AM News: Duncan Critiques VA Waiver Request

Virginia’s NCLB waiver request needs work, says Education Department Washington Post: Eleven states have already received waivers. Virginia submitted its initial application in February and now has until Tuesday to respond to the Education Department’s critique. Maryland and the District also have submitted waiver requests.

Duncan Road Tests General Election Speech to "Mom Congress" Politics K12: He talked-up some of the department's greatest hits over the past three years, such as No Child Left Behind waivers, Race to the Top, Promise Neighborhoods and the Investing in Innovation grants, as well the president's push to boost Pell Grants and invest in community colleges. 

CPS names Barbara Byrd-Bennett as interim chief education officer Chicago Sun Times:  A national education consultant who helped lead reform efforts in Detroit, Cleveland and New York City has been tapped as “interim” chief education officer in Chicago, officials said Monday. ALSO:  Daley: Longer school day isn’t the answer.

Facing outcry from educators, Kenneth Cole to remove billboard GothamSchools: Hundreds of angry educators from across the country seem to have taught the clothing retailer Kenneth Cole a lesson about diction—and union politics.

MORE NEWS ITEMS INSIDE

Senate bill limits superintendent buyouts Philly.com: The bill was spurred in part by ex-Philly Superintendent Arlene Ackerman's $905,000 buyout package.

High Turnover for Charter School Principals, Report Says NYT: A report by charter school advocates found that teacher and principal attrition is a significant hurdle for the sector, which is young but growing quickly.

City Lays Out Digital Rules For Teachers WSJ: New York City on Monday issued its first guidelines for the use of social media in schools, stopping short of an outright ban but warning teachers to keep a bright line between personal and professional accounts.

Benefits Of Social Media And Video Games In Classrooms HuffPost via Hechinger Report: Social media, video games, blogs and wikis are playing increasingly important roles in classrooms across the country.

$25,000 And An Internship Awarded to Expert Teachers Teacher Beat: Four teachers have been announced as the first recipients of the Fishman Prize from the New Teacher Project (TNTP), a teacher-training group. They'll each be awarded $25,000 and get the chance to participate in a summer internship with the organization.

Comments

[Sarah]

Considering this isn’t Kenneth’s first controversial news-related not-quite-scandal, in fact, far from it, one has to wonder if he intentionally says such things to get his name in the paper...

[Sarah]

And I’m not sure banning teachers from using social media is exactly the right way to combat some of the issues that have arisen from schools allowing it thus far. It’s a case of a few serious offenders ruining a tool that could be used to reach students on an individual basis.