This weekend, a feature film highlighting struggling schools and parent and teacher empowerment will be released to theaters everywhere. "Won't Back Down," opening this Friday, September 28, gives moviegoers the opportunity to watch a film that pairs Hollywood entertainment with a message about American education reform.   Continue Reading...

In 2011, Wisconsin's fight over collective bargaining was the number one domestic story. From protests at the capitol to high-profile lawsuits, the battle to close budget shortfalls and curb union power is still gaining headlines in the state. In the latest development, WEA Trust, the health care insurer that has covered as many as two-thirds of Wisconsin school districts under strict collective bargaining agreements, has seen its revenue decline almost $70 million after a new law gave school districts the freedom to switch health care insurers to save funds.   Continue Reading...

While you may think of YouTube as a storehouse for time-wasting videos and tutorials, the internet clip website is going through a definite rebranding for K-12 educators. Since December, Google, YouTube's parent company, has been developing a portal that lets schools filter content for teachers and students. YouTube EDU offers schools the ability to pluck only the videos they want, free from controversial comments–all while blocking the general site content.   Continue Reading...

Last May, a report issued by the American Institute of Architects and the U.S. Green Building Council found that "green schools" are not only better for students, teachers, and the environment, but are also benefiting the bottom line. At a time when districts everywhere are facing major budget shortfalls, a school system in Mississippi is putting the theory to the test.   Continue Reading...

The Congressional Supercommittee & the Education Impact With the November 23 deadline looming and the failure of the congressional "supercommittee" to reach a meaningful debt-reduction agreement, automatic spending cuts are now expected for agencies across the federal government. What impact this failure will have on federal education budgets remains to be seen as states will now potentially be forced to deal with dire financial realities.   Continue Reading...

In the wake of the crippling recession and its decimating impact on state and local budgets, school districts across the country are searching for innovative ways of raising funds. In a bizarre turn, districts in states like Colorado, Utah, and New Jersey are selling advertisement space on everything from school buses to report cards. While the ideas will certainly be revenue generating, members of the public are beginning to call the moves inappropriate for the public school setting.   Continue Reading...

Among the many new spending initiatives in President Obama's jobs bill is the flagged 30 billion dollars meant to hire teachers, preserve current jobs, and improve school buildings across the country. While the Senate is expected to debate the controversial legislation this week, the White House is warning that without this federal funding, nearly 280,000 education jobs will be lost this year alone. With rhetoric reaching a boiling point in Washington, the Associated Press is now reporting that President Obama's estimates may be far off the apocalyptic estimates.   Continue Reading...

Yesterday evening, President Obama made a speech before a joint session of Congress to gain support for his new $447 billion jobs bill to be introduced sometime next week. Among the many new spending initiatives, the president spent significant time discussing education and increased investments in hiring new teachers and modernizing schools with improvements and technology.   Continue Reading...

One of the most debated aspects of school reform has been the issue of the traditional school schedule. Last fall, President Obama made headlines for advocating for a longer school day. Others argue a year-round environment is the best fit. While everyone has an opinion about the ideal schedule, budget shortfalls have forced a number of districts to shorten their school week, raising more questions about the perfect balance between length of school day and quality programs and curriculum.   Continue Reading...

The debt ceiling debate has played out like a soap opera all summer long with the U.S. credit score hanging in the balance. After intense debate and uproar, emergency bipartisan legislation was enacted on Tuesday, mere hours before we were to hit a cap on our borrowing. With the reported apocalyptic economic downfall behind us, education stakeholders are now evaluating the new budget cap and its inevitable impact on federal K-12 spending.   Continue Reading...

This weekend, union leaders and liberal advocacy groups from across the country will march in Washington, D.C. for what they call the "Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action."   Continue Reading...

With our nation's schools slated to begin in the weeks to come, education has been a hot topic among policymakers at that state and local level. This week, at an ongoing education summit hosted by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan delivered some harsh remarks about not only the state of the Iowa school systems, but the overarching problems he believes our entire country's schools are facing.   Continue Reading...

With the movement toward healthy eating gaining steam among national advocates like First Lady Michelle Obama, the prospect of serving locally grown produce to students is making headway in districts across the country. This practice, known as "farm-to-school," is even winning acclaim from the Department of Agriculture, the agency responsible for school lunches among American students.   Continue Reading...

With states across the country facing budget shortfalls and underfunded pensions, the concept of "double-dipping," or collecting both a state pension and salary has come under fire from various states seeking to rein in spending. From California to New York, many employees have been accused of unethically boosting their incomes by also taking a state pension, pushing certain state legislators to back state pension reform legislation.   Continue Reading...

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the data arm of the Department of Education, today released their annual report entitled, The Condition of Education, meant to summarize important developments and trends in education using the latest available state and federal statistics. The congressionally mandated report is considered a snapshot of education trends across the country and is used by policymakers to determine current patterns and understand educational populations.   Continue Reading...

For the past two weeks, Wisconsin union leaders and members have gathered steadily in Madison in hopes of pressuring lawmakers to drop a bill that would end forced unionism and aims to close monumental budget shortfalls. With no legislative progress, the war of words is heating up in Wisconsin as some experts are calling this the "death knell" of big labor --yielding commentary by President Obama.   Continue Reading...

This week, Utah House Bill 183 cleared several legislative hurdles after years of union push back. The House advanced a bill Wednesday that would prohibit school districts from paying teachers on leave from the classroom for union duties as well as prohibit school district money contributing to union leader salaries.   Continue Reading...

The saga continues all over the country as Wisconsin, Indiana, Tennessee, and Ohio lawmakers are all fighting to end compulsory unionism and close budget shortfalls. Despite protests, national headlines and Democratic lawmakers leaving the states in droves, experts are calling this landmark legislation that will change the face of public sector unions for years to come.   Continue Reading...

AAE Executive Director Gary Beckner op-ed as featured on the Washington Times website:   Continue Reading...

Listen Live to AAEAAE Director of Education Policy and 1993 National Teacher of the Year Tracey Bailey will be discussing Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and the showdown between public employee unions and GOP governors during several radio interviews, listen via the streaming links below:   Continue Reading...