such as the Council of Parent and Attorney Advocates, a disability rights group.
But there is a newly aggressive Read more here
Obama Administration 2014 Budget Prioritizes Key Education Investments to Provide Opportunities for All Americans
The Obama Administration continued to prioritize education in the 2014 budget released today by proposing key investments in education that would strengthen the middle class, grow the economy and provide opportunities for success to all Americans – especially our nation's most vulnerable children.
Educators, Parents, Students Urged to Sign White House Petition Calling for Investment in School Broadband Connectivity
ISTE-Initiated Call to Action Asks Obama Administration to Accelerate Digital Transformation for Education to Ensure Success for All Students Despite the perception that Internet access is ubiquitous in today’s world, only 13 percent of schools have the broadband they need to give students the same online access that most Americans have at home, work or even in a coffee shop.* To bridge the digital divide in education, the International Society for Technology in Education, (ISTE®) today Read more here
A Faculty Refuge Becomes an Accreditor’s Target
At the City College of San Francisco, the administration is lean, and faculty members have a lot of say. Now that ethos is threatening its future.
Gov. Martinez vetoes school proposals by Democrats
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has vetoed several public school proposals by Democrats in the Legislature, including ones attempting to unravel administration education policies.
The White House ‘Nudger’ Is Back on Campus
Cass Sunstein, former regulatory czar, is teaching "Inside Governemnt," a course at Harvard with Lawrence Summers, and has written a memoir of his time in the Obama administration.
Kaneland changes grade school library staffing – Aurora Beacon News
Kaneland changes grade school library staffingAurora Beacon NewsThe Kaneland School District will change elementary school library staffing next year. The School Board this week approved an administration recommendation to have one certified librarian oversee all of the Learning Resource Centers in the district's ... Read more here
Interview with NSBA Conference speaker Diane Ravitch: ‘Schools belong to the people and not to corporations’
From 1991 to 1993, Diane Ravitch served as Assistant Secretary of Education in President George H.W. Bush’s administration. Today, the author and education historian says the institution she served at the federal level is under an unprecedented threat from powerful interests intent on privatizing public schools.
In 2010, Ravitch published The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Undermine Education. A keynote speaker at the 2013 NSBA Annual Conference in San Read more here
Haslam’s school voucher bill delayed
The administration bill proposed by Gov. Bill Haslam was unanimously approved 9-0 in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday.
Jeanne Allen responded to Arne Duncan’s Distracting Gaffe on March 5, 2013 11:10 AM
Leadership Goes Beyond Pinocchio's Noses Irresponsible Leadership That Goes Beyond Pinocchio's Noses The Center for Education Reform wrote last week about the Chicken Little behavior this administration is leading on education, along with countless school leaders and association spokespeople. We are happy to have sparked a mini-debate on the subject! But what remains absolutely astonishing is that among all of these thousands of entities that spend and receive federal money, no one seems to Read more here
School boards look for more ways to cut budgets as sequester becomes reality
With across-the-board federal cuts taking effect today through sequestration, school boards will need to make tough budget decisions to account for the decrease in federal education funding. As school boards begin to craft budgets for the 2013-14 school year, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) is calling for Washington leaders to work out a deal to ensure schools are able to continue programs and avoid teacher and staff layoffs.
“Congress and the Obama administration must act now to Read more here
White House Delivers New Open-Access Policy That Has Activists Cheering
The Obama administration says federally financed research should be made freely available within 12 months of publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
NSBA commends focus on education in State of the Union address
President Barack Obama called for a high-quality preschool education for all children in his State of the Union address on Feb. 12. He also announced a new program, based on the Race to the Top competitive grants, that would spur a redesign of the nation’s high schools, instill more science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects, and better prepare students for higher education and the workforce.
In response to the speech, National School Boards Association Executive Director Thomas Read more here
Obama Administration Launches College Scorecard
“… My administration will release a new “College Scorecard” that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria — where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.” - President Obama, 2013 State of the Union
Tension on School Closings
Give credit to Education Secretary Arne Duncan for showing up at a hearing last week where hundreds of irate students and parents complained that the department's position on closing schools has resulted in harm for low-income students of color.
Allegations of civil rights violations and the legal-speak "disparate impact" are too tame to reflect the raucous, angry tone of the meeting. "I came here to demand. I ain't asking for, not a damn thing. I am telling you that I am demanding an education Read more here
Secretary Duncan addresses school board members at NSBA meeting
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan urged school board members Monday at NSBA’s Federal Relations Network (FRN) meeting in Washington, D.C., to “stay the course” through a tumultuous time in public education, predicting that in a few years the nation will see big results from programs such as Race to the Top (RTTT) and the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
“The implementation of Common Core is really difficult,” Duncan said. “It’s going to take a lot of hard work, and I really Read more here
Panel discusses research and relevancy of school boards
NSBA brought its executive director and two researchers to debate the relevancy of school board governance on Monday at its Federal Relations Network (FRN) conference. For audience members, though, there was no question that school boards are not just relevant, but a much-needed democratic institution.
One big challenge is the public’s lack of understanding the role that school boards play, said Thomas J. Gentzel, NSBA’s new executive director. He emphasized that school board members hold official Read more here
ESEA Reauthorization key for NSBA this year
Urging Congress to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)—and seeking sponsors for a bill to shield local school board control from federal intrusion —are key initiatives of NSBA this year.
That was the message delivered by Reginald Felton, NSBA’s assistant executive director for congressional relations, at a Monday policy briefing at the Federal Relations Network (FRN) meeting in Washington, D.C.
When school leaders visit Capitol Hill this week to meet with lawmakers, Read more here
NSBA Honors Ohio School Board Association Leader with National Award
Richard Lewis, executive director of the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA), received the 2013 Thomas A. Shannon Award for Excellence from the National School Boards Association (NSBA). Lewis was honored at NSBA’s Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.
The award, established in 1997 in honor of former NSBA Executive Director Thomas A. Shannon, is given annually to recognize extraordinary efforts performed on behalf of NSBA, local school board constituencies, and school communities.
Lewis’ Read more here
Academics on Both Sides of Administration-Faculty Divide Warn of Its Perils
A new book by a current provost and a former one suggests how to bridge the divide between faculty members and administrators.
NSBA works with White House on school safety issues
President Barack Obama issued 23 executive actions today that he says will strengthen school safety and prevent gun violence. He also called on Congress to pass tougher gun-control measures, including banning some assault rifles and magazines and requiring background checks for purchasing all guns, one month and two days after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Conn.
The National School Boards Association (NSBA) was represented by Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel at the Read more here
White House announces plans on school safety, gun control
President Barack Obama issued 23 executive actions today that he says will strengthen school safety and prevent gun violence. He also called on Congress to pass tougher gun-control measures, including banning some assault rifles and magazines and requiring background checks for purchasing all guns, one month and two days after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Conn.
The National School Boards Association (NSBA) was represented by Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel at the Read more here
Statement by Secretary Duncan on President’s Recommendations and Actions for Reducing Gun Violence
I have been proud to serve President Obama and this administration since day one, but today was one of my proudest days. The actions that the President is taking and proposing to reduce gun violence echo what America's educators say they need to better protect and support students in school and in their communities.
Our protest must shortcircuit the fossil fuel interests blocking Barack Obama | Bill McKibben
The pace of climate change action promised by this pragmatic president is just too slow to tackle the physics of global warming Protest against Keystone XL forced a postponement of decision about the tar sands oil pipeline in 2011; now, rumours are circulating Washington that the Obama administration is soon to give the scheme the go-ahead.
Haslam plans no major changes for higher education
Gov. Bill Haslam says he plans no major changes to the state's public higher education system next legislative session and has yet to decide whether his administration will take the lead on a bill to create a school vouchers program in Tennessee.
NSBA takes first round of “Stop Sequestration” resolutions to Capitol Hill
National School Boards Association (NSBA) Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel presented Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) with more than 360 resolutions that have been passed by local school boards across the country urging Congress to stop sequestration. During the December 4 meeting, Gentzel thanked Murray for her efforts and stated the concerns of local school boards regarding the impact of the impending federal budget cuts, also known as the “fiscal cliff.”
Thomas Gentzel and Sen. Patty Murray
Murray, Read more here
NSBA supports Louisiana school boards in voucher case
A lawsuit filed by school boards will determine the fate of Louisiana’s school voucher plan, which may already be jeopardized after a federal court ruling this week.
The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is supporting a lawsuit filed in state court by the Louisiana School Boards Association (LSBA), the state’s main teachers’ organizations, and 43 school districts that challenges the constitutionality of a plan to provide vouchers to Louisiana students in low-performing schools. The Read more here
Lagging Black and Latino Students Pressurizing Politics of No Child Left Behind
The Virginia State Board of Education is doing its level best to deal with some of the unrealistic mandates of the President George W. Bush administration's No Child Left Behind ACT of 2001; intended to improve the educational achievement metrics of students and teachers in K-12 US public school systems.
Education Fodder for the Next Administration
Education gurus are the first to acknowledge that their pet issue has not been a prominent feature in the presidential campaign. Thank God it's over.
I give education policy experts kudos for is their ability to keep humming along despite being largely ignored on the federal stage. School administrators, teachers groups, foundations, think tanks, research institutions, etc., are the places where you will find the next big ideas on education. Eventually the lawmakers catch up.
I'm collecting ideas Read more here
What Has Arne Done For Us?
If nothing else, Education Secretary Arne Duncan has made waves. In the last four years, he has brought about incredible changes in education policy, no thanks to Congress. That's a point that education writer Richard Colvin (a contributor to this blog) makes in a recent column in Kappan magazine. "The breakdown of the legislative process hasn't prevented the U.S. Department of Education from pursuing what may well be one of the most far-reaching education reform agendas ever," Colvin writes. Duncan Read more here
Obama Administration Approves Idaho’s Request for NCLB Flexibility
The Obama Administration today approved Idaho’s request for flexibility from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in exchange for state-developed plans to prepare all students for college and career, focus aid on the neediest students, and support effective teaching and leadership.
Dan Domenech responded to A New Way to Think About College on October 15, 2012 10:05 AM
Voc Ed is Not a Second-Class Option The Obama administration has set a goal - by 2020 the United States will lead the world in the percentage of students graduating from college. It is a lofty goal but notably absent from it is the second half of the US Education Department's objective to get kids to be "college and career ready". There is a full press to get students out of high school and into college but the career portion seems to have fallen between the cracks. Some twenty Read more here
Obama, Romney have similar viewpoints on education
When teachers walked off the job in Chicago last month, they were pushing back largely against education priorities pursued by the Obama administration: revamped teacher evaluations, more charter schools and diminished job security for school employees.
Shopping for Higher Education
Experienced professionals who are looking to add a Master of Business Administration to their resume have a variety of degree offering institutions to choose from.
Teacher Effectiveness ‘Here to Stay’
The day after Chicago public school teachers returned their classrooms, a group of educators and researchers from around the country convened in a sunny conference room in Washington D.C. to ponder the very questions that had so recently vexed the Windy City. Where are we as a nation with teacher evaluations? Are we evaluating the right things? What role should student data play in professional development? What about employment decisions?
"I think the issue of teacher effectiveness will be here Read more here
Tennessee State U. Disregards Faculty Senate’s Vote to Retain Its Leader
The administration said it would continue to recognize as chairwoman a different professor than the Senate itself recognizes.
Conflict Flares Into Governance Crisis at Tennessee State U.
The president and a faculty leader clashed in a grade-changing dispute. Some worry that the administration's response is trampling academic freedom.
