School Funding Litigation/Policy

• IL school districts wait for state aid; if the money is received after June 30, it could affect how much it will cost districts to borrow money
  http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/06/27/news/doc48644ede3b99d996395257.txt

State Roundup

• KY immigrant teenagers are five times more likely to drop out of high school than their American-born counterparts, says study
  http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/445231.html
• KY committee joins in movement to recruit older adults as advocates for pre-kindergarten programs serving 3- and 4-year-olds
  http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/444645.html
• PA Board of Education's controversial proposal for high school exit exams takes another hit, this time from the state House Education Committee
  http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08179/892975-298.stm

Other News

• House approves budget plan for controversial private school voucher program for the District of Columbia
  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/06/26/43dcvouchers_web.h27.html

• Study says ambitious OK public pre-kindergarten program boosts skills dramatically, and says that universal preschool benefits both low-income and middle-class kids
  http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-06-26-preschool-universal_N.htm
• A large majority of Americans believe schools should focus on math, according to poll
  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/06/27/123529ppolleducation_ap.html

• Schools that report low achievement for English-language learners also report low achievement for white and African-American students
  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/07/16/43pew_web.h27.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mrss
• Elementary-school teachers are poorly prepared by education schools to teach math
  http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2008/06/26/study_teachers_not_being_taught_math_properly/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Education+news

School Funding Litigation/Policy

• MI lawmakers agree on a new budget that would increase per-pupil funding by about $72 in the basic state K-12 grant to public school districts
  http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080626/POLITICS/806260367
• SC Supreme Court hears school funding arguments
  http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080626/NEWS/306260005/1001/NEWS
• SC advocates approach state Supreme Court to direct the Legislature to provide students with a better opportunity to receive a constitutionally mandated education
  http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/jun/26/justices_hear_school_appeals45717/

State Roundup

• CA court reconsiders a sweeping ruling that undercuts the thriving home school movement
  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/26/ED5011F0EK.DTL&feed=rss.education
• CT student population will drop 17 percent in the next 12 years, according to a new study
  http://www.rep-am.com/news/350377.txt
• Parents of special-needs children in NC call on lawmakers to approve an annual tax credit to let their children attend private schools when public schools fail to address their needs
  http://www.goupstate.com/article/20080625/APN/806251062
• Environmentalists and community activists urge governor to order studies to assure NJ schools will not be erected on dangerously polluted properties
  http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1214455068124660.xml&coll=1

Federal/NCLB

• Achievement in mathematics and reading has risen on state tests and the gap between white and minority students has narrowed since the passage of NCLB, says study
  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/07/16/43cep_web.h27.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mrss

Other News

• New law reflects a growing national movement to award high school credit for foreign language proficiency
  http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=320478
• Film suggests that for inner-city schools to succeed, they need more than standardized tests to measure students' reading and math skills
  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/06/23/121237tvhighschooldocumentary_ap.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mrss

School Funding Litigation/Policy

• AZ Senate appears to reach a bipartisan budget deal that would close a $1.9 billion shortfall in fiscal 2009 and avert state shutdown
  http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0624state-budget0624.html
• CA Assembly approves legislation that appears destined for a showdown with Gov. Schwarzenegger over penalties for the state's lowest-performing school districts
  http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1034502.html

State Roundup

• CA advocates urge state appellate court to overturn decision that restricts the ability of parents to educate their children at home, but lawyers call for a more narrow ruling from the lower court
  http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-homeschool24-2008jun24,0,3660893.story
• GA, the first state to offer universal voluntary pre-kindergarten, now falls behind other states in educational programs for 4-year-olds
  http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/06/23/pre_k_falls_behind.html
• NY students improve significantly in reading and math scores, with particularly striking leaps in large urban areas
  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/education/24scores.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

• Education's moment in the national political sun has come and gone, but whoever grabs the country's highest bully pulpit could impact every classroom in http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0623elex-education23.html

School Funding Litigation/Policy

• MI will implement changes for the 2008-09 school year, districts will receive state funding proportionate to the number of students enrolled for the first time since Katrina
  http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080623/NEWS01/80623008
• NJ legislature adds $1.4 billion to a $2.5 billion bond issue for building public schools
  http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergenpolitics/State_legislators_add_bond_issue_for_public_schools.html
• Glitch in OH’s funding formula will force some schools to pay back the state for extra money they received, even though they were unaware that they were getting more than they were supposed to
  http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/06/23/TPPREVISE.ART_ART_06-23-08_A1_O7AIG6O.html?sid=101

State Roundup

• AR exam scores show a narrowing of the achievement gap between whites and minorities on most tests
  http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2008/06/21/News/346780.html
• CA appeals court will meet to reconsider its ruling to require in-home instructors to have teaching credentials
  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/23/BAC211CNBV.DTL&feed=rss.education
• MA governor will unveil recommendations that seek to dramatically change the way education is delivered and funded
  http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2008/06/23/patrick_targets_gaps_in_learning/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Education+news
• TX might adopt stricter standards to certify teachers, but some districts fear the proposal will deepen struggles to fill classroom jobs
  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5850655.html
• VA parents brace for changes in special education; proposal would allow school officials to end special services for a child without parents' approval
  http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jun/22/proposed-state-rule-worries-parents-of-special-ed-/
  
  

Published Thursday, Jul. 3, 2008