Finalists in the second round of the Race to the Top (RTTT) program are preparing to present their cases to Education Secretary Arne Duncan and the RTTT peer reviewers who will adjust each state’s scores based on their presentations. Some speculate that the presentations during the first weeks of August won’t substantially alter the scores, because scores changed little after interviews in RTTT’s first round.  Continue Reading...

Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced today the eighteen states plus D.C. who have a chance to compete for the final round of the Race to the Top funding program. $3.4 billion is still up for grabs after Delaware and Tennessee received $600 million in round one.  Continue Reading...

Teachers attempting to integrate technology into their classrooms have a number of obstacles to overcome (see earlier blog post, How Much Does Technology Advance Classroom Learning?), but they also have the world at their fingertips—literally. A recent article in Education Week describes how teachers across the nation are using technology in innovative and instructive ways.  Continue Reading...

Politico reports that Republican and some Democratic politicians have turned on public workers and their labor unions—particularly teachers unions, including the NEA and the AFT. According to Politico, "public employee unions [are] emerging as an intransigent public enemy number one in cities and state capitals across the country."  Continue Reading...

At Live Oak High School in California, several students were sent home for wearing shirts featuring American flags to school yesterday, Cinco de Mayo. The students, frustrated to be punished for displaying American flags, refused to turn their shirts inside out and were sent home to their equally frustrated parents. Administrators claimed the shirts were "incendiary" on a day when many in the school celebrate their Mexican heritage.  Continue Reading...

Bad news this morning regarding teacher pensions, so I hope you've had your coffee. A recent study by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research states that teacher pensions nationwide are underfunded by nearly $1 trillion—three times the estimate of government officials. The difference in estimates is because teacher pensions, unlike their private counterparts, assume a much higher—if unrealistic—return on investment and enjoy more freedom than private pension funds.  Continue Reading...

According to a study by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, California public pensions are underfunded by over $500 billion, including the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) and the University of California's retirement system (UCRS).  Continue Reading...

Today the Department of Education announced the states that will advance as finalists for phase 1 of the Race to the Top competition. Race to the Top is a $4.35 billion effort to reward reforms, such as   Continue Reading...

AAE Executive Director Gary Beckner op-ed on the ACORN scandal’s implications for the NEA and teachers across America in the Buffalo News:  Continue Reading...