For the first time since 1962, the 87th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee had co-champions!

Scripps National Spelling Bee 2014 Results: Winner, Finalists and Funny Moments Bleacher Report
Sriram Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe made history by becoming co-champions at the 87th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Twenty-two tense rounds of stress-inducing action came down to Hathwar and Sujoe, as they dueled through the toughest words the tournament had to throw at them before all puzzles were exhausted.

In the face of economic uncertainty and stiff global competition, the national policy community has coalesced around the priority of graduating all students ready for college and careers. The drive to ensure equitable opportunities for all students demands solutions—not only to raise the level of students’ preparedness, but also to address the huge achievement gaps based on race/ethnicity and income that exist across all levels of the system.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the passing of Maya Angelou Imperial Valley News
“Maya Angelou was not just a phenomenal writer and artist – she was a teacher and mentor whose words will live on for generations.”

School Spending Increases Linked to Better Outcomes for Poor Students Education Week
In districts that substantially increased their spending as the result of court-ordered changes in school finance, low-income children were significantly more likely to graduate from high school, earn livable wages, and avoid poverty in adulthood.

Who else is excited about the National Spelling Bee, besides me?

5 Things to Know About the National Spelling Bee abcNews
Here are five things to know about the 87th edition of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which began Tuesday and concludes Thursday with the finals broadcast in prime time.

States Intervene When School Districts Hit Financial Trouble Stateline
Pushed to the brink of financial ruin, the Normandy School District in Missouri will officially breathe its last breath on June 30.

No. 1 Shanghai May Drop Out of PISA Washington Post Answer Sheet
First in 2009 and then in 2012, Shanghai’s 15-year-old students (or, rather, a supposed representative group)  were No. 1 in the world on the recent Program for International Student Assessment reading, math and science exams. But now, according to a popular Shanghai newspaper, Shanghai is considering dropping out of PISA. Why?

Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend!

Lost in the Past New York Times Op-Ed by Timothy Egan
Ask a high school senior what the Great War was all about and you’re likely to get a shrug or a stab based on a recent episode of “Game of Thrones.” Hint: its 100th anniversary is this year. Hint: globe-straddling old empires collapsed and new horrors, from genocide to slaughter by poisonous gas, were ushered in.

National Landscape Fragments as States Plan Common-Core Testing Education Week
Only a few years ago, the ambitious initiative to use shared assessments to gauge learning based on the new common-core standards had enlisted 45 states and the District of Columbia. Today, the testing landscape looks much more fragmented, with only 27 of them still planning to use those tests in 2014-15, and the rest opting for other assessments or undecided, an Education Week analysis shows.

The thought of a builder ordering all the materials for a house before developing a detailed blueprint is an analogy that all too often can be seen in our schools. To assist resource-stretched school districts to “plan before they purchase,” the Alliance launched Project 24 on Digital Learning Day 2013 with support from AT&T and others.

A ground-breaking initiative, Project 24 helps school district leaders spend limited funds wisely by providing them with free resources to help develop a comprehensive plan before buying technology or devices. Project 24’s planning process places ongoing support for teachers and a vision for student learning at the forefront of the effort, making technology-rich reform efforts more systemic.

Indiana Data Network Draws Opposition Education Week
Rising concerns about the privacy and security of vast amounts of student data are playing out across the country. That is especially true in Indiana, where the state is building a network that would gather and analyze academic information on students from the time they enter kindergarten to their days as adults in the workplace.

Sec. Duncan Amplifies [State Superintendent] King’s Comments on Segregation in City Schools Chalkbeat
“As you know from your own reporting, educational opportunity and diversity can vary widely among urban and suburban districts within a short drive of each other. In New York City, even a few blocks can make a huge difference, as state commissioner John King recently pointed out. John called the achievement gaps between affluent and poor students a disgrace. I agree. That disgrace is painfully at odds with the American promise that if you study and work hard, you should have an equal opportunity to get a quality education, no matter your zip code or skin color.” – U.S. Sec. of Education Arne Duncan in a speech made to a room full of education journalists at the Education Writers Association conference in Nashville, TN.

Obama Science Fair to Focus on Girls’ Education USA Today
The Obama administration is hoping its annual White House Science Fair will encourage more girls to take up science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. The May 27 fair will also feature the usual assortment of robots, machines, and other science projects.

Florida Lawmaker Says Common Core Will Turn Kids Gay HuffPost
Common Core standards are a divisive topic in education circles, but one Florida lawmaker is taking his anti-Common Core message to a new level.