President Obama's budget request includes $1 billion for American Indian schools next year, with millions of those dollars dedicated to restoring crumbling buildings and connecting classrooms via broadband Internet.

More than 25 percent of students who were enrolled at D.C.'s Public Schools Head Start programs were chronically absent last year, according to reports released this week by the Urban Institute. This means that students missed at least 10 percent of school days -- the equivalent of at least a month.

Mandatory Kindergarten in the state of Mississippi is getting a push from legislators who believe it is a step in the right direction of improving the state's entire K-12 system.

The University of Southern Mississippi was recently ranked sixth in the entire nation for producing National Board Certified Teachers. National Board Certification is basically the gold standard when it comes to educators and was developed over 25 years ago to give teachers goals to achieve beyond state requirements.

The New York City Education Department plans to expand dual-language programs offered in the city's public schools. The plan was announced last week by New York City's school chancellor, Carmen Farina.

The San Antonio School District in Texas is giving its students a one-of-a-kind experience to take career courses and earn trade certifications after high school.

It's no secret that education and its funding has never been a top priority in Mississippi. Even last week's news that the state ranks dead last in the nation when it comes to educational opportunities and success for its students is not enough to cause a legitimate uproar.

A national nonprofit, College For Every Student (CFES), ­­is searching for five schools to participate in a high-impact program that will help low-income students become college and career ready. The five schools will receive Closing the Gap awards through support from private donors.

Last week Florida lawmaker Senator Darren Soto introduced a bill that would raise the minimum salary for teachers to $50,000 a year.

Public education in Mississippi ranked last, yet again, on Education Week's Quality Counts report that was released last week. The state received a "F" grade for academic achievement, and a "D" for the chance of success for students.