• Opinion poll conducted by the Program on Education Policy and Governance at indicates that Americans express less confidence in the nation’s public schools and less support for the renewal of the No Child Left Behind Act than they did a year ago.
  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/08/12/01survey.h28.html

School Funding/Litigation

• AR House and Senate education committees review draft report on amount of funding needed to provide an adequate public school education—report criticized by some for being too vague.
  http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2008/08/13/News/347388.html
• CA schools will need an additional $3.1 billion annually - $2,100 more for every middle school student - to implement governor's new eighth-grade algebra testing requirement.
  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/13/MNB9129KM4.DTL&feed=rss.education
• NC Governor signs $21.4 billion state budget that includes $7.8 billion for public education for fiscal 2009, up about 1 percent from fiscal 2008.
  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/08/13/45recap.h27.html
• NC judge rules that the state owes local school districts nearly $750 million because state agencies wrongly withheld civil penalties for nearly 10 years.
  http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/aug/13/nc-owes-schools-nearly-750-million/?news-ncpolitics
• TX district judge on Monday denied Texas State Teachers Association's request that the state be temporarily prohibited from giving state money to three nonprofit organizations for dropout recovery program.
  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/08/11/143696txvoucherlawsuit_ap.html
• TX officials likely to appeal a federal court order telling the state to change programs for English-language learners in grades 7-12 and improve monitoring of programs for ELLs in all grades.
  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/08/13/45biling.h27.html

Federal/NCLB

• U.S. Education Secretary announces that Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Utah will be allowed more flexibility under NCLB. These states will join a list of seven other states that had previously been granted this flexibility.
  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/08/13/45brief-b1.h27.html
• The Council of the Great City Schools releases detailed data on the business performance of the nation’s largest school districts.
  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/08/13/45report-4.h27.html
  Report released by the for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing at the Los Angeles urges states to provide comprehensive guidelines for school districts on how to use accommodations with ELLs.
  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/08/13/45report-1.h27.html

School Funding/Litigation

• GA Department of Education trying to determine how to cut up to $171 million from the state's K-12 budget.
  http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/081208/news_2008081200369.shtml

State Roundup

• MI Merit Exam results released for the class of 2009. Results are mixed.
  http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080812/NEWS01/808120302/1002
• NY Department of Education reports that, for the first time, more than half of ’s high school students are graduating on time, according to 2007 graduation figures.
  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/12/education/12graduation.html

Federal/NCLB

• ID Board of Education identifies 15 school districts that have not made adequate yearly progress in seven years based on statewide testing under NCLB. Failing schools face sanctions.
  http://www.idahostatesman.com/531/story/464562.html
• ID--School officials in two, southern districts announce that they have decided not to be bound by the federal benchmarks set by the NCLB.
  http://www.idahostatesman.com/531/story/466106.html
• Letter to the Editor regarding NYT article, “Education as a Civil Rights Issue.” (editorial, Aug. 1) which asserted that civil rights organizations support the strengthening of NCLB.
  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/11/opinion/lweb11educ.html
• Editorial: A call for Congress to undertake a fair assessment of the D.C. voucher program.
  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/09/AR2008080901587.html?nav=rss_opinions

School Funding/Litigation

• CA appellate court rules that parents may legally home-school their children even if they lack a teaching credential.
  http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-homeschool9-2008aug09,0,858947.story
• NY Senate approves Governor’s property tax plan, including school tax cap. Plan rejected by some Democrats but passed with support from all Republican senators.
  http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=710499&category=STATE

State Roundup

• CT Department of Education announces that state schools are facing a shortage of science, math and foreign language teachers for the upcoming school year.
  http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2008/08/11/state_connecticut_schools_face_teacher_shortages/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Education+news
• MI Joint Committee on Administrative Rules hearing set for Wednesday. Legislative hearing will determine whether controversial proposed changes to special education rules will proceed.
  http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080811/NEWS06/808110374/1008/news06
• OH Governor holds fifth public forum on state public education.
  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/08/13/45ohio.h27.html

Published Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008