- Flush with enthusiasm over the Common Core standards initiative, the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers have announced a plan to develop national standards for everything else in schools, from principals’ desk specs to cafeteria menus. Infuriated by this move, Texas, Alaska, Virginia, and Montana have declared that they will secede from the union to form their own, standards-less country: TexaPalinistan.
- Teacher of the year LeToya James is “taking her talents to South Beach.” This week, she signed a record-breaking six-year, $42 million contract with Miami Central Senior High School, plus an extra $8 million in options and a “no trade” clause. To further sweeten the deal, James has been offered $2 million in bonus incentives if she brings the National Spelling Bee title back to Miami-Dade.
- In an attempt to “teach our kids that it's not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair,” the U.S. Department of Education donated 5 million vuvuzela horns to school science fairs, to be blown as the prizes are announced.
- Inspired by a recent tweet by Fordham VP Mike Petrilli, CATO education watcher Neal McCluskey has released a 750-page tome entitled Disproving Every Atom of Mike’s 140 Characters. It works well as a doorstop, anyway.
- Teach for America has partnered with the University of Phoenix to increase teacher retention. All TFA corps members who stay in the classroom a third year will now receive law degrees from U of P. Tom Vander Ark heralded this as a breakthrough for online learning.
- In response to the budget crisis, Rhode Island Governor Linc Chafee has announced that he will close all Ocean State public schools—for as long as it takes. A survey of students from Lil Rhodey found they plan to spend 90 percent of their waking hours on Facebook. Tom Vander Ark heralded this as a breakthrough for online learning.
