With America’s public schools unlikely to return to past funding levels in the near future, the District Management Council (http://www.dmjournal.org/spending-money-wisely/) released a policy guide this week to help districts thrive, rather than just survive, within the constraints of their new fiscal realities. In the main report, “Spending Money Wisely: Getting Read more
The American Federation of Teachers, to date the recipient of more than $11 million in Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation largesse, will no longer accept Gates funding, Politico has reported, citing increasing criticism from members. This is a real case of “put your money where your mouth is”, or in Read more
U.S. corporations donate an estimated $3 billion to $4 billion a year to K-12 education. A new report argues that’s not enough. The report, published by Harvard Business School, the Boston Consulting Group and the Gates Foundation, aims to prod CEOs to move beyond “checkbook philanthropy” and push more transformative Read more
Many teachers are taking part in the increasing number of Gates-funded teacher organizations, while others remain skeptical. These organizations, such as Teach Plus and VIVA Project, are providing teachers with a unique chance to discuss education policies, but many teachers outside these organizations question the authenticity of these dialogues because Read more
For 24 hours on Dec. 11, 2013, the University of Maryland is calling on all supporters of education to come together to support scholarships for prospective teachers. Need to purchase a teacher gift for a child’s teacher? Make a donation in his/her name. The University’s Scholarship Day will support financial Read more
Thousands of pages have been written this month alone on the failings of America’s education system and what to do about it. Diane Ravitch’s new book, Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools, tries to debunk some of the pessimism of Read more
Public schools are supposed to be funded by public tax dollars, right? It turns out that many wealthy school districts or town-run schools within larger districts, especially in California, regularly garner significant funds from private donations. For example, in Hillsborough, CA, public funds spread to a total of $13,500 in Read more
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) recently released a detailed report outlining revenues and expenditures for public elementary and secondary school districts for School Year 2009-10 (FY 10). In addition to providing data with breakdowns by students, states, and districts as well as breakdowns adjusted for median income and Read more
10 states, with another 4 more having recently wrapped up litigation, currently face lawsuits regarding increased funding for education. This phenomenon is not new. Lawsuits supported by pro-school funding organizations have been taking place for decades, although the economic recession of the last five years has reignited a long-standing debate Read more
The Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution has recently released a report on the current cost of standardized testing in United States. The purpose of the study is to shed light on current costs so that there will be an accurate baseline upon which to compare new Read more
Recently, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) submitted its Race to the Top-District proposal without the signature of the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA). The move will make them ineligible for $40 million in funding. The controversy between LAUSD, headed by Superintendent John Deasy, and UTLA, headed by Read more
The United States Census Bureau has released educational statistics that have been compiled as part of its “How Do We Know?” initiative. The statistics are broken down into three categories: enrollment, cost, and outcomes and displayed in a visually appealing infographic. For enrollment, the Census Bureau focuses on showing the Read more
Three out of four Americans oppose reducing federal education funding to lessen the debt and deficit, according to a recent poll from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. The poll also finds that more than 60 percent of Americans oppose cutting federal funding for college loans. Read more
The results from the 6th annual Education Next survey have recently been released. Education Next is an education policy journal which, according to their website argues that “bold change is needed in American K–12 education” although they claim to partake “of no program, campaign, or ideology” and only to go Read more
CDW-G has launched an easy to use website that is a relevant and reliable source of active grants and awards to help offset budget challenges in PreK through grade 12 and higher education institutions. GetEdFunding is a curated collection of more than 750 active grants and awards. Only funders that Read more
While the economy may be showing signs of life, local school districts nationwide continue to struggle mightily. The “new normal” of tougher budget times is here to stay for American K-12 education. So how can local officials cope? This Fordham Institute released a policy brief earlier this month, authored by Read more