Category Archives: Arne Duncan

Are There Growing Inconsistencies in Arne Duncan’s NCLB Waiver Policy? – Education Week

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By Michele McNeil

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has a history of granting specific district-level waivers, in places such as California, Utah, and Kansas. It stands to reason, then, that a waiver granted to one district ought to be allowable for another district citing the same reasons. After all, it does not make for happy superintendents (or happy congressional delegations) to give flexibility to some folks and not others.

But recent events show growing inconsistencies in the U.S. Department of Education’s waiver policy, and some disconnect between that policy and its practice.

Last week, we told you about how the Education Department rejected a No Child Left Behind Act waiver request from a district in South Carolina that wanted to pilot the use of ACT tests in grades 3-8 and in high school, rather than the regular state exams.

via Are There Growing Inconsistencies in Arne Duncan’s NCLB Waiver Policy? – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

State Chiefs Pledge to Not Share Student Data With Arne Duncan, Ed. Dept. – Education Week

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By Michele McNeil

By guest blogger Catherine Gewertz. Cross-posted from Curriculum Matters.

Schools chiefs from 34 states have banded together to make a public declaration that they will not share personally identifiable student data with the federal government.

In a letter sent to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan Thursday afternoon, the state superintendents said they are trying to calm a rising tide of concern that administering student assessments through the two federally funded multistate consortia—PARCC and Smarter Balanced—puts the privacy of personally identifiable student data at risk. All of the chiefs are participating in test design through one of the consortia.

via State Chiefs Pledge to Not Share Student Data With Arne Duncan, Ed. Dept. – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

How Much Sway Does Arne Duncan Have in Local Decisions, Anyway? – Education Week

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By Michele McNeil

On its front page today, the Washington Post reported on how U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and his top Education Department deputy lobbied newly elected New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to not pick Joshua Starr, the superintendent in Montgomery County, Md., as the city’s new schools chancellor.

Veteran educator Carmen Fariña was the pick.

Statements from Education Department officials in the Post’s story didn’t really confirm or deny the specific account. (And when I talked to them today, both spokesman Massie Ritsch and acting deputy secretary Jim Shelton said they didn’t want to say anything more. Same for Starr spokesman Dana Tofig.)

via How Much Sway Does Arne Duncan Have in Local Decisions, Anyway? – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

Arne Duncan ‘Encouraged’ By NAEP Results – Politics K-12 – Education Week

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By Alyson Klein

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said yesterday that the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress results show “encouraging but modest” signs of progress. (Quick take: 8th graders’ average score in math increased 1 point since 2011, the last time the test was given, and 3 points in reading on the exam’s 500-point scale. Fourth graders inched up 1 point in math. But there was no statistically significant gain in reading for fourth graders. Way more from Catherine Gewertz of Curriculum Matters fame.)

via Arne Duncan ‘Encouraged’ By NAEP Results – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

Should Arne Duncan Decide How to Distribute the Sequester Cuts? – Education Week

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By Alyson Klein

So if you were hoping to wake up to a deal that ends the government shutdown and raises the debt ceiling, you were sorely disappointed. Talks continue today. And, education advocates are worried that if the feds don’t deal with sequestration (those five percent, across-the-board cuts) this fall, the window may be closed for a long time (story here).

A recent proposal by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a moderate, would keep the sequestration cuts in place for another six months, but would give agencies flexibility to decide where to make the reductions. Although the Collins proposal has run into trouble, particularly among Democrats who are upset about the fact that it would lock the cuts in place for another six months, the idea could pop up again as talks remain fluid.

via Should Arne Duncan Decide How to Distribute the Sequester Cuts? – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

Most districts say they’re equipped and ready for new Common Core tests | EdSource Today

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By John Fensterwald

A majority of the school districts and charter schools responding to a state survey indicated they’ve got the technology to offer computer-based testing for the new Common Core standards. But the one-third to 40 percent of districts that said they have only some or little confidence they can pull it off could signal trouble complying with a new state law requiring all districts to give the Common Core math or English language arts field test six months from now.

via Most districts say they’re equipped and ready for new Common Core tests | EdSource Today.

Education Shutdown Update: What’s Arne Duncan Doing? – Education Week

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By Alyson Klein

So are those 4,000 Department of Education employees on furlough getting paid during the shutdown? For now, they’re not, but they could be eligible for back pay under a bill authored by a cadre of Republican and Democratic lawmakers from the Washington area. The Obama administration supports the measure.

Since there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight to the shutdown, House Republicans are introducing a series of bills funding certain programs that have gotten political attention (including Head Start and Impact Aid) through the middle of December.

via Education Shutdown Update: What’s Arne Duncan Doing? – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

Shutdown Hits Everything from Smithsonian Interns to Race to the Top Applications – Education Week

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By Alyson Klein

There’s been little impact so far from the government shutdown on K-12 schools around the country, but a handful of public and private school students in the Washington area are an unfortunate exception.

These students—roughly 40 in all—are part of a national program called Project SEARCH, which helps prepare students with disabilities for the workforce. The program, which is operated by a non-profit organization in Cincinnati, helps students and young adults with disabilities gain career experience and workplace skills through a blend of classroom instruction and on-the-job training. The interns, who are typically in their final year of eligibility for special education services, spend a year at a range of job sites, including hospitals, banks, and universities.

via Shutdown Hits Everything from Smithsonian Interns to Race to the Top Applications – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

Brown signs bill delaying exams despite Duncan’s threat | EdSource Today

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By Kathryn Baron

With threats of federal repercussions waylaid by the government shutdown, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed a bill that suspends most standardized tests and replaces them with a no-stakes field test aligned to the new Common Core standards.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan previously threatened to withhold some federal funding if the state passed Assembly Bill 484. The bill, backed by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, replaces most pencil-and-paper standardized tests scheduled for next spring with the computerized Common Core field test in math and English language arts for grades 3 through 8 and 11. Half of the students will take math, and half will take English.

via Brown signs bill delaying exams despite Duncan’s threat | EdSource Today.

Arne Duncan: Beating Up on Common Core Is ‘Political Silliness’ – Education Week

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By Alyson Klein

Congress, which is just about to shut down the government thanks to a big partisan dispute, took a major beating from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today in a speech at the National Press Club. He hit lawmakers for their inability to come to an agreement on financing the entire government, not to mention a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and immigration overhaul. (More on Congress’ endless edu-to-do list here.)

Duncan said Congress is putting petty politics ahead of actually governing.

via Arne Duncan: Beating Up on Common Core Is ‘Political Silliness’ – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

National Blue Ribbon Schools Named – Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today congratulated 13 California public and two private schools that are being recognized as 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools.

The schools, which were either high achieving or made significant academic improvement, were among 236 public and 50 private schools identified Tuesday by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

via National Blue Ribbon Schools Named – Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education).

Duncan threatens repercussions if California ends state tests for all students | EdSource Today

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By John Fensterwald

It looks like “High Noon” again for California and the Obama administration over education.

Hours before a key vote in the Legislature, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has warned California not to administer a partial practice or field test on the Common Core standards to some students in lieu of giving the existing tests on state standards to all students next spring – or face consequences.

via Duncan threatens repercussions if California ends state tests for all students | EdSource Today.

Duncan wants to end test for disabled students that California overused | EdSource Today

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By John Fensterwald

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is proposing to eliminate an alternative test for students with disabilities, arguing it undercuts their academic potential. The value of the test has divided the education and disability rights communities, with some advocates agreeing with Duncan and others saying the test accurately captures what students have learned.

via Duncan wants to end test for disabled students that California overused | EdSource Today.

New Research, Contest Announced in First-Ever Nationwide Attendance Awareness Month « Attendance Works

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Aug. 26, 2013 — As 55 million students return to U.S. schools this fall, 40 national organizations and as many as 900 schools and community groups are sounding the alarm about a crisis of absenteeism that is eroding academic achievement and putting students at greater risk of dropping out.

Research shows that 5 million to 7.5 million students are missing nearly a month of school every year and that these absences – excused or unexcused – add up to academic trouble. Too many absences in the early grades can leave children unable to master reading by the end of third grade, a key indicator of school success. By middle and high school, chronic absence becomes a red flag that a student may not graduate from high school.

via Press Release: New Research, Policy Brief, Contest Announced in First-Ever Nationwide Attendance Awareness Month « Attendance Works.

Arne Duncan: Integration Alone Doesn’t Equal a World-Class Education – Education Week

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By Michele McNeil

On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called on educators and students to advance a civil rights agenda that presses for equal opportunities—and not just equal rights.

“Integration alone doesn’t guarantee a world-class education,” he told the crowd in the auditorium at the School Without Walls, a magnet high school in the District of Columbia. “Civil rights means having the same opportunities as other people do. Too many left on the sidelines are black or brown or poor.”

via Arne Duncan: Integration Alone Doesn’t Equal a World-Class Education – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

For Common Core, doubts are growing – Sacramento Bee

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By Motoko Rich

The Common Core, a set of standards for kindergarten through high school that has been ardently supported by the Obama administration and many business leaders and state legislatures, is facing growing opposition from both the right and the left even before it has been properly introduced into classrooms.

Tea party conservatives, who reject the standards as an unwelcome edict from above, have called for them to be severely rolled back.

via For Common Core, doubts are growing – Education – The Sacramento Bee.

U.S. Department of Education Grants California Districts’ CORE Waiver – Education Week

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By Michele McNeil

UPDATED

The U.S. Department of Education granted an unprecedented waiver Tuesday under the No Child Left Behind Act to eight California districts that together educate 1 million students, upending a long tradition of state-based school accountability.

The first-of-its-kind waiver, good for one year, essentially allows the eight districts to set up their own accountability system outside of the state of California’s—and largely police themselves through their own board of directors. The districts known as CORE, for California Office to Reform Education, will operate under a new “school quality improvement index” that will be based 60 percent on academic factors such as test scores and graduation rates, 20 percent on social-emotional factors such as the absentee rate, and 20 percent on culture and climate factors such as student and parent surveys. The CORE districts are Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco, Sanger and Santa Ana.

via U.S. Department of Education Grants California Districts’ CORE Waiver – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

A compelling or distracting NCLB waiver? | EdSource Today

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By Kathryn Baron

Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s approval of the CORE districts’ waiver from unattainable provisions of the No Child Left Behind law, exposed some old and some new internecine disputes in California education.

Duncan called it the “right thing to do” for the 1 million students enrolled in the eight districts. Others used different words.

Among policymakers and advocates who commented on the decision, EdSource Today found common themes among differences of opinion.

via A compelling or distracting NCLB waiver? | EdSource Today.

Eight California districts receive historic NCLB waiver | EdSource Today

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By John Fensterwald

Eight California school districts collectively will receive the first district waiver from penalties under the No Child Left Behind law, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced Tuesday.

Duncan praised the districts’ “creative, thoughtful, innovative proposal.” He said that 1 million students will benefit from the districts’ “rigorous expectations” and that other states will learn from the collaborative strategies that the districts are pledging to carry out. “Frankly, working directly with districts wasn’t an easy decision,” Duncan said. “We’re not taking this up because it was simple, but because it was the right thing to do.”

via Eight California districts receive historic NCLB waiver | EdSource Today.

Arne Duncan on Tony Bennett, NCLB Waivers, and ESEA Renewal – Education Week

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By Michele McNeil

Yesterday, I sat down with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan for a 30-minute, wide-ranging interview, which produced these key takeaways: He doesn’t seem worried at all about the larger, federal-policy implications of the Tony Bennett grading scandal. A decision about the California CORE waiver is not imminent. And, he thinks working on ESEA reauthorization, as of right now, is a waste of time.

What follows are snippets from our conversation in his office yesterday.

via Arne Duncan on Tony Bennett, NCLB Waivers, and ESEA Renewal – Politics K-12 – Education Week.