AM News: Mixed Common Core Signals For Jeb Bush 2016

Jeb Bush, Common Core and 2016 WSJ: Races in which Common Core was raised as a campaign issue in the midterm election produced a mixed verdict. School superintendents who raised concerns about the national standards won in Arizona, Georgia and South Carolina. Arizona also elected an anti-Common Core governor, Republican Doug Ducey. On the other hand, Democratic governors criticized by their opponents for supporting Common Core, including Andrew Cuomo in New York and John Hickenlooper in Colorado, won re-election.

Department Of Education Investigating K-12 School Districts For Mishandling Sexual Assault HuffPost: As of Nov. 12, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights was investigating 24 elementary and secondary schools for potential mishandling of sexual violence incidents under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, according to numbers provided by the department to The Huffington Post [see list below]. One of these districts is under investigation for two cases, meaning that a total of 25 incidents are being investigated. Thirteen of these investigations were initiated in 2014.

Sen. Tom Harkin, Force on Education Policy, Begins Retirement Farewells PK12: Sen. Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who's set to retire after nearly four decades in Congress, gave what sounded like his closing oration late Tuesday afternoon on the Senate floor. Though I've been assured it wasn't his official swan song, it was some dress rehearsal.

Billions more in spending for school Internet connections under FCC proposal Hechinger Report: Afte If the additional funding is approved, it would bring the cap on total yearly spending on this program to about $3.9 billion.

Pearson Charitable Foundation to Close Its Doors EdWeek: The activities of the charitable foundation came under harsh scrutiny last year, when the not-for-profit organizaiton agreed to pay $7.7 million in a settlement with New York state, which accused it of improperly using assets to benefit its for-profit arm, Pearson Inc. 

ClassDojo Adopts Deletion Policy for Student Data NYT: The maker of ClassDojo, a popular classroom app, said that starting in January it plans to keep students’ behavioral records for only one school year.

More news below and throughout the day at @alexanderrusso.

Can LAUSD learn from Long Beach in addressing teacher performance? KPCC:  Chris Steinhauser, who stepped in as Long Beach Unified superintendent  in 2002, sets the tone. Deasy supported the ruling in the Vergara vs. California lawsuit that would make it easier to fire ineffective teachers if it stands. Steinhauser doesn't agree with the decision. He believes that more spending on teacher training will produce better teachers. That’s music to the ears of Chris Callopy, executive director of Long Beach Unified’s teachers union.

Police Investigate Sex on High School Campus NBC News: Portland, Oregon, police investigate claims that students have been filming sexual encounters at a local high school. 

New York City Rejects Charter School Requests for Free Space WNYC: The International Charter is seeking to open a new elementary school in Brooklyn next fall. Brooklyn Prospect requested space for a new school in District 13, which covers parts of downtown Brooklyn, Fort Greene and Prospect Heights.

CPS changes school ratings...again WBEZ: Chicago Public Schools can’t seem to make up its mind about how to measure school performance. School ratings have been a staple in CPS for almost two decades, but in the last year, district officials have changed the system three times and still have not released the updated ratings to the public.

Questionable Spending From Boston School Fund Boston Learning Lab:  Revenue generated from renting out school facilities, selling off old equipment, and leasing school buses was deposited into the accounts of the Boston Educational Development Foundation, instead of being put to use to help run schools.

D.C. board moves to revoke charter for Potomac Prep Washington Post: The D.C. Public Charter school board voted Monday night to begin the process to revoke the charter for Potomac Prep in Northeast Washington. Darren Woodruff, vice chairman of the board, said the decision was based on a "a decade- long pattern of declining academic performance and challenges with management.”