Anti-Common-Core bills clear hurdle, but face likely defeat in Senate
Republicans who helped kill a bill that would have dumped Common Core last week gave preliminary approval Wednesday to two measures that are hostile to the learning standards.
New standards and high-quality assessment are essential for Arizona students
When the Common Core State Standards were being drafted, many Arizona teachers provided input and feedback which were incorporated into the actual standards that were adopted by 45 states. I know because I was one of them, working alongside other Arizona educators, ultimately helping our state to leave a footprint on the standards themselves.
We must stay the course with Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards
I’ve been implementing Arizona’s College and Career Ready standards for three years in my fifth grade classroom. But I’m going to let you in on a secret: it hasn’t changed my teaching very much. In fact, the standards finally caught up with what many good educators have been trying to do for a long time –move away from rote memorization and isolated skills and return to creativity and in[...]
For many reasons, it’s time to get rid of Common Core
Arizonans must reclaim sovereignty over our children’s education. SB1310, which would prohibit the implementation of the Common Core standards and test in Arizona, is a good start. Governor Brewer willingly handed over control of our state’s education to the Common Core group for 30 pieces of silver offered by the Obama Administration in exchange for changing our state’s education policies [...]
University presidents pitch lawmakers on value of research
Investing in research infrastructure at Arizona’s public universities is essential for the state to be competitive, Arizona State President Michael M. Crow told lawmakers Wednesday.
Education — the best investment for our future
For more than 50 years, Arizona Town Hall has asked Arizonans to identify the most pressing and important policy topics for discussion. In recent years, Town Hall members and participants have repeatedly identified education as a topic that requires immediate attention. Perhaps this has been due to widespread opinions that Arizona’s education systems are not prepared to support the most prosper[...]
As AIMS test ends, lawmakers differ over what to do next
Sen. Kelli Ward hopes to give Arizona students a reprieve from tests like AIMS, which for years prevented high school students from graduating without a passing grade.
Arizona school officials ask Legislature to restore $330 million in state aid
Saying the money was withheld illegally, Arizona schools asked a judge on Tuesday to force the Legislature to restore at least $330 million state aid, what it should have been had the governor and lawmakers not ignored the law in the first place.
Education department seeks funding for data system
The state Education Department wants the Legislature to provide $16.5 million to finish modernizing a computer system that tracks the attendance and test scores of individual students. The funding request... […]
Court to decide K-12 inflation funding fix estimated at $1.6B
The issue of fully funding inflation for K-12 is headed for another round in the courts, even though the state Supreme Court ruled in September the Legislature must make annual adjustments.
Officials in AZ to seek delay in school ratings
Education officials in Arizona plan to seek a one-year delay in their ratings of schools as the state transitions to a new student assessment test.
Little-known visa intended for trafficking victims is chronically underused
WASHINGTON – Visas to enter the U.S. are typically a hot commodity: The government stopped taking applications for its 2014 allotment of 65,000 H-1B work visas after just four days, for example.
But not the T-visa.