Texas business leaders are saying the state economy will suffer if critics of new high-stakes standardized tests get their way; Wyoming has started reviewing standards in social studies, science and other subjects; Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed a charter school expansion bill; and California passed a budget for next year that relies heavily on a proposed tax increase voters will decide on in November. Read Full Post >
Iowa is asking for a "one-year freeze on accountability measures in the federal No Child Left Behind Act after the U.S. Department of Education turned down the state's request for a waiver from the federal law last week. Read Full Post >
Arizona's secretary of state rejected a ballot initiative this week that would extend a sales tax increase and earmark much of the money for education, but a group supporting the tax hike said it would challenge that decision in court. Read Full Post >
A new policy brief zeroes in on concrete steps California can take to improve the academic outcomes for its large English-language learner population. Read Full Post >
An analysis from the National Conference of State Legislatures found that 100 bills related to the Common Core State Standards were introduced in state legislatures in 2012, and 39 were passed into law. Read Full Post >
A nonprofit law firm argues that the state law creating the vouchers doesn't violate the Oklahoma constitution's prohibition on using taxpayer money to support religious efforts. Read Full Post >
New York lawmakers are studying a proposal from Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) that would allow parents to see performance ratings of their children's teachers, but would otherwise prevent the public from seeing names attached to school employees' performance ratings. Read Full Post >
The state filed a motion for a stay in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to put off the penalty, in part to continue fighting the U.S. Department of Education over whether it should have been levied at all. South Carolina also worries about the financial repercussions Read Full Post >
Only one state this year heeded the call made by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address for states to raise their compulsory attendance age to 18. One reason may be that states are too preoccupied with significant education policy issues to focus attention on the compulsory age. Read Full Post >
Ohio lawmakers appear to have struck a deal on a package of education legislation pushed by Republican Gov. John Kasich that includes a deal on a school grading system crucial to the state's No Child Left Behind Act waiver granted by the U.S. Department of Education in May. Read Full Post >
