What a GOP Majority Might Mean for Education Policy
Before the midterm elections, Democrats led the House with a majority of seats—255, to be exact. When the new Congress convenes in January, the new Republican majority will lead with at least 239 seats (as of today, 11 races haven’t been called definitively). Republican candidates picked up 60 seats in the House by running on a nearly universal message of anti-incumbency and reform, particularly in regards to federal spending.
Meanwhile in the Senate, Republicans closed the narrow Democratic majority to 51-46 (with three races in a toss-up) without taking control.
Stay on Top of Midterm Elections
In just three weeks, Americans will head to the polls to vote. The entire U.S. House of Representatives, approximately one-third of the U.S. Senate, and roughly two-thirds of state governors are running in this important election.
Stuck in the Middle
Our My Two Cents question for this month is: Which model for middle schoolers do you think works best? K-8? 6-8? 6-12? Read what some of your colleagues had to say:
The Unintended Consequence of Suspensions
In the November/December edition of Speaking Out, the author expresses her belief that out-of-school suspensions do little to discourage future student misbehavior and that principals should instead implement in-school suspensions, during which students are taught the desired behavior.
Distinguished Principals to Be Honored Today
In tandem with National Principals Month, NAESP will recognize 62 elementary and middle school principals for their exceptional school leadership during the Association’s two-day National Distinguished Principals (NDP) program in Washington, D.C.
Education as an Economic Issue
President Obama is hardly the first to make the argument that the education of America’s youth is of vital economic importance. Since coming to office, Obama has made education reform—centered on innovation and competitiveness—a cornerstone of his administration’s focus.
National Principals Month Is Here
Let’s hear it for principals! The U.S. Senate passed S. Res 607, a resolution drafted by NAESP and the National Association of Secondary School Principals to designate October 2010 as National Principals Month. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-North Dakota, introduced the resolution, which honors elementary, middle, and high school principals for their passion and dedication to students across the country.
Can Schools Take Another Funding Hit?
Last week, congressional Republicans released A Pledge to America, which is their policy agenda for running the country should one or both bodies of Congress switch to a Republican-led majority.
U.S. Economy Depends on a Better Education System
In a recent interview on NBC's "Today" show, President Barack Obama said the United States is falling behind other developed nations in math and science education and that is hurting U.S. economic competitiveness. Obama suggested that the U.S. schools need to get rid of the worst performing teachers and expand the school year (Read more).
Expanding the School Day
Education Week is reporting that "Language in the federal education spending bill for fiscal 2011 would raise funding for a key after-school program, but also open the door to using that money to expand the school day and year—a move that has some after-school advocates worried" (Read the full article).
