Former CPS CEO Paul Vallas blames successors [including Duncan] for $1B deficit ABC7 Chicago: “In 2001, the district had $1.2 billion in cash reserves,” said Paul Vallas, former CPS CEO. “They had six years of structurally balanced budgets.”
Dyett hunger-strikers vow to continue fight Chicago Sun-Times: Randi Weingarten, president of the Washington D.C.-based American Federation of Teachers — which boasts 1.6 million members — joined the hunger strikers Wednesday at a news conference outside of Dyett. See also Washington Post.
D.C. schools attracted record amounts of philanthropy in recent years Washington Post: D.C. public schools attracted more than $31 million from national foundations in 2010, far more than any other school district in the country.
State removes 15 years of test results before releasing new scores EdSource Today: Earlier this month, as the department got ready to send parents the initial student scores on the new tests sometime over the next few weeks, department officials deleted old test results going back more than 15 years from the most accessible part of the department’s website, impeding the public’s ability to make those comparisons.
This Company Just Started Offering Free, Customized Tutoring Online BuzzFeed: The tech company, which has powered some of the largest education companies, breaks out on its own with a free online learning service, Knewton.com.
Embattled Albuquerque Schools Chief to Learn Fate AP: The embattled superintendent of New Mexico’s largest school district is expected to learn Thursday if he’ll stay on the job or be forced out just two months into his position. Board members are scheduled to vote on whether Luis Valentino will remain the head of Albuquerque Public Schools after he hired an administrator who faces child sex abuse charges.
Former Sen. Mary Landrieu: Charters Increased Equity In New Orleans Schools PK12: For the Louisiana Democrat, the most important story in the wake of Hurricane Katrina is the enhanced equity in the New Orleans’ education system.
New Orleans’ Teaching Force Today: Whiter, Less Experienced, Higher Turnover Teacher Beat: The city’s teaching force is now 49 percent black, compared to 71 percent black in 2005. About 60 percent of teachers in 2005 were trained in New Orleans colleges; in 2014, fewer than 40 percent were. Teacher experience levels dropped notably since 2003; the percentage of teachers with five or fewer years of experience increased from 33 percent to 54 percent over that time period.
Knock Knock, Teacher’s Here: The Power Of Home Visits NPR: There was a time when a teacher showing up on a student’s doorstep probably meant something bad. But increasingly, home visits are being used to spark parental involvement.
There Are Kids Fighting Fires In Washington State Seattle Public Radio: Until a teen escaped last week, assaulted a supervisor and then shot himself, there were 20 youth working on the fire line at the Chelan Complex Fire in central Washington. Another crew of 10 made sandwiches and meals in Okanogan County.
‘George’ Wants You To Know: She’s Really Melissa NPR: George is a transgender fourth-grader. She’s the heroine of a new book intended for readers in grades 3 to 7 and published by Scholastic, one of the largest children’s publishing companies in the world.
