AM News: Judge Rules Texas School-Funding Method Unconstitutional

Texas: School Financing System Is Ruled Unconstitutional AP: The system Texas uses to finance public schools violates the state’s Constitution by not providing enough money to districts and failing to distribute the money fairly, a judge ruled Monday in a decision that could force the Legislature to overhaul school financing.

Test Boycott Puts Seattle Teachers in National Spotlight EdWeek: Since a group of Seattle high school teachers decided to boycott administration of a computerized exam in December, their protest has been embraced by opponents of high-stakes testing as a call to nationwide action. Teachers at Garfield High School, however, portray their protest as narrowly focused against one particular test used by their district—the Measures of Academic Progress, or MAP—not against assessments in general, high-stakes or otherwise.

Arne Duncan, Mayors, College Groups Push Gun Control PoliticsK12: For the second time in recent weeks, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today attended an event aimed at promoting gun control measures in the wake of the massacres at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last December.

L.A.'s first Hebrew-language charter school raises questions LATimes: Lashon Academy is to teach modern Hebrew, have no religious component and aim for a diverse student body. But some worry that dual-language charters blur the line between public and private schools.

States Lack Data on Principals, Study Says EdWeek: The Dallas-based George W. Bush Institute was expected to release an analysis of all 50 states' principal policies and related data collections in Washington this week. It finds that even states with otherwise comprehensive longitudinal-data systems collect limited information about principals, particularly on their preparation.