Afternoon Announcements: Keep an Eye on the Florida Gubernatorial Race

Before he retires, U.S. Senator Harkin, the Senate education committee chairman, has three things he wants to accomplish: raise the minimum wage, reauthorize the workforce investment act, and expand early-childhood education. Politics K-12

The most important gubernatorial race for education is happening in Florida between sitting Gov. Rock Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist. Politics K-12

New data shows that while schools overall are suspending fewer students for “willful defiance,” African American students are still disproportionately suspended for that reason compared to their peers. EdSource

A House committee in New Mexico approved a proposal that would increase funding for K-12 by $149 million and give education employees a pay raise of at least 3 percent. The question is: will the Governor approve it? Education Week