VA high school ranks top 10 in nation
By Kathryn Watson | Virginia Statehouse News
ALEXANDRIA — With an average SAT score of 2,200 and a 100 percent graduate rate, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology here ranked No. 10 in Newsweek’s 2012 report on America’s Best High Schools.
Virginia, which also boasts the No. 16 school, Richmond’s Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, [...]
Virginia spends thousands on ‘baby steps’ in graduation data plan
By Kathryn Watson | Virginia Statehouse News
ALEXANDRIA — Prospective students scoping out colleges and universities in Virginia won’t find out how many graduates get jobs, but they will learn how much graduates earn with certain degrees and majors from various schools.
Even without the employment data, the database may not present an accurate assessment of the state’s [...]
IL school chief : ‘We can’t shortchange our schools anymore’
By Jayette Bolinski | Illinois Statehouse News
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ school chief this week sounded the alarm on possible cuts to the amount of money the state will give local schools during the coming fiscal year.
Read More →PA school districts have been hording cash for years
By Eric Boehm | PA Independent
HARRISBURG — As state funding for education increased in the past 15 years, many school districts set aside a hefty stash of cash in savings accounts.
As of the end of the 2011 budget year, Pennsylvania school districts have more than $3.2 billion in reserve funds. Some cash is earmarked for specific projects but not being used and some is simply sitting in accounts, according to data from the state Department of Education.
Read More →OSSOWSKI: Confessions of a standardized testing survivor
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog
TAMPA — Even after hours of cramming mathematical formulas, composing rough drafts and tracking down ever-elusive No. 2 pencils, there was no more excruciating experience than having to complete a state-mandated standardized test.
The teachers, worn out from their recent intensive lessons on math, reading and writing expected on the next [...]
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