Texas decriminalizes unexcused absences
Starting in Sept, truancy will no longer leave students with a criminal record in Texas, but fines will still have to be paid as a civil matter.
Music moves us, and we should pay for it
Taylor Swift convinced Apple Computer to pay artists royalties even while consumers stream their music for free. Why is that important?
Read court opinions with Tom Sawyer in lit
The NYT found some interesting lit lesson plans out there, given the Common Core's emphasis on reading information texts.
27 kids fail a Md. test who shouldn't have
A computer glitch caused the bubble sheets of some students to be scored incorrectly, which brought failing scores to about 2 dozen Md. H.S. students.
Maine drops out of Smarter Balanced
It seems Maine will drop out of SBAC, following a few other states. The problem was the collection of personal information about students.
Courts may consider disparate impact analysis
A SCOTUS case from Texas seriously tested the use of disparate impact theory in racial discrimination claims. Victory.
Three faces of the PARCC tests in 2014-15
Teachers have to give students the PARCC tests, students are protesting about the PARCC tests, and even teachers have a few issues.
Blended learning can be exposed as hype
An educator from Alberta writes that blended learning, where online courses are combined with face-to-face instruction, is all hype.
Hungry students want to change food truck law
A variety of food choices at lunch is what kids say they want; the USDA stands behind nutrition standards in the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.
Mass. students create powerful artwork on testing
A teacher in Mass. gave her art students an assignment: Show how you feel about standardized tests. Powerful, expressive, haunting stuff here.