More than 12 percent of Chicago K-8th graders missed more than four weeks of school in the 2010-11 school year, the Chicago Tribune revealed in a special report on absenteeism in the district.

Sarah Newell Usdin, whose campaign for a seat on the school board in Orleans Parish drew attention for receiving large contributions from out-of-state education activists, has won her 3rd district seat. With 58 percent of the popular vote, Usdin defeated Republican incumbent Brett Bonin, a lawyer, and Independent Karran Harper Royal, a public school parent and advocate.

In Chicago, ten protesters were arrested last Friday after they and close to 200 others gathered outside Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office to protest school closings, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

After a full week out of classes, most students in the 1.1-million student New York City district will return to school today.

The 400,000-student Clark County school district in Nevada will submit its application for the Race to the Top-Districts competition, after governor Brian Sandoval stepped in to mediate between the district and its union, the Clark County Education Association.

Students in the six schools that make up Tennessee's achievement district score at the 16th percentile.

The principal of an El Paso high school caught up in the cheating that led to the downfall of Lorenzo Garcia has resigned.

During the first year of stricter test-security measures in the 146,000-student Philadelphia school district, the district's handling of new allegations of cheating in one Philadelphia school was "baffling", according to WHYY/NewsWorks and the Philadelphia Public School Notebook.

After four years as a finalist for the Broad Prize, the 350,000-student Miami-Dade County public school system has won the award. The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation provides $550,000 in scholarships to a school district it determines to be the nation's most-improved urban school districts, and $150,000 apiece to three finalists.

An interview with Boston superintendent Carol Johnson, the latest winner of the Richard R. Green award for an urban school leader.