Education Secretary Arne Duncan faced heated criticism Monday for reportedly dismissing foes of so-called Common Core standards as “white suburban moms” who are worried their schools or children don’t measure up to the new benchmarks, FOX News reports. Duncan made the comments on Friday in Richmond, Va., discussing academic standards which have become highly controversial at the state level. “It’s fascinating to me that some of the pushback is coming from, sort of, white suburban moms who — all of a sudden — their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought they were and their school isn’t quite as good as they thought they were, and that’s pretty scary,” Duncan said, according to an account from Politico. “You’ve bet your house and where you live and everything on, `My child’s going to be prepared.’ That can be a punch in the gut.”
…Read MorePodcast Series: Innovations in Education
Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.
‘White privilege’ class at Wisconsin school draws ire
A Wisconsin high school is under fire after a parent accused a diversity class of promoting a critical race theory, alleging that students are being taught that minorities are disadvantaged by white oppressors, Fox News reports. Delavan-Darien High School’s “American Diversity” course aims to help students “better understand oneself and recognize how feelings, ideas and beliefs interact with the ideas and beliefs of other individuals and groups,” according to the school’s website. By studying American society through the connections among culture, ethnicity, race, religion and gender issues, the course seeks to “create a more accurate picture of modern America.” But an unnamed parent tells Fox News that assignments and class worksheets seem like “indoctrination.” A handout gives students a definition of “white privilege,” which appears to be taken from a book by the same name…
…Read MoreSchool threatens to drop student from honor society for community service done at church
The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology faces a federal lawsuit after reportedly threatening to drop a 17-year-old student from the National Honor Society after she completed her community service at a church, Todd Starnes reports on FOX News & Commentary. With the help of Matt Sharp, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, the unidentified teen has filed a suit against the school for religious discrimination. According to the report, students wishing to be inducted into the National Honors Society must complete 12 hours of community service to earn a membership–the only problem in this case is that, according to the girl’s school district, hours cannot come from a religious organization, therefore invalidating her work…
…Read MoreMexico’s failing education system illuminated in film
Teacher’s don’t show up for class. Those that do spend hours talking on their cellphones. Federal education authorities are clueless to how many teachers the country actually has. Teenage students can’t solve long-multiplication problems, Fox News reports. This is the harsh reality of Mexico’s education system, both public and private, as displayed in a new documentary titled “De Panzazo!”—roughly meaning “Barely passing.” Directed by filmmaker Juan Carlos Rulfo and journalist Carlos Loret de Mola, the film blames the deficiencies of Mexican schools on teachers unions and on government officials who give in to the unions’ pressure to avoid changes in the system…
…Read MoreOpinion: Washington might require students to apply for college
Some lawmakers in Washington are considering legislation which would require District of Columbia resident high school students to register for college, according to Fox News. Some lawmakers believe this would show if students would be able to navigate through the application process. This idea is ridiculous and would cost money and time which could be invested elsewhere. First, if a student is unable to navigate the application process, he or she should know enough to ask for help. Contacting the college in question or getting help from a teacher or councilor in school should be the first step. It is the responsibility of the school district and each Washington school to inform students that they have resources available if they have an issue.
If a student is unable to navigate through the application process for a college or university, are they really going to have a chance of making it in college?
Education Department chides Hawaii for use of grant dollars
An Education Department official on Wednesday admonished Hawaii for its “unsatisfactory” performance under a $75 million federal grant the state won last year in a high profile competition and said it was placing it under “high risk” status, Fox News reports. That means the state is in danger of losing the money if it doesn’t make improvements. This is the first time the department has placed under such a status a state that won dollars distributed in the competition known as “Race to the Top.” The contest is a signature education initiative under the Obama administration, which has used it to encourage states to enact changes it supports. Hawaii was one of 11 states and the District of Columbia to win more than $4 billion in Race to the Top grants last year. The Hawaii Department of Education is the nation’s 10th largest school system and the only statewide district in the country…
…Read MoreSchool officials: Alabama law on reporting illegal students is ‘impractical’
Some Alabama educators fear the state’s new law cracking down on illegal immigration could jeopardize millions of dollars in federal funding for public schools, Fox News reports. At issue is one provision in the law requiring schools to report the number of undocumented students they enroll. The law, which takes effect Sept. 1, requires schools to collect and report to the state proof of a student’s age, as well as a new provision requiring proof of where a child was born…
…Read MoreJudge finds Indiana teen guilty in school shooting
A central Indiana teenager who insisted for weeks that he hadn’t intended to kill a former classmate admitted in court Monday that he had hoped the shots he fired would be fatal, bringing an unexpectedly fast end to his trial, Fox News reports. Sixteen-year-old Michael Phelps softly answered “Yes, sir,” when defense attorney Steven Litz asked him if he had intended to kill 15-year-old Chance Jackson in the March 25 shooting at Martinsville West Middle School. A few moments later, prosecutors dropped all charges but attempted murder, the one count on which Morgan Superior Court Judge G. Thomas Gray found Phelps guilty…
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