ACT Scores Show Disheartening Trend
Posted on August 30th, 2010 by Jaimie Schock
A main education goal of the White House is for every American high school student to graduate career- or college-ready. New data from the ACT college entrance exam show just what an uphill battle that will be: fewer than 25 percent of 2010 high school graduates had the academic skills to pass college entry-level courses in all four categories tested.
Filed under: K-12 Education News | 1 Comment »
Tags: Education Policy, Public Policy, Research on Learning, Testing
The country’s most expensive public school ever, the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, opens its doors next month in Los Angeles. Built on the remains of the old Ambassador Hotel, where RFK was assassinated in 1968, it will accommodate 4,200 K-12 students. The pricetag? An eye-popping $578 million.
Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen recently signed an executive order establishing the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network, which will work to promote and expand the teaching of STEM subjects in schools across the state. The network will operate out of the state’s Department of Education, which will work with local school districts to coordinate STEM education activities, including curriculum and professional development. 
Early college high-school programs — a.k.a., dual-enrollment programs — are growing in popularity. The programs allow high schoolers to take college courses, and earn college credits, while still in high school. Historically, they were geared toward high-achieving students to keep them from getting bored. But, many are now aimed at low-income students at risk of dropping out.
So far, around 35 states have adopted the Common Core K-12 academic standards written by the National Governor’s Association and the Council of Chief State School Officials. But, will these standards be better than the statewide versions? Experts disagree, and it may be too soon to tell.
With three months off in the summer, American students suffer a learning loss — and that’s particularly true of low-income students, who have few options for productive activities. With all U.S. students losing out to their international peers, engaging and fun summer programs may be the answer.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan has named 18 states and the District of Columbia as finalists in a contest to show the best school reform plans. Winners – there could be 10 to 15 – will share up to $3.4 billion. 
A committee of science, engineering, and education experts has completed the first of a two-step process to produce a framework for new science education standards. The final framework will serve as a guide to develop the next generation of science standards, highlighting the core science and engineering, technology, and cross-cutting concepts that all students need to understand.
President Obama rode into the White House on a wave of support that included America’s two largest teachers unions. But more recently, the administration’s relations with the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers have soured.
