U.S. Department of Education Releases
Guide To Online K-12 Programs

The U.S. Department of Education today released its first guide to the evaluation of online-learning programs in K-12 education. The report is designed to help school leaders gauge the effectiveness of online education, as its use grows rapidly across the United States.

Many districts, charter schools, home schools, and private schools are using online courses for students to complete grade-level courses, take Advanced Placement or specialized instruction, receive “credit recovery” or just find an alternative method of instruction.  Teachers are also using online sources to provide supplementary resources.  But are these courses effective? 

The report

The Public Education Network Releases
Its 2008 Civic Index

Voters Say They Want to Hear More About Education and Want Elected Officials To Be Held Accountable for Improvment, National Poll Reveals

Once education dominated the public’s top concerns.  This year’s Public Education Network (PEN) poll reveals other issues, such as rising prices at the gas pump and job losses, are seizing the day; yet Americans still care about education. They ranked education third and slightly above health care as a priority local leaders need to address. Top concerns included gas prices (22 percent) and jobs and the economy (19 percent) followed by education (12 percent), health care (11 percent), crime and drugs (8 percent), taxes (8 percent), the budget deficit (4 percent), homeland security (4 percent), the environment (3 percent) and traffic and roads (3 percent).

Even though, the percentage indicating education as the top priority dropped (16 percent in 2006 and 12 percent in 2008), Americans say that they want to hear more about education. Six in 10 (60 percent) say that candidates for office are focusing too little on education in election campaigns this year. More than one-third of voters (36 percent) say they are hearing less about education as an election issue this year than in years past, compared with 16 percent who are hearing more about education than previously.

PowerPoint presentation of the full results.

The Condition of Education 2008

The National Center for Education Statistics has released it annual report, The Condition of Education 2008.

The annual report bases its findings on the latest most accurate data available to the National Center for Education Statistics, and it represents a consensus of professional judgment on significant national measures about the condition and progress of education in the US.

The report presents 43 indicators on the status and condition of education in five main areas: (1) participation in education; (2) learner outcomes; (3) student effort and educational progress; (4) the contexts of elementary and secondary education; and (5) the contexts of postsecondary education.

Among other trends, this year's report indicates that the Hispanic population in our public schools has risen to 20% and this population appears to be clustered with other minorities in the higher poverty schools.

For more information and a complete copy, view the Condition of Education 2008

The Citizens' Task Force on Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

The Citizens’ Task Force on Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools was convened in March 2005 by Foundation For The Carolinas and comprised 16 corporate and civic leaders who were led by co-chairs Cathy Bessant of Bank of America and Harvey Gantt of Gantt Huberman Architects. The group was formed to look ways to ensure a positive education experience of CMS students in light of the expected increase of 54,000 students by 2015.

The Task Force was charged with overseeing a study on the most advantageous management and governance structure for CMS. In December 2005, the Task Force released a report, Findings and Recommendations of the Citizens’ Task Force on Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, which detailed 21 recommendations intended to result in a governance and organizational management model that will empower CMS to more effectively meet its current and future challenges.  One of the recommendations resulted in the formation of Mecklenburg Citizens for Public Education.

State AYP Results Spark Editorial Reaction

The preliminary statewide testing results released last week revealed that nearly two-thirds of North Carolina’s public schools failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) in line with federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requirements. The state had moved to a tougher standard for test scores in order for schools to meet AYP this year, so it was more likely that schools would fail this year, even if their test scores held steady or saw a modest increase. Final results, including those from the new statewide reading test, are expected in November.  More>>