LWVeducation
The New Mexico legislation has strong provisions relating to the charter school management and facilities. SB 236 Beffort strengthens these provisions. The proposed bill is instructive because it highlights corrective measures to improve the regulations and oversight of charter facilities and conflict of interest.
These proposals can inform the regulations in other states.
You can think of this bill SB 263 by Howie Morales as the “It is time to check the checkers” bill. It appears that some legislators want real data with valid results. It has just been introduced, so passage is a ways off.
The summary of the bill states that the “State Auditor shall adopt quality and accuracy audits of teacher evaluations, merit pay, and school ratings conducted by the Department of Education. Look at what the auditor be required to do. It will bring a smile to many. It makes me think that others have read “Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics”.
I read ‘The Man Behind Common Core Math‘ twice. It is personal, candid, and gives a different perspective of Common Core (CC). Part of CCs development was a happy accident. Other parts had unhappy consequences that must be addressed. Motives and methods of for-profit testing companies are questioned.
Which are the elephants in the room, the Standards; the Tests; the power brokers’ funding, or the passing rates? Let’s consider which of these babies we should throw out with the bath water. You will find some useful sources and some interesting ideas.
Federal officials will tell you that education is a state responsibility, but federal dollars impact state policy.
So, if Race to the Top (RTT)
does lose it funding in the new Omnibus bill, what goes away?
What are the new education priorities in the bill? A listing from the U.S. Department of Education website gives a list of RTT grant initiatives that may be affected.
New priorities are set. School Improvement Grants (S.I.G.) remain.Continue reading
The Florida Legislature is listening.
The Tampa Bay Times reported today that some testing reform is likely in the next legislative session. The article ‘School testing poised to get scaled back by Florida lawmakers’ cites several tentative proposals for reforming assessment practices in Florida. Senator John Legg acknowledges that testing has grown for many well intentioned reasons, but ” …one question got waylaid: How is it affecting the students?”
Proposals are surfacing, Continue reading
by Maria Seemer
The announcement for the Brevard School Board’s legislative platform comes with a series of public information events to explain the need for revisions to K-12 legislation in the upcoming session of the Florida Legislature. The School Board of Brevard County Legislative Platform details changes in procedures and funding to make a more equitable educational system. Continue reading
These FSBA legislative priorities for 2015 reflect many of the League’s positions to support public schools. They address accountability and testing, facilities, funding, school choice options, and local control. An overview of the positions includes:Continue reading
McKay StatutesContinue reading