The October 4, 2011 issue of Straight A's, the Alliance's biweekly newsletter, is now available. This week's issue focuses on NCLB waivers, federal education funding, an Alliance report on teacher induction, and more.
Individual articles from this week's issue are listed below, or you can download a .pdf of the entire newsletter here.
WAIVE AROUND: Obama Outlines Plan Allowing States to Waive Specific Provisions of No Child Left Behind Act: With the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)—currently known as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act—still under consideration in Congress, President Obama outlined a plan to provide states with flexibility from specific provisions of the law in exchange for state-led reform efforts to close achievement gaps, evaluate teachers and principals, promote rigorous accountability, and ensure that all students are on track to graduate ready for college and a career.
Alliance Analyzes Benefits and Concerns in Obama’s Flexibility Plan for High Schools: An analysis by the Alliance for Excellent Education reveals several elements in the flexibility policy that could benefit the nation’s high schools while also highlighting some concerns for these schools.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: Congress Begins Work on FY 2012 Funding for U.S. Department of Education as New Fiscal Year Begins: Because Congress failed to pass any spending bills prior to the start of Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 on October 1, it was necessary to clear a short-term continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the government through October 4 and provide Congress with more time to negotiate a long-term solution. During the week of October 3, Congress is expected to clear another CR that will keep the government running through November 18.
THE ROLE OF INDUCTION: Teachers Need Increased Support as Schools Aim to Graduate More Students College and Career Ready, New Alliance Policy Brief Finds: School systems must provide greater support and sustained mentoring for teachers, especially those new to the profession, in order for students to graduate ready for college and a career, according to a new policy brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education.
New Report Says Attrition Rate for New Teachers Could Be As High As 10 Percent: Nearly one in ten new teachers leaves the profession after just one year, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. Out of 2,000 teachers tracked for the report Beginning Teacher Attrition and Mobility, nearly 10 percent of those who began teaching in 2007 or 2008 left in or after their first year.
GLOBALLY CHALLENGED: Individual U.S. States’ Proficiency Rates Vary Dramatically When Compared With Other Countries: A recently released report details how individual U.S. states compare to countries around the world in student math and reading proficiency. The data shows that scores vary widely; for example, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Vermont were some of the highest performers, mirroring advanced countries such as Korea and Finland. However, low-performing states including Mississippi and California scored at the other end of the spectrum with less-developed nations.