Federal Update: May 8, 2013 |
posted by: Ruthie | May 08, 2013, 01:31 PM |
Secretary Duncan Issues Thoughts on Teacher Appreciation Day In an opinion piece issued today, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan commended National Teacher Appreciation Day and further called for renewed support of Educators beyond just small gifts and cards. "Don't get me wrong - teachers deserve a week of celebration with plenty of baked goods. But I hear, often, that this is a time that teachers want some extra support. They deserve real, meaningful help - not just this week, but all year long." Secretary Duncan appealed. He called on policy makers, district leaders, and principals to find ways to help ease these transitions to higher standards. Below are specific ways Duncan concluded would ease the transition:
Click here to read the full article. Congressional Hearing: "Raising the Bar: Exploring State and Local Efforts to Improve Accountability" With continued controversy over No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Waivers and the approach to standards, there is no doubt that schools need to be held accountable to students and communities. However, the most effective measures of accountability continue to be up for debate. Today the House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing that investigated effective methods of accountability in various states and districts across the country. "It is time to reduce the federal footprint. Innovation and effective reform cannot be mandated from Washington," Congressman John Kline (R-MO) said. He continued to expound on the need to "put control back in local hands." He emphasized the importance of states developing their own teacher evaluation systems, and empowering parents to select the school that best fits their child's needs. Several witnesses concurred with Kline. Louisiana State Superintendent John White outlined four factors effective in shaping Louisiana's schools: empowered school leaders, uncompromised accountability, state-wide parent choice, and city-wide investment in educators. He called for federal parameters that compel states but also offer freedom to design their own state measures. Local Missouri Superintendant Dr. Chris Richardson stated the two most important needs: for teachers to engage in professional development and for children and parents to be connected to education and choices. Gordon concurred, emphasizing the advantage of a portfolio school model, over one-size-fits all approach. U.S. Department of Education Kicks Off Investing in Innovation Program Last week, the Department of Education announced the opening of the fourth Investing in Innovation contest, an initiative that rewards the most innovative ideas in educational advancement. The largest awards go to the programs with evidence of strong past success. The department is offering over $135 million dollars to districts, groups of schools, and nonprofit partners. The awards will be divided between scale up grants, validation awards, and development awards. While winners will have to secure private matching funds for 15% of their projects, they only need to have 50% of the required match before the end of 2013, and the rest within six months of the project's start. The department asks contestants to send notification by May 23rd, 2013 for federal funding purposes. Click here find out more about the program.
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