Afternoon Announcements: Creative Teachers Turn Graffiti Into Masterpieces

Education Secretary Arne Duncan is in Haiti by invitation of the country’s education minister. The two will visit three schools and meet national leaders to discuss education reform. The Washington Post

Teachers got creative with student graffiti at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The teachers turned the graffiti into masterpieces, placing descriptions and a price tag on them. Huffington Post

Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee are the first three Race to the Top states approved for deadline extensions on their four-year education improvement plans. The “no-cost extensions” allow the states more time to implement their plans. Politics K -12

A new report in the journal Educational Researcher advocates for states to get more creative with how to evaluate school performance and accountability under the No Child Left Behind waivers. Written by researchers at the University of Southern California and North Carolina State University, the report was given to the Education Department as input as it considers moving forward with renewing waivers. Politico