SUPERINTENDENTS WEIGH IN: House Appropriations Subcommittee Hears from School Superintendents on President Obama’s Budget Request Article

On March 27, the House Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations Subcommittee held another hearing on the president’s Fiscal Year 2013 K–12 education budget.

RESULTS OF 2011 TRIAL URBAN DISTRICT ASSESSMENTS IN READING AND MATH: Large Urban Districts Narrow Gap With National Average Article

Although the average reading score for eighth-grade public students increased 2 points from 2009 to 2011, the average reading score remains 9 points lower than the score for public school students in the nation, according to the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA).

“PRIORITIZING THE NATION’S LOWEST-PERFORMING HIGH SCHOOLS”: New Alliance Brief Profiles Lowest-Performing Schools, Calls for Federal Action Article

A new brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education calls on Congress to address the approximately two thousand high schools that account for nearly half of the nation’s dropouts.

STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESSES: States Make Due with Massive Budget Deficits Article

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES: New Alliance Report Calls on Congress to be More Responsive to the Needs of Rural High Schools Article

Despite often being shortchanged by current federal education policies, rural high schools routinely use practices that could be useful to boosting student performance in their urban and suburban counterparts, according to a new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education.

ARKANSAS TAKES A LOOK AT ADEQUACY: Study Finds $838 Million Needed to Provide an Adequate Education Article

According to a new costing-out study, Arkansas needs to spend an additional $848.3 million to provide an adequate education for its K-12 students

“CRAM SCHOOLS” FIND NEW PARTICIPANTS IN URBAN AREAS: African-American, Hispanic, and Indian Students Fill Nontraditional Schools Article

In New York City, proactive parents are taking measures into their own hands in an effort to better prepare their children for life after high school.

SMALL SCHOOLS MAKE ECONOMIC SENSE: New Report Stresses Cost Effectiveness of Small Schools Article

A new report by the Rural School and Community Trust, in partnership with KnowledgeWorks Foundation, builds on current research that stresses the social benefits of small schools and the negative effects of large schools on teachers, students, and the community as a whole.

THE CHALLENGE: Six Million Students are in Danger of Being “Left Behind” Article

As the nation's schoolchildren head back to school and school districts begin to implement the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, one thing is very clear-six million students in our nation's middle schools and high schools are in serious danger of being left behind.