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Common Core Readiness: Washington Elementary School District
Although the Washington Elementary School District began introducing the Common Core teaching standards ahead of the state’s suggested schedule, full implementation at all grade levels has proved to be a bit of a moving target.
Common Core Readiness: Topock Elementary School District
The 141-student, rural, isolated Topock Elementary School District has been preparing for and implementing new and potentially expensive teaching methods and a computer-based assessment. The keys have been collaboration paired with some timely technology grants.
Common Core Readiness: Mesa Unified School District
The state’s largest school district has been preparing to teach the Common Core standards in much the same way that smaller districts have – with several consecutive years of teacher training, millions of dollars in technology upgrades and parent education. However, despite a successful 2012 bond election, money is still tight.
Common Core Readiness: Cave Creek Unified School District
With one wary eye cast down the road at PARCC testing, Cave Creek Unified School District tested its ability a couple of years ago to have a massive amount of students using its computer network all at the same time. And the result was a failure.
Common Core Readiness: Arizona College Prep Academy
As a small charter school without the ability to ask voters for bond overrides, Arizona College Prep Academy has to be judicious with its spending decisions. But like every other Arizona school, it still has to train its teachers to implement the state’s Common Core standards and eventually test students on them.
Higher education officials press for more business engagement
University officials today pressed the business community and the state for more engagement in creating a robust college education system, even as they acknowledged that schools are adapting to technology-driven changes in higher education.
A ‘fair’ schools budget: After years of deep cuts, officials say 2014 spending is moving in right direction
For the first time since the Great Recession hammered the economy, hitting education funding particularly hard, Arizona’s K-12 schools are starting to recoup some of their losses.
Affirmative action in school admissions — a net loss for minorities
This month, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on affirmative action in school admissions in Fisher v. University of Texas. While affirmative action was adopted with the long overdue intention of instituting justice and righting innumerable wrongs, it was poorly designed.
Arizona House passes school bonds bill
Arizona lawmakers have slashed $1 billion from public education dollars in recent years and gone to court to avoid mandatory increases in school funding. Now they want taxpayers to directly cover the costs of new construction, repairs, equipment and school buses.
Governor says new law is first step in dealing with school isolation rooms
Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill into law Wednesday requiring parental consent for unruly school children to be placed in isolation rooms.
Brewer said in a letter to the Legislature’s leaders and bill’s sponsor that the new law, passed as HB2476, is just the starting point in deciding policy on the use of the rooms.
Arizona sheriff aims to put armed posse at schools
An Arizona sheriff has announced plans to deploy an armed volunteer posse to protect Phoenix-area students in the wake of the mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school.
School officials: Major cuts coming if Prop 204 fails
Supporters of the initiative to make permanent a temporary one-cent sales tax increase claimed today that its failure at the ballot in November would have dire repercussions, including the closure of schools, teacher layoffs and increases in class sizes. They also pushed back against opponents’ assertion that revenues from the tax won’t reach the classroom.
