Below are links to news stories of interest from newspapers that came up during a search today. These links were active at the time of this e-mail, but should you want to save a story, printing it or cutting and pasting the entire article and saving it to your computer is recommended
State News
Illinois Vaults to the Head of the Class in Race to the Top …
Huffington Post – Take the legislation that passed last week on using student-achievement data in evaluating teachers. Not only did the more reform-minded Illinois Education Association bless the bill, but the Illinois Federation of Teachers — which includes the Chicago Teachers Union — backed the evaluation component of the bill as well. (The IFT did oppose the overall legislation due to an unrelated issue regarding the privacy of the teacher evaluations.) On the legislation to expand alt-cert in the state, both unions got on board — even though the IFT had expressed reservations about the idea when it was first considered during last November’s veto session.
State Capitol Q&A: Acquiring Race to the Top funds Springfield State Journal Register – Government, by its nature, is not fast moving. So it was a bit unusual to see the speed state lawmakers acted with last week to meet the Race to the Top deadline.
D-26 to cut staff
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – Board members Chris Jenner and Julie Jette voted against the plan. Despite the looming cuts, teachers said they weren’t willing to bargain with District 26 officials. The Cary Education Association, which represents more than 200 teachers, turned down a request from the board to renegotiate its union contract.
District 205 Budget Concerns
Rockford WIFR (CBS) 23 – Entire schools could close in the stateline if Illinois continues to cut its education funds. Rockford school board members spoke about what’s being done to ensure that doesn’t happen. Major changes in funding are in store for District 205’s 2011 fiscal year.
District 94 identifies possible budget cuts
Chicago Daily Herald – Those proposed cuts total $516,000 and include two administrative positions (an assistant principal and a division head), four teaching positions (special education, English, mathematics and social science) and two clerks. In addition, athletic coaching and activity sponsor positions totaling $44,000 could be cut next year.
Open House! Full access to edweek.org until January 21
| All But 10 States Throw Hats Into Race to Top Ring
Stiff competition is expected for the $4 billion in federal economic-stimulus grants aimed at spurring state-level education reform. • Related story: States Change Laws in Hopes of Race to Top Edge |
| For complete coverage, visit our Schools and the Stimulus page. |
Duncan Carves Deep Mark on Policy in First Year One year after his confirmation, the education secretary’s record offers a template for the agency’s future policy direction.
• Exclusive Video Interviews:
Arne Duncan speaks on ESEA, Race to the Top, Building a Team, Foundations, and Communication.
1. Obama to Seek $1.35 Billion Race to Top Expansion
2. State of the States: Holding All States to High Standards
3. District Stances on Race to Top Plans Vary
4. Commentary: Debunking the Case for National Standards
5. Bridging Differences: How the Media Garbled Randi’s Message
NEW IN THE NOTEBOOK
Student learning plans, improving school culture will be part of this year’s school turnarounds
CEO Ron Huberman says officials learned from mistakes made with closing and turnaround decisions under previous administrations.
Quinn signs bill to make Illinois competitive in Race to the Top
Two new bills will revamp teacher evaluation and allow non-profit groups to offer alternative teacher certification.
Skinner, South Loop stories highlight lack of facilities plan
CPS recently backed away from a plan to move South Loop’s middle grades to the National Teachers Academy. At Skinner, conflict over resources pits parents of neighborhood children against parents of children in the selective classical program.
Huberman offers details on school safety plan
CEO Ron Huberman two-year, $60 million safety plan will focus on mentoring and pay for principal ‘wish lists,’ including truancy officers and additional counselors.
Political News
Could borrowing fix Illinois’ pension mess?
Chicago Daily Herald – A group that follows state financial policies thinks the answer to the state’s soaring pension debt could be found in more borrowing. Specifically, the Illinois Policy Institute suggests Illinois borrow nearly $18 billion over the next 15 years to ensure the required, annual payments are made to the state’s pension accounts.
Quinn, Hynes exchange blows in latest debate Chicago Current – Pat Quinn’s flagging candidacy rebounded last night as he scored damaging points in a televised debate against his chief Democratic rival, state Comptroller …
Criticism rules Quinn, Hynes debate The State Journal-Register – Gov. Pat Quinn blamed Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes for not uncovering a gruesome cemetery desecration scandal
Quinn, Hynes unload on each other
Chicago Sun Times – They shook hands at the end and said they’d still be friends, but for an hour, Gov. Quinn and challenger Dan Hynes accused each other of incompetence, deception, and/or “cover-ups.”
Gov. suitors don’t hold back in debate
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – Gov. Pat Quinn blamed Comptroller Dan Hynes for not uncovering a gruesome cemetery desecration scandal, while Hynes hammered Quinn during a Tuesday debate for wanting to raise taxes on the middle class and releasing prison inmates early to save money. The two didn’t hold back on the harsh words during the debate at Chicago’s WLS-TV,
Giannoulias, Hoffman spar in Senate debate
Chicago Daily Herald – Alexi Giannoulias focused his attacks on two people in a Democratic Senate debate Tuesday night, and one of them wasn’t even on the stage. Giannoulias repeatedly criticized rival Democrat David Hoffman and ignored the other candidates. He argued that electing Hoffman would be little different from electing the likely Republican nominee, Mark Kirk. Both Hoffman and Kirk,
Comptroller candidates vow fiscal responsibility
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Few politicians would take responsibility for Illinois’ current fiscal woes, but the list of candidates trying to oversee state spending is surprisingly robust. The Illinois comptroller’s office has three GOP candidates and three Democratic candidates facing off in next month’s primary, in addition to an uncontested Green Party candidate.
Hynes Blases Quinn Over Prisons ‘Gag Order’
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 – after the Corrections director threatened to discipline prison workers who go public. “It speaks to an effort at coverup,” Hynes told reporters at a Chicago stop. “I’m calling on Gov. Quinn to repudiate and revoke this gag order.” State Sen. Bill Brady, a Republican candidate for chief executive, was also riled by the “public safety crisis created and concealed by the
Hynes to Quinn: End Prison Coverup
NBC Chicago – With the primary election only weeks away, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Hynes today continued to blast Gov. Quinn over the state’s prison release program. Speaking at his campaign office, Hynes said Quinn needs “to end the apparent coverup with his Dept of Corrections” and said he wanted to extend
In blow to Obama, Republican wins in Massachusetts
Washington Post – In a stunning blow to President Barack Obama, Republican Scott Brown won a bitter Senate race in Massachusetts on Tuesday and promised to be the deciding vote against his sweeping healthcare overhaul. Brown’s win robbed Democrats of the crucial 60th Senate vote they need to pass the healthcare bill and sent shudders of fear through Democrats facing tough races
Gut-check for Obama and Democrats on health care
Boston Globe – It’s gut-check time for President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats on their health care overhaul. A stinging loss Tuesday in Massachusetts cost Obama the 60-vote Senate majority he was counting on to pass the far-reaching legislation. The outcome splintered the rank and file on how to salvage the bill, energized congressional Republicans
The fallout: Democrats rethinking health care bill
Politico.com – Republican Scott Brown’s upset win in Massachusetts Tuesday threatened to derail any hopes of passing a health reform bill this year, as the White House and Democratic leaders faced growing resistance from rank-and-file members to pressing ahead with a bill following the Bay State backlash. Democratic leaders insisted they planned to press ahead with health reform, and met late into Tuesday
Tough reviews for Obama’s first year
Washington Times – A year ago, Medea Benjamin, co-founder of anti-war protest group Code Pink, was seated on the Capitol’s West Front, 100 feet from the inauguration stage, watching Barack Obama be sworn in as president. On Wednesday, she and other progressive leaders will rally outside the White House to decry the record of that first year. Mr. Obama’s hope-and-change coalition has frayed under anger from
National News
Obama wants $1.35b more in school grants
Boston Globe – President Obama said yesterday he is seeking more money for education in his budget to improve test scores and help students succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy. “Offering our children an outstanding education is one of our most fundamental – perhaps our most fundamental – obligation as a country,’’ the president said at an elementary school
Report: Media use by teens, tweens grows to 53 hours a week In the last five years, the time that America’s 8- to 18-year-olds spend watching TV, playing video games and using a computer for entertainment has risen by 1 hour, 17 minutes a day, the Kaiser Family Foundation said. Young people now devote an average of 7 hours, 38 minutes to daily media use, or about 53 hours a week — more than a full-time job.
Does Brown’s Senate Win Mean the End of Health Reform? Even if House liberals can be persuaded to accept the Senate bill’s more conservative health-reform provisions, the larger concern is that Brown’s victory could set off a stampede of moderate and conservative Democrats away from the legislation
One Week After the Quake: Haiti at the Tipping Point Observers have been surprised that Haiti, which has descended into near universal chaos in the past, has remained relatively stable. Can it last?
The Fort Hood Report: Why Not Mention Islam? Critics take the Pentagon to task for ignoring any religious motivations on the part of Major Nidal Hasan, the suspect in the deadly attack on his fellow soldiers
A Genetic Link Between Migraines and Depression? Recurrent migraine headaches are enough to drive a person into depression, but new research suggests the link between the two conditions is even more basic
Afghanistan: Limits of ‘Winning Hearts and Minds’ The aim of Western forces in Afghanistan is not to win affection for their armies but to build support for the Afghan government. A new report, written by the top U.S. military intelligence commander there, slams intelligence failures
Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com
1) Republican wins Kennedy’s seat
BOSTON — Republican Scott Brown dealt a devastating blow to President Obama’s domestic agenda Tuesday night by capturing the Senate seat of the late Edward M. Kennedy, the legendary Democrat who had made health-care reform the cause of his political career.
2) In key reversal, voters turn their anger on Democrats
President Obama and the Democrats rode a wave of anger aimed at the presidency of George W. Bush to victories in 2006 and 2008. Now, a year to the day after Obama was sworn into office, in a dramatic reversal of fortunes, populist anger has turned sharply against the president and his party.
3) For health-care reform, picture gets much more complicated
Unless Democrats can thread a very narrow legislative needle, Republican Scott Brown’s upset victory over Martha Coakley in Massachusetts on Tuesday could lead to the collapse of a health-care bill that, only weeks ago, appeared close to becoming law.
4) Gunman suspected in Appomattox killings surrenders, police say
APPOMATTOX, VA. — The sounds of gunfire from Christopher B. Speight’s property here came as nothing unusual to his neighbors, who said the avid hunter regularly fired off rounds while shooting rabbit and deer or taking target practice behind his wooded country home.
5) Aftershock hits Haiti; U.S. troops guard convoys in Port-au-Prince
PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI — A massive aftershock jolted awake thousands of earthquake victims and relief workers in this ravaged capital early Wednesday, sparking new cries of fear and sorrow even as an enormous international aid effort continued to build.
6) A desert mirage
Every home builder in the country would probably describe 2009 as an “annus horribilis.” But Las Vegas builders Adam Knecht and Ernie Domanico had a particularly horrible year.
7) ‘A Massachusetts man of the people’
In supporting Scott Brown, Republicans have embraced a new attitude that bodes ill for Democrats.
8.) Faith in Obama’s influence on race relations slipping
Soaring expectations about the effect of the first black president on U.S. race relations have collided with a more mundane reality, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
9) TSA nominee Erroll Southers withdraws name from consideration
Erroll Southers, President Obama’s nominee to lead the Transportation Security Administration, has withdrawn his name from consideration, the White House said Wednesday.
10) Democrats cut deal to form debt watchdog
Faced with growing alarm over the nation’s soaring debt, the White House and congressional Democrats tentatively agreed Tuesday to create an independent budget commission and to put its recommendations for fiscal solvency to a vote in Congress by the end of this year
Word of the Day for Wednesday, January 20, 2010
lacuna \luh-KYOO-nuh\, noun;
plural lacunae \luh-KYOO-nee\ or lacunas | Lacuna is from the Latin lacuna, “a cavity, a hollow,” from lacus, “a hollow.”:
1. A blank space; a missing part; a gap.
2. (Biology) A small opening, depression, or cavity in an anatomical structure.