17 Struggling Tenn. Schools to Share $27M
Three-year federal school improvement grants totaling over $27 million were distributed by the Tennessee Department of Education to 17 of the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools in the state.
Three-year federal school improvement grants totaling over $27 million were distributed by the Tennessee Department of Education to 17 of the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools in the state.
U.S. Senate Education Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) introduced a bill that would replace the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law with requirements that states adopt their own standards, a move that is underway in 37 states granted waivers from the U.S. Department of Education.
Hawaii Superintendent of Education Kathryn Matayoshi says the state's education system is being transformed, and the effort began with a four-year, $75 million federal Race to the Top grant in 2010.
Connecticut Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor said that he is confident much of the education reform money cut from Gov. Dannel Malloy's 2013-15 budget proposal will be restored.
Louisiana Education Superintendent John White testified during a U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee hearing and said that states must be held accountable for how their school systems perform, but they also need greater flexibility to design the best programs for students.
The Louisiana Department of Education reports that it has matched close to 8,000 students with the schools of their choice through the Louisiana Scholarship Program, with the number of scholarships offered up almost 3,000 over last year.
The Illinois State Board of Education recognized a total of 624 schools with Illinois Honor Roll awards. The awards are given to schools with high poverty rates that have overcome the odds, those that have achieved high-performance scores for three straight years, and those with improvement ratings of 7.5 percent in one year or 15 percent in two years.
The New Mexico Public Education Department will implement an early warning system to help schools identify students at risk of dropping out.
Guam Department of Education Superintendent Jon Fernandez says just complying with federal law regarding the education needs of disabled students is not enough and that additional effort is needed to mainstream students with disabilities.
The U.S. Department of Education will dole out another $490 million in Race to the Top grants in fiscal 2013. Around $120 million will be awarded as part of the second round of the Race to the Top district competition.