September 27, 2012

National News

Oregonian
Oregon piloting a system to screen every pupil’s readiness  
Students who start kindergarten equipped with certain skills and knowledge are far more likely to be strong readers in 3rd grade and beyond. In response, Oregon is developing readiness assessments to gain a more reliable picture of how many 5-year-olds arrive primed to learn and how far behind the others are. The assessments will be piloted in 16 districts.

Huffington Post
State and local school finance systems perpetuate per-student spending disparities  
Inequitable per-pupil spending perpetuated by regressive state and local school-finance systems remains cause for concern, despite state aid formulas designed to work to the contrary, according to a new report. The study identified six states where combined state and local revenues and school resources are considerably lower in higher-poverty districts than they are in lower-poverty districts.

Education Week
Chess: The best move for students
An op-ed by Salome Thomas-EL is the principal of the Thomas Edison Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware
Unfortunately, most of our nation’s urban and rural students won’t have the same opportunities as my chess players because, as a general rule, we don’t teach our children to think critically or to think ahead. We don’t teach them to use logic and reason or to consider rewards and consequences before they make decisions. Students must learn that they are not born smart, but become smart through hard work and the process of growth. Chess can help establish that foundation for students as young as 5 and 6 years old, and it is simple enough to learn quickly.

Slate
Why New Haven’s ambitious new education strategy might actually succeed
As the recent Chicago teacher strike demonstrated, public school systems are phenomenally difficult institutions to change. The array of competing forces—unions, politicians, parents, principals, charter schools, state and national bureaucrats—gums up many reform efforts and frustrates all but the most persistent reformers. But what’s happening in the historically troubled New Haven, Conn., public school system suggests there may be ways around this, ways that all sides can support.

Related Topics: funding equity, Funding Flexibility