The State of State Science Standards 2012

From the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, the State of State Science Standards 2012 is an analysis and comparison of science standards State-by-State. Michigan gets ranked solidly in the middle with a grade of C (an improvement over its 2005 grade of D). California, Indiana, Virginia, South Carolina and Massachusetts lead the states in the A range, although all the foregoing states excluding California have been downgraded from their 2005 Grade of A to A-.

Vocabulary Results from the 2009 and 2011 NAEP Reading Assessments

Vocabulary Results from the 2009 and 2011 NAEP Reading Assessments are now available. Generally, reading scores for 4th graders remain unchanged, and 8th graders score higher. Detroit tied with the District of Columbia for the 2 lowest positions in a comparison of 8th grade scores for arge city districts. However, the score gaps between higher- and lower-income students in Dallas, Detroit, Houston, and New York city were smaller than the score gap for large cities overall.

McGraw Hill Education sold to Investment Fund

It was reported today that McGraw-Hill Education has been sold to investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC (NYSE: APO). When the deal closes, the company will be renamed McGraw Hill Financial, and will focus on developing as a high-growth, high-margin benchmarks, content and analytics company in the global capital and commodities markets. 

Read more about this transaction.

Michigan Public Education Finance Project Draft Legislation (1)

This proposed Michigan Public Education Finance Act  would replace the School Aid Act of 1979, the law that governs public education funding. The Oxford Foundation has funded the research and development of the draft bill. This Act is expected to be introduced as part of Gov. Rick Snyder's budget presenting in February.  According to its website, The Oxford Foundation focuses on projects that “lessen the burdens of government,” The Foundation has a four-person board of directors, which it is rather secretive about and they do not provide information on Board members identities on their website. One of those members is Richard D. McLellan, Chairman of the Michigan Law Revision Commission. Mr. McLellan is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and the Cornerstone Foundation, both conservative organizations.

There is an interesting memo from July 2012 addressed to the "education community" from the Oxford Foundation regarding the development of this draft.

According to the Oxford Foundation's site, the Oxford Foundation was asked by Governor Snyler to propose a new act to replace the current act. Mary Kay Shields, Chief Deputy Director of The Governor John Engler Center for Charter Schools and Peter Ruddell of Wiener Associates (a full service governmental affairs law firm) are identified as members of this project and had a hand in the development of this Act's language. Perhaps they are 2 of the board members?

New Book: Is everyone really equal? : an introduction to key concepts in social justice education

"This practical handbook will introduce readers to social justice education, providing tools for developing “critical social justice literacy” and for taking action towards a more just society. Accessible to students from high school through graduate school, this book offers a collection of detailed and engaging explanations of key concepts in social justice education, including critical thinking, socialization, group identity, prejudice, discrimination, oppression, power, privilege, and White supremacy. Based on extensive experience in a range of settings in the United States and Canada, the authors address the most common stumbling blocks to understanding social justice. They provide recognizable examples, scenarios, and vignettes illustrating these concepts."

Request it from our library catalog: http://elibrary.wayne.edu/record=b4366702~S47

Find out more about the book at: http://store.tcpress.com/080775269X.shtml

Writers Speak to Kids Video Series

NBC Learn, the education arm of NBC News, has launched an original video series called “Writers Speak to Kids”.
The 17-part video series features the writers of New York Times bestselling and Newbery Award-winning titles, including Nick Bruel, Michael Buckley, Douglas Florian, Amy Ignatow, Gordon Korman, Ridley Pearson, Judy Schachner, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Philip C. Stead, Rebecca Stead, Clare Vanderpool, and Jacqueline Woodson.

Enrollment, Student Financial Aid and Graduation Rates in Postsecondary Institutions

NCES Releases New Data on Postsecondary Enrollment, Graduation Rates, and Student Financial Aid
"By extending the time students were tracked for program completion from within 100 percent of normal time to within 200 percent of normal time, graduation rates for undergraduates who were full-time, first-time students in 2007 increased from 21 percent to 37 percent at 2-year institutions and from 46 percent to 69 percent at less-than-2-year institutions, according to new data released by the National Center for Education Statistics." IES Newsflash

Career/Techincal Education (CTE) Statistics

The CTE Statistics website includes tables describing CTE at three levels: (1) secondary/high school CTE, (2) postsecondary/college career education, and (3) adult education for work. These tables are updated periodically to incorporate new CTE-related topics and data from new surveys.

Higher Education: Gaps in Access and Persistence Study

A new report, Higher Education: Gaps in Access and Persistence, from NCES documents the "scope and nature of gaps in access and persistence in higher education by sex and race/ethnicity." 

Education Week releases Diplomas Count 2012

This year's Diplomas Count 2012 focuses on Latino Students in US Schools. According to their press release "The national public school graduation rate for the class of 2009 reached 73.4 percent, an increase of 1.7 points from the previous year. Much of this improvement can be attributed to a rapid 5.5 point rise in graduation rates among Latinos and a 1.7 point gain for African-Americans."

Condition of Education 2012 Released

"The Condition of Education 2012 summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The report presents 49 indicators on the status and condition of education, in addition to a closer look at high schools in the United States over the past twenty years.." IES Newsflash, May 24, 2012 

New NCES Report: Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools: 1999-2000 and 2009-10

This report presents selected findings from a congressionally mandated study on arts education in public K–12 schools.(IES Newsflash 4/2/2012)

Enrollment, Financial Statistics and Graduation Rates in Postsecondary Institutions

This First Look report presents findings from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) spring 2011 data collection. This collection included five components: Student Financial Aid for full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students for the 2009-10 academic year; Enrollment for fall 2010; Graduation Rates within 150 percent of normal program completion time for full-time, first-time degree/ certificate-seeking undergraduate students beginning college in 2004 at 4-year institutions or in 2007 at less-than-4-year institutions; Graduation Rates within 200 percent of normal program completion time for full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students beginning college in 2002 at 4-year institutions or in 2006 at less-than-4-year institutions; and Finance for fiscal year 2010.

America's Youth: Transitions to Adulthood

A new report from NCES released December 20, 2011, "America's Youth contains statistics that address important aspects of the lives of youth, including family, schooling, work, community, and health. The report focuses on American youth and young adults 14 to 24 years old, and presents trends in various social contexts that may relate to youth education and learning."

Are Children Better Off Learning In Schools Computer-Free?

Are Children Better Off Learning In Schools Computer-Free?: After much national coverage on the Waldorf School approach to learning, Craig talks about the possible benefits and draw-backs of a computer-free primary education with local education-instruction experts from Wayne State University and Eastern Michigan University. Wayne State's Dr. Mary Waker, Director of the Education Technology Center in the College of Education joins this panel discussion.

2011 Math & Reading Assessments: Nation's Report Card

Visit The Nation's Report Card to see recently released Mathematics and Reading assessment results.

Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the US

A new report updating the NCES series on high school dropout and completion rates.

New IES Report: Comparative Indicators of Education in the US and other G-8 Countries

This report describes key education outcomes and contexts of education in the G-8 in five topical areas: population and school enrollment, academic performance, contexts for learning, expenditures for education, and educational attainment and income. Results are drawn from the OECD)ongoing Indicators of Education Systems, as well as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is also coordinated by the OECD.

IES Report on Dropout Prevention Services and Programs

A new report from IES provision estimates about services and programs offered in public school districts for dropout prevention. You can access the report here.

Higher Education Today discusses Schools of Education

The University of the District of Columbia hosts a lively discussion about Schools of Education with Dr. Margaret Crocco, Dean of the University of Iowa College of Education and Dr. Richard Vedder, Director of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.