N.J. Governor Wants to End Teacher Tenure
Posted on January 17th, 2011 by ASEE
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says teaching can no longer be the “only profession” without consequences for failure. Teachers in his state can gain tenure after three years. While defenders of the system say it ensures due process, critics contend the method for getting rid of bad teachers is too long and costly.
Filed under: K-12 Education News | 2 Comments »
Tags: Education Policy, Public Policy, Teachers
The nation receives a C when graded across the six distinct areas of policy and performance tracked by Quality Counts, the most comprehensive ongoing assessment of the state of American education. For the third year in a row, Maryland is the top-ranked state with a B-plus. The majority of states receive grades of C-plus or lower.
A new report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation recommends that student assessments be based on skills, such as reading for information, locating information, and applied mathematics, instead of content. In STEM subjects, students’ desired outcome should be improved skills in inquiry, design, and the understanding and use of symbolic language in math. 
The school-reform enthusiasm that saw states compete for federal Race to the Top funding and change the way teachers are evaluated seems to have cooled. Anticipating cuts in state funding, school officials across the country are bracing for a pushback against reforms, including efforts to bolster STEM programs. 
A new U.S. Department of Education plan calls for “revolutionary transformation” in how educators use technology to improve and measure student learning. The department plans to fund studies of online professional-collaboration communities for educators.
The long-documented achievement gap between black and white students turns out to be wider than is generally known. According to a new study focusing on young African American males, 12 percent of black fourth-grade boys are proficient in reading, compared with 38 percent of white boys, and 12 percent of black eighth-grade boys are proficient in math, compared with 44 percent of white boys.
Tuition continues to rise at public four-year colleges and universities — increasing this school year by an average 7.9 percent – but record increases in federal grant aid will help provide some relief for students, according to a new report from the College Board.
According to a new report released by the Center for Public Education, school districts across the U.S. are laying off teachers, cutting programs, and eliminating student activities because of the ongoing fiscal squeeze created by the recession. Only two states — Montana and North Dakota — do not face revenue shortfalls this year.
A National Academy of Engineering report says it’s not time to introduce a new set of K-12 engineering education standards. Given the importance of national technological development, however, engineering learning should be incorporated into existing subjects.
