Big Stories Of The Day

Teacher of year: 14,000 volts of energy MSNBC
Crook County Middle School science teacher Michael Geisen was in the middle of a lesson when he got a message from the school's front office: The White House was on the line.

Unfunded Mandates, State Budgets, Common Sense Wall Street Journal
States can unilaterally opt out of some federal programs, like No Child Left Behind. Most governors can also reduce agency spending through executive action.

Judge Dismisses Connecticut’s Challenge to Education Law NYT
A federal judge ruled that Connecticut failed to prove that federal officials had forced the state to spend its own money to comply with President Bush’s signature education law.

School's eyebrow-mark edict: Shave 'em MSNBC
A Portland high school is raising eyebrows with its brow grooming policy: shave 'em or go home.