Obama Wants More School, Less Summer Break

In addressing kids, Bush 41 didn't have problems like Obama's

(NEWSER) - When George HW Bush gave a televised address to a public school in 1991 and urged schools around the country to show it in class, no one much cared. When President Obama announced plans to do the same, he drew outrage and comparisons to Chairman Mao. That’s America in 2009. "The country is far more polarized," Todd Gillman writes for the Dallas Morning News. More»

(NEWSER) - Arne Duncan isn’t quite the miracle worker Barack Obama made him out to be, according to a new study from a Chicago civic group. When Obama introduced his nominee for education secretary, he boasted that Duncan had boosted elementary school test results “From 38% of students meeting the standards to 67%” as head of Chicago’s public schools. But after adjusting for changes in test scoring and procedures, the rate actually grew a mere 8%, the study found. More»

Bush-era name ditched as administration seeks to overhaul education law

(NEWSER) - A model of a little red schoolhouse used to promote the launch of the federal policy "No Child Left Behind" is no more, the Washington Post reports. In a highly symbolic move, the structure at the entrance of the Department of Education and policy logos of the Bush administration education law are being stripped from the agency as the new administration moves to revamp the law and put its own stamp on education reform. More»

$150B spending expected to permanently expand government's role in education

(NEWSER) - The stimulus plan before Congress today more than doubles the Department of Education's budget, reports the New York Times. An unprecedented extra $150 billion in federal aid would provide funds for nearly every aspect of education, from school construction to college grants. Opponents and backers alike agree that the injection of cash could change the federal government's role in education forever. More»

At least 28 more plan to seek one

(NEWSER) - Ten of the first 11 states to apply for a waiver from the controversial No Child Left Behind law will be freed from the law's requirements by President Obama today, the AP reports. Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee received the waivers; New Mexico's application was not approved, but it is working with the White House to get the OK. Another 28 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, are expected to seek waivers in the future; the heavily populated states of California, Pennsylvania, and Texas are among those that have not yet signaled they will apply. More»