Legislation Archives

Washington adopts professional learning bill

April 5, 2016 by Laura Ascione

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee recently signed into law HB 1345, a bill that adopts a definition and standards for educator professional learning. HB 1345, championed by Representatives Kristine…

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States assess their readiness for digital learning

March 8, 2016 by Dennis Pierce

Statewide ed-tech inventories are helping state leaders assess their digital learning needs When Ray Timothy, executive director of the Utah ... Read more

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Every Student Succeeds Act shifts more power to states

January 28, 2016December 1, 2015 by By Laura Devaney, Director of News, <a href='https://twitter.com/esn_laura' target='_blank'>@eSN_Laura</a>

While a "new and improved" version of the hotly-debated No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) would still require reading and math testing in grades 3-8 and once in…

STEM & STEAM

Buoyed by Congress, STEM and coding are on the rise

December 15, 2015October 22, 2015 by By Laura Devaney, Director of News, <a href='https://twitter.com/esn_laura' target='_blank'>@eSN_Laura</a>

STEM education, while always a national focus, is receiving more attention in recent days, as surveys and legislation reveal awareness of its importance to the nation's success. Three…

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Bill would keep schools out of students’ social media accounts

September 30, 2015 by By Trevor Brown, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle

This article is no longer available.

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Digital equity bill targets ‘homework gap’

September 24, 2015 by By Laura Devaney, Director of News, <a href='https://twitter.com/esn_laura' target='_blank'>@eSN_Laura</a>

New legislation introduced in Congress would support "innovative strategies and methods to increase out-of-school access to digital learning resources" in an effort to boost both student and educator…

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ESEA rewrite passes Senate, education orgs respond

July 16, 2015 by By Stephen Noonoo, Editor, @stephenoonoo

Voting 81-17, the U.S. Senate has replaced the controversial No Child Left Behind with the Every Child Achieves act, which solidifies a commitment to standardized testing but gives…

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New bill would support innovative internet pilots for students

June 23, 2015 by By Laura Devaney, Director of News, <a href='https://twitter.com/esn_laura' target='_blank'>@eSN_Laura</a>

New legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate would support innovative methods to give students access to the internet and digital tools outside of classrooms. The Digital Learning Equity…

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Senate to tackle NCLB update

April 14, 2015April 14, 2015 by By Laura Devaney, Director of News, <a href='https://twitter.com/esn_laura' target='_blank'>@eSN_Laura</a>

A proposed updated to the Elemetary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) would strengthen state and local control and end federal test-based accountability. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and…

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New bill would renew EETT funding

February 11, 2015 by By Laura Devaney, Director of News, <a href='https://twitter.com/esn_laura' target='_blank'>@eSN_Laura</a>

A new bill proposed in the U.S. Senate would once again fund the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) Act, which ensures that educators and students have access to…

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Calif. law targets social media monitoring of students

October 2, 2014 by By Kelly Corrigan, Glendale News-Press

This article is no longer available.

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Shutdown’s impact on ed programs uncertain

October 2, 2013 by By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor, <a href='https://twitter.com/esn_laura' target='_blank'>@eSN_Laura</a>

As Congress failed to reach a budget agreement on Sept. 30, triggering a federal government shutdown, education leaders and ed-tech stakeholders wondered how long, and to what extent,…

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New law is a win for improved STEM education

August 7, 2013 by Staff and wire services reports

At a meeting of my peers, I often wonder why there are so few female business leaders, especially in the STEM -- science, technology, engineering, and mathematics --…

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Study: Legislators only care about white students

July 11, 2013 by Staff and wire services reports

Legislators are more likely to enact education reforms when white students, as opposed to black students, are failing, a recently released study suggests, the Huffington Post reports.

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RI House delays vote on social media privacy bill

May 23, 2013 by Staff and wire services reports

Rhode Island lawmakers have put off a vote on legislation that would stop employers or higher education officials from demanding access to a person's Facebook or Twitter accounts,…

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Bill to lower barriers to pregnant teens’ education

May 15, 2013 by Staff and wire services reports

UPI reports that a U.S. Senate bill would help states and local school districts support pregnant and parenting youth who face challenges staying in school, legislators say.

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Senators to debate immigration bill amendment on foreign students

May 14, 2013 by Staff and wire services reports

The Washington Post reports that a Senate panel took up amendments to a comprehensive immigration bill Tuesday and was expected to consider a proposal aimed at tightening the…

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Bill would encourage Advanced Placement computer science classes

May 13, 2013May 13, 2013 by From wire reports

This article is no longer available.

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Education, STEM receive boost in federal budget proposal

May 10, 2013April 12, 2013 by By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) would see a 4.6 percent boost in discretionary funding, to $71.2 billion, under President Obama’s proposed 2014 budget, which focuses on STEM…

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Teacher-turned-lawmaker wants two diplomas to graduate high school

March 7, 2013 by Staff and wire services reports

Missouri state Rep. Bryan Spencer, R-Wentzville, is a teacher by trade and a freshman lawmaker in the General Assembly. Spencer introduced House Bill 294 in mid-February which requires…

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Lawmaker seeks to guarantee transgender student rights

March 5, 2013 by Staff and wire services reports

A California lawmaker has introduced legislation aimed at guaranteeing transgender students the right to use public school restrooms and participate on the sports teams that correspond with their…

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Three federal education policy updates

February 28, 2013February 27, 2013 by By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor

As Congress nears a deadline to form a compromise and avoid sequestration, education stakeholders are hoping to avoid devastating school funding cuts that could put an end to…

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New ed-tech bill supports digital learning, Common Core

February 17, 2013February 15, 2013 by By Meris Stansbury, Associate Editor, <a href='https://twitter.com/esn_meris' target='_blank'>@eSN_Meris</a>

A new bill calls on Congress to fund $500 million in grants to states and districts for educational technology, and supporters say it could replace the old Enhancing…

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‘Tebow bill’ would let home-schoolers try out for public school teams

February 5, 2013 by Staff and wire services reports

This could be Micah Fitz’s first spring without soccer. The 14-year-old has been playing since he was 3, but because he’s home-schooled, he can’t try out for the…

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Tennessee ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill now requires teachers to tell parents if child is gay

February 1, 2013 by Laura Ascione

A controversial Tennessee bill that would stop teachers from discussing sexuality with their students has been resurrected in the state legislature, and the 2013 version includes a troubling…

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Bill would restore $5.4B cut from Texas schools

January 14, 2013 by Staff and wire services reports

A bill filed in the Texas House would restore all of the $5.4 billion cut from the state's public schools in 2011, the Associated Press reports.

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Bill to help foster youths with school records

January 4, 2013 by Staff and wire services reports

Federal lawmakers have passed a bill that will give social workers better access to school records in an effort to improve dismal education outcomes for foster children, the…

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Senate GOP fails to bring up immigration bill

December 6, 2012 by Staff and wire services reports

Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked Republicans from bringing up an immigration bill offering permanent residence visas for foreigners with advanced degrees that passed the House last week despite…

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Senate likely to revisit cyber bill

November 1, 2012 by Staff and wire services reports

enate Majority Leader Harry Reid hopes to reintroduce cyber security legislation opposed by business groups once lawmakers return after Tuesday's election, a Senate aide said, adding that a…

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California governor signs bills to make textbooks lighter on wallets and backpacks

October 1, 2012 by Staff and wire services reports

The younger generations may one day never need to lug around heavy and expensive textbooks for their classes, Tecca reports.

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Bleak outlook for education spending under sequestration

September 24, 2012September 21, 2012 by By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor

As schools face ever-increasing budget dilemmas, education stakeholders are desperately hoping to avoid sequestration, or across-the-board cuts, to domestic spending next year—cuts that could devastate education programs and…

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As school year starts, states tackle cyber bullying

August 24, 2012 by From wire service reports

This article is no longer available.

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Delaware bans colleges from requiring students’ social media passwords

August 9, 2012 by By Raishay Lin, Contributing Editor

Should a university be able to edit a student’s Facebook profile or check his private tweets? Absolutely not, said the Delaware state legislature, as it recently passed the…

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Lawmakers at odds over cuts in food stamps, school lunch program

July 13, 2012 by Staff and wire services reports

A bill to overhaul the nation’s nutrition and farm program, as currently drafted, would cut spending by $35 billion over the next 10 years and make nearly 300,000…

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Could NCLB waivers offer a roadmap to reauthorization?

July 9, 2012 by From wire service reports

Granting states waivers from the most stringent requirements of NCLB has brought a level of creativity to education reform that was unexpected when the Obama administration opened the…

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Arizona districts required to monitor online activities

July 3, 2012 by Staff and wire services reports

Beginning this week, school districts in Arizona are required to teach cyberbullying awareness and monitor online chats and social media in schools, in keeping with a bolstered Children’s…

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Texas Republican Party calls for abstinence-only sex ed, corporal punishment in schools

June 28, 2012 by Denny Carter

Early this month, Texas Republican delegates met in Fort Worth to approve their 2012 platform, notable parts of which take aim at the state's education system, The Huffington…

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Has Title IX, now 40 years old, harmed male athletics?

June 25, 2012 by Staff and wire services reports

A new report on Title IX, the landmark civil rights law passed 40 years ago that barred gender discrimination in education for all students, says that a great…

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