AM News: Bush Is Back (George W., That Is)

George W. Bush's Think Tank Advances Education Agenda  EdWeek: The former president has nonetheless advanced a robust policy agenda in the last few years, using his Dallas-based think tank, the Bush Institute, to signal the issues on which he plans to focus his post-presidency.

Connecticut Students Gain WSJ: Connecticut's improved test scores follow the small gains that New York reported on Tuesday for elementary and middle school students. It was the seventh year that Connecticut has administered the tests; results have shown general improvement since 2006.

DFER puts up new ad urging Chicago schools to keep longer day intact and settle teachers contract Tribune: The new radio spot is similar to previous work from Education Reform Now, featuring two women talking on a bus. One of the woman says the longer school day should be kept at seven hours.

Hope for New Philadelphia Program Focused on New Immigrant Students PhiladelphiaNotebook: The School District announced plans in the spring to consolidate its Newcomer Learning Academies (NLAs) at one site at Benjamin Franklin High School. But there was still community skepticism about the basic premise of the program: Some wondered whether it was wise to segregate and potentially isolate newly arrived immigrant students.

Officials Say Leaked Test Questions have No Effect on Exams AssociatedPress: California education officials have found the online posting of photos of the state standardized test during testing in May posed no significant impact on the integrity of the exams.

Students in K12 Inc.'s Online Classes Lag Academically, Study Finds WashingtonPost: K12 Inc., the Herndon-based company that is the country’s largest provider of full-time online education, lags behind charter schools and traditional public schools on a broad array of academic measures, according to a new study.

Comments

[Sarah]

No real surprise there. Students without an actual teacher that can engage them will rarely find learning as easy as those who do. Online classes are flawed for all but those who learn very quickly, with minimal instruction, and such students are few and far between.

[Sarah]

And I’m not sure I like that Bush still has grips in education, considering his administration was responsible for NCLB’s final draft, and seemed to think it was actually benefiting schools.