TOP NEWS Decatur Daily The elected Alabama State Board of Education would cease to exist and the state superintendent of K-12 education would become an appointee of the governor if two bills in the 2018 legislative session are successful. Read more>> From DA Magazine DA Staff Under principal Bill Santarsiero’s leadership, Morris Street Elementary School became one of 30 schools nationwide to earn a National Blue Ribbon for closing the achievement gap. Read more>> The Wall Street Journal Several provisions in the plan could significantly shift the financial landscape for school districts, many of which have long struggled to provide high-quality education while constrained by limited public dollars. Both the House and Senate tax bills would sharply curtail the deduction for state and local taxes Read more>> EdSource One in 4 California school districts received notice that they must work with county offices of education or with a new state agency to improve the education of at least one of their student groups that were ranked among the worst performers on the California School Dashboard, a new school and district grading system. Read more>> WBUR Under the new systemwide schedule, most high schools will start at or after 8 a.m. Presently, about half of the district's public schools start class at or before 7:30 a.m. Exceptions will be made for schools enrolling many students with autism or medical conditions. Read more>> Toledo Blade A Columbus-based education research and advocacy group is calling for Ohio’s annual school report cards to be overhauled. They criticize the measurement tools as being “unnecessarily complex” and contend that “the ratings themselves reflect too strongly the backgrounds of students rather than the effectiveness of their schools.” Read more>> The Washington Post Virtually any District of Columbia student would be able to attend private school on the taxpayer’s dime under legislation introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.). The proposal would mark the most radical expansion of school choice in the nation. Read more>> From DA Magazine David Raths Crafting a strong and well-balanced social media policy requires considerable time and effort. The policy must be flexible enough to accommodate new tech trends yet thorough and specific. Read more>> OPINION The News Journal State Auditor Tom Wagner has pointed out one way to improve taxpayers' trust in public schools: Overhaul the way spending is reported. But the current reporting system is used so inconsistently among the 19 school districts statewide that such an analysis is impossible. Read more>> NPR The House and Senate are working to reconcile their versions of a tax plan, but one thing is certain: Big changes are ahead for the nation's schools. On the K12 side, cuts that impact the source of public school funding are coming hand in hand with special tax benefits for families with means to put aside money for private school tuition. Read more>> ProPublica The word “alternative” implies a choice. But in an era when the freedom to pick your school is trumpeted by advocates and politicians, students don’t choose the alternative schools to which districts send them for breaking the rules. They are sentenced to them. Read more>> INDUSTRY NEWS Rosetta Stone Youngstown City School District’s world language program is expanding to offer Spanish-language learning to students as young as five years old through a new partnership with Rosetta Stone. The agreement gives more than 3,100 students access to the digital language learning program. Read more>> Extreme Networks, Inc. Extreme Networks, Inc.'s wired and wireless networking portfolio is supporting a growing number of education customers, including Le Jardin Academy and McMinn County School System. Customers are choosing Extreme to support BYOD, virtual reality and 1-to-1 learning initiatives. Read more>> Optoma Technology The high-brightness Optoma WU465, EH465, EH460ST, W460 and X460 projectors are equipped with PC-free presentation capabilities for seamless wireless media sharing and viewing, as well as USB display screen and wireless screen mirroring. Read more>> ✭ Visit the District Administration's PR Portal ✭ PEOPLE WATCH The Daily Star Timothy McNamara, currently the principal of Downsville Central School, will lead the New York district. He is replacing Elizabeth Briggs, who will be retiring after serving as Afton CSD's superintendent since 2002. Read more>> WTVA Superintendent Gearl Loden's retirement will begin following this current school year. He is in his sixth year with the Mississippi school district. Read more>> San Marcos Corridor News Hays CISD's board of trustees voted to hire Eric Wright as the new superintendent of schools. He has been the superintendent of Fredericksburg ISD since 2014. He will replace retired Superintendent Michael McKie. Read more>> | 