A first look at today's most important education news:
- After the initial drama surrounding the parent-trigger law, Adelanto’s Desert Trails elementary school—under a new charter operator—gets to work improving academic outcomes. (Atlantic)
- The other day, Secretary Duncan stated clearly that the federal government has no control over curricula, strongly endorsing local choice. But Curriculum Matters observes that “even a blessing from the U.S. Secretary of Education—like ‘Hey, guys, you’re doing a great job out there!’—has people running for cover.”
- Hechinger’s Digital/Edu blog explores whether data literacy ought to be part of teacher licensure and highlights the work of the Data Quality Campaign.
- The Student and the Stopwatch, a report released Wednesday by TeachPlus, looks at variations in the time that school districts spend on testing, finding—among other things—that urban students tend to spend more time in testing than their suburban peers. (Fordham, Curriculum Matters)
- Donald Graham, a former owner of the Washington Post, has launched a new $25 million college-scholarship fund for undocumented high-school graduates. (Learning the Language)
- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit has reinstated an Alabama law barring teacher-payroll deductions for political activity. (School Law)
