Idaho State Superintendent Tom Luna experienced quite the scare this week, waking up to an act of vandalism in his driveway. In the wake of his proposed bold education reform agenda, Mr. Luna has received quite the union push back to say the least. Luna's truck was left spray painted and the tires slashed Tuesday morning resulting in fingers pointing in the direction of the Idaho Education Association, Luna's biggest critic.   Continue Reading...

We often mention advances in technology on the AAE blog. Stories ranging from students organizing online study groups to learning Chinese through remote video conferencing in Shanghai have all been making national headlines. This week a sick boy in Texas is all over the blogosphere for a new technology that lets him attend class without ever leaving his home.   Continue Reading...

In the wake of the tragedy in Arizona and recent school shootings across the country, a debate over guns has started yet again. While commentators struggle to make sense of these horrible massacres, the teachers of these students often come forward to share similar stories of troubled and threatening students in their classrooms. On state senator in Nebraska believes he has found a solution, introducing a bill that would allow school administrators, teachers and security staff to carry concealed handguns in schools.   Continue Reading...

We've had a brutal winter on the east coast this year, causing countless snow days especially in the ill-prepared southern part of the country. A few schools that have experienced too many snow days are landing national attention for their proposed way of making up instructional time. Schools near Charlotte, North Carolina, have decided to make up for lost time by teaching on the Martin Luther King holiday, drawing criticism from the NAACP.   Continue Reading...

Public schools in Los Angeles have long served as backdrops to some classic films and television shows. With their location a stone's throw away from Hollywood, some schools are seeing the financial benefits of offering themselves up to filmmakers in recent years. Reseda High School in the San Fernando Valley is host to one popular MTV comedy "The Hard Times of RJ Berger."   Continue Reading...

This week, an elementary school in Compton, California is receiving national attention after a group of parents banded together to force improvements at the failing institution. Yelling "yes we can!" and "si se puede!" a busload of parents on Tuesday became the first in California to try to force reforms at their children's school using a new law designed to help parents take back schools.   Continue Reading...

What would school be like without "F"s or consequences for cheating? Students at West Potomac High School in Alexandria, VA are finding out, as their school has determined there is no need for the failing grades in their grading system.   Continue Reading...

It should come as no surprise that teachers unions are putting up big bucks to support partisan politics this election cycle. Along with countless millions, the unions are pushing their "get out the vote" campaigns in some interesting ways during early voting this week. In Nevada, representatives from the teachers union are allegedly handing out Starbucks gift cards in exchange for a vote for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.   Continue Reading...

An Ohio high school teacher recently wrote a letter to the editor regarding her strange connection to several political attack advertisements targeting her husband, a candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives. Jade Thompson belongs to the Ohio Education Association, an organization that is using Jade's own member dues—which she is forced to pay by law—to fund partisan politics.   Continue Reading...

A bizarre story in North Carolina has been grabbing headlines this week with commentary from Judy Kidd, president Classroom Teachers Association of North Carolina (CTANC), an AAE state partner.   Continue Reading...

Fourteen-year-old Ariana Iacono of North Carolina was suspended on the first day of school for violating her school’s dress code policy. What is it this time, too short of a skirt, a politically incorrect t-shirt, or maybe electric-blue hair? No, Ariana was suspended for wearing a nose ring—a violation of the no-piercing policy at Clayton High School.  In fact, this is the third time she’s been suspended for the small stud in her nose. Her unique defense is what has been landing national headlines.  Continue Reading...

A Queens school secretary charged over $6,000 to a Middle College High School procurement account by purchasing luxuries on Amazon.com for herself and her family. Over seven years, Debbie Rizzo used the school account to buy herself a Dell computer, flowers, an iPod docking station, expensive sweaters, car service trips, a washer and dryer, ceiling fans and other household items. Unrelated to her crime spree, Rizzo was laid off last year due to budget cuts.  Continue Reading...

UPDATE: Thanks to the efforts of David Morales's school superintendent, plastic green soldiers wielding the "tools of a profession or service" (i.e. guns) may be allowed in the school as student expression of patriotism and democracy. The superintendent acknowledged that the school's policy banning the army men had been misrepresented in this case, and the patriotism David displayed by gluing the toys to his hat ought to be protected. Thanks to the Coventry School District for reconsidering the policy and acknowledging the overly restrictive nature of it in this case. Schools are learning environments and function at their pinnacle when students learn from teachers and when administrators and teachers learn from their students, as well.  Continue Reading...