1st day of school opens with smiles, hugs, a few tears – Daily Republic

By Susan Winlow

SUISUN CITY — The gates of Crescent Elementary School opened for the new year at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

In streamed children, with parents in tow.

The gamut of emotions showed: Seasoned fifth-graders walked confidently toward the lineup area at the back of the school, nervous kindergartners clung to parents in front of Joan Glazier’s kindergarten classroom and new schoolchildren and parents asked questions in the office.

via 1st day of school opens with smiles, hugs, a few tears Daily Republic.

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

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.

Lawmakers May Debate Testing, Teacher Evaulations in NCLB Renewal – Education Week

By Alyson Klein

Big news of the week is that the U.S. House of Representatives may consider a long-stalled bill to renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. (It’s set for possible floor consideration on Thursday, according to the House schedule.)

UPDATE: House leaders are doing intensive outreach on the bill today. Advocates say it looks like the vote count is going to be close. If GOP leaders don’t have enough support, they could pull the bill from consideration this week. After all, there are two other bills scheduled. “They have a back-up bill and a back-up to the back-up,” one advocate said.

via Lawmakers May Debate Testing, Teacher Evaulations in NCLB Renewal – Politics K-12 – Education Week.

Education Week: Congress Likely to Stay Divided, Will Gridlock on K-12 Continue?

The U.S. House of Representatives is likely to stay in GOP hands and the Senate under Democratic control, according to the Associated Press. Over the past two years, that combination has meant a lot of sniping and not much action on big issues, including the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

So does two more years of a divided Congress mean two more years of gridlock on key issues? Lawmakers will get their first test soon. Even before the new Congress takes office, lawmakers must figure out a plan to head off “sequestration,” a series of planned, 8.2 percent trigger cuts to nearly every federal K-12 program, including special education and money for disadvantaged students.

via Congress Likely to Stay Divided, Will Gridlock on K-12 Continue?.

Education Week: Outcomes for Students With Severe Disabilities Can, Must Improve

Students who have the most severe disabilities aren’t often enough being prepared well for work or more education beyond high school, and Congress has an opportunity to change that when it gets around to renewing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

The Collaboration to Promote Self-Determination today shared a set of recommendations that target reform of the tests taken by students with severe cognitive disabilities and the instruction these students receive. The group’s goal is to better prepare students with significant disabilities for the workforce and continue their education after high school.

via Outcomes for Students With Severe Disabilities Can, Must Improve.

EdSource Today: Arne Duncan tight-lipped on California’s waiver

By Kathryn Baron

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wouldn’t reveal even a hint regarding the status of California’s request for a waiver from the most unrealistic provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind, in an interview on Wedneday.

Duncan only reiterated what state education officials have already acknowledged. “Our staff is still in conversation with the state, so we’re still working on it,” the Secretary told EdSource Today in a phone call yesterday during the first leg of his “Education Drives America” Back-to-School bus tour as it rolled through the Bay Area.

via Duncan tight-lipped on California’s waiver – by Kathryn Baron.

Education Week: House ESEA Bills Would Damage Some Students’ Access to Diplomas

A pair of bills attempting to rewrite parts of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act—what’s now called No Child Left Behind—could be devastating for some students with disabilities, advocates for these students say.

via House ESEA Bills Would Damage Some Students’ Access to Diplomas.

Education Week: Federal Role in K-12 at Heart of ESEA Hearing

Anyone following the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act would be able to guess at the big question hanging over a hearing on the House GOP bills to rewrite the law: What’s the right role for the federal government in helping to improve K-12 education?

via Federal Role in K-12 at Heart of ESEA Hearing.