AM News: State Special Ed Rates Vary Widely

State special education rates vary widely Stateline: Federal education data show that states differ widely in how many students they designate for special education. Those differences could have a financial impact for some states in the face of possible cuts to federal aid.

States weaken teacher tenure rights AP via Boston.com:  A few states have essentially nullified tenure protections altogether, according to an analysis being released Wednesday by the National Council on Teacher Quality. ALSO:  RI's strides on teacher quality among best AP

School lunches to have more veggies, whole grains Associated Press: First lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack are expected to announce Wednesday that most school meals, including pizza, will have less sodium, more whole grains and more fruits and vegetables as sides.

Obama Wants Lower College Costs, Higher Dropout Age Politics K12: President Obama gave college affordability a prominent place in his domestic agenda during his annual State of the Union address, calling directly on universities to hold down costs in order to make higher education more accessible to the middle class. ALSO Obama: States should require kids stay in school until 18 or graduation Washington Post

MORE NEWS ITEMS INSIDE

Council rips Henderson on budget overruns Washington Post: Chancellor Kaya Henderson received a rare beat-down from the D.C. Council Tuesday, administered by members unhappy with what one called “reckless” budget practices that contributed to $21 million in projected DCPS cost overruns.

Arizona proposes elective Bible course for high schools USA Today: Proposed legislation would make Arizona the sixth state in the nation to allow schools to offer a high-school elective course on the Bible.

After Major Race to Top Setback, Hawaii Ponders Next Steps Politics K12: Fresh off a stunning blow to Hawaii's Race to the Top efforts, Gov. Neil Abercrombie pledged to make good on his state's education reform promises—with or without the help of the state teachers' union.

As Some Schools Plunge Into Technology, Poor Schools Are Left Behind HuffPost via Hechinger Report: On a recent Friday morning, 15-year-old Jerod Franklin stared at his hands as he labored to type up memories of the first time he grilled steak. Next to him, classmate Brittany Levy tackled a piece about a trip to the hospital.

Closure meetings underway at schools slated for “turnaround” GothamSchools: The city has started running through its closure protocol at dozens of low-performing schools it wants to “turn around.”

House passes bill to increase oversight of educational collaboratives Boston.com: Against the backdrop of federal and state corruption investigations, the Massachusetts House yesterday approved legislation designed to increase oversight of the state’s troubled network of 30 educational collaboratives.

Reports: Don't Forget Professional Development in Evaluation Teacher Beat: A pair of new reports outlines how districts can think about using revised teacher evaluation systems to improve the quality of the teaching force.

 Should Cheating On Your SATs Be A Felony? AP via HuffPost: New York would make felonies out of cheating on the SAT college entrance test under a bill released Tuesday as part of a legislative investigation into a scandal in an affluent New York City suburb.

Alonso wants to borrow $1.2 billion to repair city schools Baltimore Sun: Baltimore City's schools chief told state legislators Tuesday that he hopes to borrow $1.2 billion— six times more than the school system's current bonding authority — to pay for a massive and rapid overhaul of the city's crumbling public school buildings.