CONFRONTING THE CRISIS: New Alliance Report Offers Solutions for Nation’s Literacy Crisis Article

More than 60 percent of twelfth-grade students leave high school without the advanced reading and writing skills needed to succeed in college and a career, seriously constraining their future employment options and restricting national and state economies, according to a new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education.

AT&T Accepting Proposals for Its Aspire Local High School Impact Initiative Article

The 2012 AT&T Aspire Local High School Impact Initiative is now accepting proposals from currently operating high school retention programs that consist of elements aligned to the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Dropout Prevention Practice Guide.

MARKED IMPROVEMENT: New York City’s Small High Schools of Choice Boost Graduation Rates by 8.6 Percentage Points, MDRC Analysis Finds Article

A new report from MDRC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and social policy research firm, finds that small public high schools of choice in New York City narrow the educational attainment gap; markedly improve graduation prospects, particularly for disadvantaged students; and boost students’ college readiness in English.

STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESSES: Spotlighting Speeches by Governors in Illinois, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Tennessee Article

HOUSE COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON ESEA REWRITE: Hearing Focuses on NCLB Accountability and Teacher Effectiveness Article

OBAMA RELEASES FISCAL YEAR 2013 FEDERAL BUDGET: Budget Proposes 3.8 Percent Increase in Discretionary Funding for U.S. Department of Education Article

Released on February 13 at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Virginia, President Obama’s budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 proposes $47 billion in discretionary funding (excluding Pell Grants) for the U.S. Department of Education, an increase of 3.8 percent over the current funding level of $45.3 billion.

STATE OF THE STATES: Governors Focus on School Finance, Digital Learning, Reading Interventions, and Waivers Under No Child Left Behind Article

Although education is primarily a state responsibility, the federal government has played a larger role in the last decade through the No Child Left Behind Act and has encouraged states to adopt education reforms more recently through the Race to the Top program.

STATE OF THE UNION: Obama Calls for Mandatory School Attendance Until Age Eighteen, Focuses on Importance of Education for “Jobs of Tomorrow” Article

During his State of the Union address on January 24, President Obama stressed the importance of education in driving the U.S. economy and called on states to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.

HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin Announces Hearings on Education Technology Article

On Digital Learning Day, February 1, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced that the HELP Committee will hold a series of hearings on education technology beginning this spring.

LET’S GET DIGITAL: First-Ever National Digital Learning Day Attracts Participation from Thirty-Nine States, 19,000 Teachers, and 1.7 Million Students Article

On February 1, thirty-nine states, 19,000 teachers, and 1.7 million students participated in the first-ever Digital Learning Day.