Online Education in America

(Cross posted to the PLP Blog.)
To me, at least, one of the most interesting phrases used in the new National Educational Technology Plan was this: “…using technology to help build the capacity of educators by enabling a shift to a model of connected teaching.” Obviously, this implies much more than being “connected” [...]

New York State lost out on $700 million in federal Race to the Top money today, placing second to last and beating only the District of Columbia among the 16 finalists. Only two states, Delaware and Tennessee, won in the initial phase of competition for the coveted federal grants.

New York was not widely expected to [...]

A judge ruled the city’s bid to close 19 schools illegal. (GothamSchools, Post, Daily News, Times, NY1)
The Post says the ruling that the closures weren’t decided legally is “nitpicking.”
The Daily News laments that the ruling reflects a win for the teachers union.
Spending on classroom instruction could fall by about 3 percent this year, according to the IBO. (Post)
A second [...]

Given a reprieve by the court, a teacher at a formerly closing school says she’s “thrilled.”
The reprieve is good news for the UFT, writes Edwize, but they’re still waiting for an apology.
Four charter schools are among those affected by the court’s decision to void 19 school closures.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will announce Race to [...]

Now that the State Supreme Court has brought the city’s plans to shutter 19 schools to a screeching halt and the city is planning to immediately appeal the decision, the fates of the schools, their staffs and a large number of students are in limbo.
Here are some questions that we have about the way forward, [...]

Today’s State Supreme Court decision in the lawsuit over 19 school closures appears to be good news for most of the 66,000 eighth graders who have been waiting for months to find out where they’ll go to high school.
But for the 8,500 students who applied to one of the 14 high schools the city tried [...]

A school board vote to close 19 city schools is “null and void,” according to a decision handed down by a state Supreme Court justice today.
The bombshell decision leaves the fate of all 19 schools and their staffs up in the air and could force the Department of Education to rewrite arguments for why they [...]

A school board vote to close 19 city schools is “null and void,” according to a decision handed down by a state Supreme Court justice today.
The bombshell decision leaves the fate of all 19 schools and their staffs up in the air and forces the Department of Education to rewrite arguments for why they deserve [...]

NYU says it will give space for a new school sometime in the future. (GothamSchools, Times, Post, NY1)
Mayor Bloomberg, President Clinton, and other big names attended the UFT’s 50th birthday party. (NY1)
The Post urges the judge in the school closure lawsuit to release high school admissions letters.
One possibility is that eighth graders will have to [...]

Four District 2 schools have eliminated their kindergarten wait lists, DOE officials said today.
Miss Brave was pulled into “an emergency UFT meeting” today about the possible impending layoffs.
If there’s no fat left to trim from the DOE budget, Miss Eyre wonders, why is the department hiring?
The winners of Race to the Top will be announced [...]

In the first part of several posts on the upcoming teachers union elections, here’s a look at how voting works and who does it.
Every three years, the UFT contracts its internal election out to the American Arbitration Association, and on March 12, the AAA sent out 167,000 ballots to UFT members. Those ballots went to [...]

A longed-for new elementary school for Greenwich Village families may open in an unexpected location — a new building on a greatly expanded New York University campus.
NYU has committed to building a new 600-seat public elementary school as part of its plan to add 6 million square feet of space to its campus, the university [...]

Tonight, as members of New York City’s teachers union celebrate the union’s 50th anniversary with a line up of political and labor celebrities, some of their members will be sitting at home or in schools filling out ballots.
That’s because the United Federation of Teachers is in the midst of an election for its president and [...]

Klein said budget cuts could mean 8,500 teacher layoffs. (GothamSchools, Daily News, WNYC, NY1)
But the Assembly passed a budget plan with less severe school cuts. (Times, Albany Times-Union)
In the Post, Assemblyman Sam Hoyt asks teachers to freeze their salaries to stave off budget cuts.
High school admissions letters are still delayed. (GothamSchools, Daily News, Times)
The superintendent [...]

The nation’s reading scores plateaued, but low achieving students did make gains.
Jay Mathews writes that the flat scores can be read as an “epitaph” for No Child Left Behind.
The Assembly’s budget plan would restore $193 million to NYC schools.
UFT president Michael Mulgrew is attending a re-election fundraiser for Charlie Rangel.
A retired teacher says he’s voting [...]